The Clinton District Court serves a cluster of small towns in northern Worcester County, a rural and suburban catchment where most defendants have never faced a criminal charge before. The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes its docket, and because so many of these are first offenses that arrive by summons, they are exactly the kind of case the clerk-magistrate stage exists to resolve before an arraignment ever occurs. Attorney Joe Serpa prepares each as a matter to be ended before it becomes a record.

Every case heard in this court can end in more than one way, and the most valuable outcome is an outright dismissal. Our companion page explains how criminal cases get dismissed in Massachusetts, from the clerk-magistrate stage through trial.

Location and Access. The Clinton District Court, 200 Church St., Clinton, MA 01510, sits off Route 62 and Route 110 with parking at the courthouse. The court’s phone is (978) 365-4200.

Communities Served. Clinton, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Harvard, Lancaster, Sterling, and West Boylston.

The First-Offense Docket and the Clerk-Magistrate Hearing. A large share of Clinton’s criminal business begins at the show cause hearing under G.L. c. 218, § 35A, where a magistrate decides whether a complaint should issue at all and a denial ends the matter with no arraignment and no CORI entry. Serpa Law Office prepares these hearings as documentary presentations and tests probable cause where the report does not make out the elements.

OUI and Motor Vehicle Cases. Route 62 and Route 110 supply the OUI and motor vehicle docket, defended on the stop and the device records, with the four-day citation rule in play.

Domestic Violence and Drug Calendars. The court runs its domestic violence and 209A sessions and carries drug and theft matters, each defended on its elements with self-defense raised where the client was not the aggressor.

Prepared for Trial From Day One. See Massachusetts Criminal Defense Results. Call 617.936.0201 for a free and confidential consultation before your Clinton date.

Related Serpa Law Office Resources: Clerk-Magistrate Hearings • I Received a Show Cause Notice • OUI Defense • Criminal Traffic Citation • Domestic Violence Defense • Courts We Serve