Municipal Court

Located at 3329 Hwy 90, the Gautier Municipal Court handles all duties associated with legal proceedings within the City of Gautier. This consists of collecting fines, assessing citations, prosecution of city level offenses, and setting bonds. 

Gautier Municipal Court Judge Amy St. Pe

Municipal Judge

Judge Amy St. Pe is a lifelong Jackson County, Mississippi resident with over 20 years of legal experience. She previously served Gautier as the City Attorney from 2006-2009 and currently serves the City of Moss Point as their City Attorney, a position she has held for the last 15 years. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Jackson County Bar Association, Alabama Bar Association and the Mississippi Bar Association.

City Attorney

Josh Danos has served the City of Gautier as City Attorney since 2012. Prior, Mr. Danos held an Interim City Manager position with the City in 2008. Mr. Danos' duties are to uphold the legal integrity of all contracts entered into and proceedings performed by the City Manager and City Council. Mr. Danos is a partner at Bordis & Danos, PLLC in Ocean Springs, MS where he uses his 19 years of litigation experience to try cases ranging from medical malpractice to negotiating construction disputes. He is a member of both the Mississippi and Texas Bar Associations and has received many accolades throughout his career -- one being the rating of AV Preeminent from Martindale-Hubbell, a peer reviewed distinction of the highest peer rating standard. Mr. Danos also serves as the Hearing Officer for Ocean Springs School District and the City Prosecutor for the City of Moss Point.

Josh Danos Headshot

What to Expect

Court Attire

Appropriate dress is required for court appearances. Revealing clothing, shorts, or non-business casual attire will not be permitted in the courtroom. Cell phones, food, drink, or chewing gum are also prohibited in the courtroom.

Court Dates

The Gautier Municipal Court is in session on Mondays. Arraignments begin at 1:30 PM, and trials begin at 3:00 PM.

Key Terms

Arraignment/Plea

Your first appearance in the Municipal Court is an arraignment/plea hearing. Once your charges are read, you will only enter a plea of not guilty, guilty, or no contest. No evidence or testimony will be provided during this hearing.

If you plead not guilty, you will be given a trial court date set for a future time. Evidence can be submitted and testimony can be given at this time. 

If you plead guilty or no contest, you will need to waive your right to a trial and your right to an attorney if one is not present with you. Once these rights have been waived, sentencing will commence.

Trial

If you plead not guilty on your arraignment date, then you must appear on your trial date. Your trial date is when you have the opportunity to speak with the prosecutor in advance of the trial to try to work out a plea deal. If you cannot agree on a plea deal with the prosecutor, then a trial will be held.

If you are not represented by an attorney and you choose to represent yourself in court and/or at trial, you must conform to all rules of court proceedings including the rules of evidence. No court may lessen this requirement simply because you are not legally trained. In a trial, you are entitled to certain rights, including:

  • The right to a copy of the charging affidavit
  • The right to hear all testimony against you
  • The right to cross-examine witnesses
  • The right to testify on your own behalf
  • The right to decline to testify without any inference drawn against you
  • The right to call witnesses on your behalf. If witnesses need to be subpoenaed, the Court Clerk will do so if you provide a list of witnesses and their current address at least10 days before the trial date.

Failure to Appear

Should you fail to appear for your arraignment/plea date, the court may reschedule your plea date, or the court may issue an arrest warrant for failure to appear.

If you fail to appear for your trial date, your trial may proceed in your absence and you may be found guilty or not guilty.

Fine and Fee Payment

The Gautier Municipal Court only accepts cash payments (must be exact change) or money orders as forms of payment for fines and fees. 

We do not accept personal checks for the payment of fines and fees.

Traffic tickets may be paid online by visiting the link on the Municipal court page.