Shoplifting Cases at the Midtown Community Court
If you were arrested for shoplifting in Midtown Manhattan (such as at Macys), there is a very good chance that your case will be heard at the Midtown Community Court. This is because the Midtown Community Court was setup to handle quality of life offenses (including shoplifting) that occur in the Midtown area. Generally, shoplifting cases at the Midtown Community Court are desk appearance ticket arraignments where the defendant appears because he or she was arrested and given a desk appearance ticket to appear there. Occasionally, the NYPD will hold a suspected shoplifter in jail and then bring the suspected shoplifter directly to the Midtown court for arraignment. This is sometimes called a jail arraignment. The Midtown Community Court handles shoplifting cases and other criminal matters. Although shoplifting cases are arraigned there, any further proceedings are done at the main criminal courthouse at Manhattan at 100 Centre Street. The current presiding judge is Felicia Mennin and prosecutions are handled by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Being sent to the Midtown Community Court may seem less serious than being sent downtown, but it isn't. The Midtown Community Court has the same power to convict and incarcerate as any New York City Criminal Court and the same criminal procedures and formalities exist in Midtown as in the main criminal court at 100 Centre Street.
Midtown Community Court
Address: 314 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019
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