, General News

Southeastern Courts Grant Amnesty to Veterans on Some Charges

A special session of district court for Judicial Districts 5 and 13 entitled Veteran's Amnesty Day will be held.

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New Hanover, Pender, Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus counties open May 8 from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

A special session of district court for all counties in Judicial District 5 and Judicial District 13 (encompassing New Hanover, Pender, Bladen, Brunswick, and Columbus counties) entitled Veteran's Amnesty Day will be held in Courtroom 317 at the New Hanover County Courthouse, 316 Princess Street, Wilmington, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on May 8.

Veteran's Amnesty Day is where current and former military members and their spouses can resolve pending non-violent misdemeanors, failure to appears, failure to pay fines, and other minor traffic matters without fear of arrest. Matters not resolved during this session will be re-calendared for a later court date in the county of origination.

The courtroom will be open at 1:30 p.m. on May 8. The Salvation Army will operate a shuttle between the Operation Stand Down event at the VFW, 2722 Carolina Beach Road, Wilmington, and the Courthouse for the duration of the event. Individuals should simply show up and present themselves to prosecutors in the courtroom. Clerks of court from all five counties will be on hand for assistance in all recordkeeping matters. Public defenders will be on hand for individuals who require appointment of counsel. Judges from both judicial districts will be present to hear matters in the event they can be resolved and work with prosecutors to reset the cases into the applicable courts where the matters need to be continued.

To better assist the clerks of courts for the five counties and to expedite the disposition of the case, if you will be participating in Veteran's Amnesty Day, contact the clerk of court where your matter(s) is / are pending so that the files will be in the courtroom. Be specific regarding the request - if you have more than one matter pending, list them. If you have matters in multiple counties, contact each clerk of court directly.

District 5
New Hanover County
Clerk of Court: Jan G. Kennedy
Point of Contact: Sandy Gerstenmier
Email: Sandra.J.Gerstenmier@nccourts.org

Pender County
Clerk of Court: Robert W. Kilroy
Point of Contact: Liz Craver
Phone Number: 910-663-3935
Email: Elizabeth.H.Craver@nccourts.org

District 13
Bladen County
Clerk of Court: Niki S. Dennis
Point of Contact: Leisha Brown
Phone Number: 910-872-7200
Email: Leisha.M.Brown@nccourts.org

Brunswick County
Clerk of Court: James J. Maccallum
Point of Contact: Jennifer Jones
Phone Number: 910-253-3902

Columbus County
Clerk of Court: Jess H. Hill
Point of Contact: Tina Blackmon
Phone Number: 910-641-4443
Email: Tina.N.Blackmon@nccourts.org