Costilla County DUI Court Process
Complete guide to arraignment, court dates, plea options, and what to expect during your DUIcase in Costilla County.
Court Information
Costilla County General Sessions Court
Court Day Checklist
Required Documents
Day-Of Reminders
Tip: Screenshot or print this checklist. Check items off as you prepare the night before.
Court Process Timeline
Arraignment
First court appearance, typically within 24-48 hours after arrest.
What Happens:
- Judge reads charges against you
- You enter initial plea (usually Not Guilty)
- Bail is set or reviewed
- Next court date is scheduled
- Public defender appointed if needed
Pre-Trial Hearings
Multiple court dates over 2-6 months where your attorney negotiates with prosecutors.
Attorney Activities:
- Review police reports and evidence
- File motions to suppress evidence
- Challenge breathalyzer/blood test results
- Negotiate plea bargains
- Discuss diversion program eligibility
Plea Bargain or Trial
Most DUI cases (over 90%) resolve through plea bargaining, not trial.
Plea Bargain Benefits
- • Reduced charges
- • Lighter sentence
- • Certainty of outcome
- • Lower costs
Trial Risks
- • Maximum sentence if convicted
- • Higher legal fees
- • Uncertainty
- • Time consuming
Sentencing
Judge determines penalties based on the plea agreement or trial verdict. Sentences may include fines, probation, jail time, license suspension, IID, SCRAM monitoring, and/or DUI classes.
Top Rated Costilla County DUI Attorneys
When facing a DUI charge in Costilla County, finding local, experienced representation is critical. Below are DUI defense attorneys serving Costilla County, CO; paid listings are advertisements and ratings are from Google.
These are free, unclaimed business listings compiled from public sources. They have not been verified or reviewed by DUI Guide, are not paid advertisements, and listing order does not reflect quality or recommendation. Is this your business? You can claim your listing for free.
The Law Office of Mark Loy, LLC
★ 5.0 (4) on GoogleMotz Law Offices
★ 4.7 (10) on GoogleDon't Face This Alone
A DUI attorney can make the difference between a conviction and a dismissal, between jail time and probation. They know local judges, prosecutors, and can challenge evidence that you might not even know is challengeable.
Find Costilla County DUI AttorneysCostilla Combined Court sits at 304 Main Street in San Luis, and it's the only courthouse in the county — but the judicial district around it spans six counties. The 12th Judicial District covers Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache, and judges rotate through all of them, which is why a defendant's hearing might land in front of a visiting judge rather than a resident one.
Chief Judge Amanda C. Hopkins heads the district. Tamara Sullivan is the Costilla County Court Judge, and she also sits as a district judge on domestic relations matters. Jason Kelly typically handles advisements, the first hearing after arrest where charges and bond conditions get laid out. Felony matters and appeals go to district court judges Kim Cortez-Rodriguez, Michael A. Gonzales, and Crista Newmyer-Olsen.
Much of this happens over WebEx rather than in person, a deliberate accommodation for a district this spread out. Judge Kelly's advisement docket uses access code 2598 753 7910. Judge Sullivan's domestic and county docket uses 920 424 857. Visiting judges use 2598 463 5011. Appearing remotely cuts out a long drive, but courtroom decorum still applies same as if you walked in the door.
After the advisement comes a pre-trial conference, where defense counsel negotiates with the 12th Judicial District Attorney's office. State law gives the DA 20 days from the first appearance to hand over discovery — police reports, body camera footage, toxicology results — and that material is what a DUI attorney reviews for problems with the stop, the arrest, or the testing procedure. If no plea gets reached, the case moves to motions hearings and potentially trial, both held at Costilla Combined Court.
The clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at (719) 672-3681 or costillaclerk@judicial.state.co.us. The separate collections office, for paying fines and fees, keeps its own hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., reachable at (719) 589-7626. Civil return dates land on Mondays at 11 a.m. every week.
Costilla County has no DUI-specific problem-solving court of its own. The nearest one, an Adult DWI Court and DANSR diversion program, runs out of Alamosa; a Costilla defendant might get referred there depending on the case, but it isn't guaranteed. Probation supervision, by contrast, is handled locally out of the courthouse, under Chief Probation Officer Bill Gurule and supervisors Mark Cordova, Lee Patrick Herrera, and Nick Millard.
One more wrinkle worth knowing: the district has run "No Refusal" enforcement periods, usually around holidays, where prosecutors and judges stay on standby specifically to approve telephonic search warrants. Refuse a breath test during one of these windows and law enforcement can get a warrant for a blood draw the same night rather than waiting.