Criminal defense in Modesto
Most criminal cases in Stanislaus County are filed at the main courthouse in Modesto. If you're charged with a misdemeanor or felony anywhere in the county, this is almost certainly where your case will be heard.
The courthouse
Stanislaus County Superior Court — Main 801 10th Street, Modesto, CA 95354
This is where arraignments, preliminary hearings, motions, and trials happen for the vast majority of Stanislaus County criminal cases. Felony cases are handled here. Most misdemeanors are too.
Common cases in Modesto
Modesto Police Department, Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office, and the California Highway Patrol (Modesto Area) make most of the arrests that become charges in this courthouse:
- DUI cases originating from MPD checkpoints, traffic stops, and crash investigations on Highway 99 and the surrounding surface streets.
- Domestic-violence cases from MPD response calls.
- Drug cases from traffic stops, search-warrant operations, and probation-and-parole searches.
- Theft and shoplifting cases from major retail corridors (Vintage Faire Mall, McHenry Avenue, downtown).
What changes by venue
The DA filing decisions, the arraignment department's calendar, and the bench in Modesto have their own patterns. Knowing which judge is sitting in which department on which day — and which DAs handle which calendars — is part of how cases get resolved efficiently.