Shawn Wilson was appointed as the Municipal Court Judge on Dec. 5, 2022, and was sworn in Jan. 9, 2023.
Wilson previously worked at the Levelland Police Department as a Sgt. After being injured on the job, Wilson felt he would not be able to continue working at the police department.
“After I came back to the PD, I started to realize that my injury wasn’t going to allow me to do the job to the extent that I used to do it,” Wilson said.
With encouragement from family, friends and colleagues, Wilson felt this position came at the right time in his life.
Wilson explained the hardest part of the job is having more down time than before.
“Right now, as I am still learning the job there’s a little bit of down time on some of the days,” Wilson said. “So, like right now I didn’t have anything going on this morning so, I’m doing online training just trying to improve myself a little bit.”
Wilson expected to have a bigger part in the decisionmaking process, but since most people have already pled guilty, he does not play a large role.
“For the vast majority of the part thought, people are usually coming in here, they’ve already pled guilty they just want to pay their fine,” Wilson said. “The only time I really get to sit down and talk to somebody, to find out what’s going on in their life is when they come in here and ask for financial assistance on their fine.”
Those looking for financial assistance paying fines can complete a Levelland municipal court application for payment plan, community service or indigent consideration available at the municipal court office at city hall.
“My philosophy on that is if I can make you a better person, you’re less likely to reoffend later on,” Wilson said. “So, it’s ultimately better for the City of Levelland.”
Payment plans, community service and online classes are alternatives to paying the fine.
Levelland law enforcement agencies are participating in the 2023 Texas Court Case Resolution Campaign Week Mar. 19th through the 25th.
Under Texas Law, individuals appearing before a court and making a good faith effort to resolve outstanding Class C cases are afforded safe harbor and are not subject to arrest.
If a judgement is rendered against an individual who is unable to pay, the individual may request a judge to assess their ability to pay and offer alternative means.
The municipal court judge duties are as follows: -Presiding over operations and functions of the municipal court in accordance with city charter, state law, the Texas Constitution and the U.S. Constitution - Arraignment of prisoners held in detention - Reviewing affidavits, search warrants and arrest warrants - Arraigning, hearing and deciding cases involving ordinance or statutory misdemeanor violations within the court’s jurisdiction - Organizing court proceedings by reviewing victim, witness, police statements and other evidence - Initializing data entry of permit case information into the computer, issuing legal paperwork to witnesses, defendants and attorneys - Docketing each case for the trial courts - Oversee court funds by preparing the annual budget, monitoring expenditures and analyzing financial aspects of the court operations - Managing operations of the court by identifying and resolving operational policies, reviewing case management activities and developing and implementing appropriate policies and procedures - Answer legal questions from police officers, defendants and the public by reviewing state and civil statutes and municipal ordinance, reading written martials, statements, reports and conferring with other judges - Preside over court hearings and trials by advising the defendant of their constitutional rights and the charges against him or her, obtaining and receiving the defendant’s statement, weighing the defendant’s statement with other evidence and deciding whether to incarcerate or release by the defendant.