(a) There is hereby established and there shall be operative as a referral from the municipal court of record of the City of Longview, Texas, a teen court system.
(b) The teen court system shall be governed by rules of procedure and practice approved by the judge of the municipal court and reviewed and approved by the Longview City Council. Such rules of procedure and practice shall be consistent with the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Texas Family Code and shall insure the protection and preservation of the rights of all participants in the teen court system.
(c) The teen court system shall be for the referral of the following:
(1) Class C misdemeanor cases, including traffic and city ordinance violations, which the municipal court has jurisdiction under Article 4.14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended, and which cases may be referred by the municipal court under the provisions of Art. 45.52, Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, or Section 45.52 of the Texas Family Code, as amended; and
(2) cases in which the defendant has not successfully completed a teen court program in the two years preceding the date that the alleged offense occurred; and
(3) cases in which the defendant has entered a plea of nolo contendre, guilty or true, to the offense; and
(4) cases in which the defendant is under the age of 18 or enrolled in an accredited secondary school in a program leading toward a high school diploma.
(Ord. No. 1957, 4-28-88; Ord. No. 3410, § 2, 9-20-05)