City of Fond Du Lac v. Kaehne

Section 66.12(l)(b), Stats., clearly says "[a] court appearance is required for a violation of a local ordinance in conformity with s. 346.63(1), [Stats.,]" the operating while intoxicated statute. In this case, Scott R. Kaehne claims that because he pled not guilty by mail, and because this procedure is contrary to § 66.12(l)(b), his not guilty plea was improperly entered and the ten-day period in which to request a jury trial has therefore not yet begun. We hold, however, that while it is true that a court appearance is necessary under the statute, a court appearance in a civil action may…