Hayek v. State

Sears, Justice.

In this matter, we conclude that the trial court erred in ruling that, because Uniform Traffic Citations (“UTCs”) filed with the state court clerk’s office did not trigger the accused’s statutory right to demand a speedy trial, the accused’s demand was premature. That ruling contradicted this Court’s express holding in State v. Gerbert 1 that the statutory right to demand a speedy trial of a traffic offense attaches when a UTC is filed with the court. The trial court’s ruling also impeded the accused’s due process right to know when the State’s formal prosecution against him…