What does a court do when a defendant under the age of 17 fails to appear or fails to pay a fine for a traffic offense?

• A. The municipal court conducts a contempt hearing and dismisses the charges.
• B. The court immediately suspends the license for 6 months.
• C. The court transfers the case to adult court.
• D. The municipal court conducts a contempt hearing; if the juvenile is found in contempt and the court retains jurisdiction, may order DPS to suspend or deny issuance of the driver's license as a sanction (DIC-81).

Answer: (D)

When a juvenile under 17 fails to appear or to pay a fine, the proper response is for the municipal court to hold a contempt hearing to determine whether the juvenile disobeyed a court order. If the juvenile is found in contempt and the court retains jurisdiction over the case, the court can impose sanctions designed to compel compliance. One such sanction is an order to the Department of Public Safety to suspend or deny the juvenile’s driver’s license, using the DIC-81 form as the mechanism to put that sanction into effect.

This reflects how juvenile proceedings address noncompliance while keeping the case within the juvenile system. The other options don’t fit the typical process: a contempt hearing doesn’t automatically dismiss charges, license suspension isn’t imposed without a contempt finding and retained jurisdiction, and transferring the case to adult court involves a separate waiver process rather than a routine contempt response.