Criminal Prosecution
The Criminal Prosecution Division prosecutes Class C misdemeanors pursuant to state laws and city ordinances. The attorneys in this division practice before the City of Austin Municipal Court Austin Community Court and cover an average of 45 dockets per week including jury trials, bench trials, appearance dockets and pre-trial motion hearings. Prosecutors pursue approximately 250,000 cases a year submitted by City of Austin departments including Police, Code Compliance, Development Services, Water, Animal Services, Fire, and Health. This Division also has the City's Communication Prosecution Unit - a proactive problem-solving approach to addressing community problems and improving the quality of life in Austin.
Bianca Bentzin, Division Chief
Bianca Bentzin leads a team of attorneys and staff members responsible for the prosecution of Class C misdemeanors cited pursuant to state laws and municipal ordinances. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, History, and French from the University of Arizona and her Juris Doctorate with honors from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. She also earned a master’s degree in counseling in 2018.
After law school, Bianca served as an Assistant City Prosecutor for the City of Phoenix for fifteen years, including work as a trial attorney, community prosecutor, and technology development attorney. She also served on the Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Arizona and was an adjunct instructor for the paralegal program at Phoenix College teaching Legal Ethics. Bianca is also a national and local speaker on Leadership, Mental Health in the Workplace, the Use of Technology in the Practice of Law, Professional Responsibility, and Trial Advocacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
A payment plan can only be offered only after a plea has been entered. Please contact the Municipal Court regarding this option.
If you are eligible, you may take a driving safety course or receive a deferred disposition. Certain conditions such has having a CDL, an allegation of traveling more than 25 miles over the posted speed limit, speeding in a work zone with workers present, and others may make you ineligible for a deferral. Please contact the Municipal Court to find out if you qualify.
The Municipal Court is located at 6800 Burleson Road, Building 310, Suite 175, Austin. The phone number is 512-974-4800. You may also find it helpful to visit the court’s website for additional information.
Contact the Department of Public Safety at https://www.dps.texas.gov/.
None of the lawyers with the City of Austin Law Department can provide legal advice to citizens. Our sole function is to prosecute people who violate criminal misdemeanor laws and to provide legal representation to the city, its agents, and employees.
You will need to contact the court at www.austintexas.gov/court.
A prosecutor evaluates each case and sends a subpoena to witnesses that are needed to testify during trial. Without your presence, the case may not be able to proceed. The date and trial location (courtroom number) will be printed on each subpoena as well as a phone number and an email address. It is important to call the listed phone number or send an email to the listed person as directed on the subpoena to confirm your appearance and ensure the trial has not been reset to another date. You may contact the prosecutor’s office regarding your notice to appear in court at prosecutor@austintexas.gov.
You will need to make this request at the Municipal Court, 700 E. 7th Street, Austin. A copy of the complaint paperwork may be obtained from the Municipal Court website at www.austintexas.gov/court. You may fill out the paperwork before hand, but please do not sign it until you are at the court where a Deputy Clerk can witness your sworn statement.
You must make a written motion for discovery requesting all evidence and file it with the Municipal Court, either in person or via fax at (512) 974-4684.
The purpose of the Downtown Austin Community Court is to collaboratively address the quality of life issues of all residents in the downtown Austin community through the swift, creative sentencing of public order offenders. For more information you may visit the DACC website at www.austintexas.gov/department/community-court.
You may contact the Austin Tenants’ Council,1640B East 2nd Street, Suite 150 Austin, TX 78702, (512) 474-1961, www.housing-rights.org.