Michael Winters was recently appointed by President Judge David L. Ashworth to serve as a Juvenile Court Hearing Officer in Lancaster County.
Juvenile Court Hearing Officers have the authority to preside over detention hearings, detention review hearings, and shelter-care hearings as well as discovery, pre-adjudicatory, or preliminary proceedings for misdemeanor offenses.
In Lancaster County, Juvenile Hearing Officers are assigned to preside over detention hearings in juvenile matters. At those hearings, the Hearing Officer determines if sufficient evidence has been presented to support the allegations made by the prosecutors and, if so, they then determine the appropriate detention status for the juvenile, pending a final disposition of the case.
A Juvenile Hearing Officer must be a member in good standing of the PA Bar and licensed to practice for at least five years. They are required to complete specific training approved by the PA Continuing Legal Education Board.
Mike’s experience with Adult and Juvenile Criminal Justice is now in its fourth decade with nearly 30 years of that time spent in the role of a criminal defense lawyer. He is especially honored to have been selected by the Court to act as one of the two Juvenile Hearing Officers for the County of Lancaster and he looks forward to serving his community and the Court in this capacity.
