LD 1868
pg. 1
LD 1868 Title Page An Act To Eliminate Administrative Preliminary Hearings for Probationers Page 2 of 2
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LR 3015
Item 1

 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

 
Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §1205, sub-§4, as amended by PL 1999, c. 246, §1, is
further amended to read:

 
4. A person arrested pursuant to subsection 1, with or
without a warrant, must be afforded a preliminary probable cause
hearing as soon as reasonably possible, but not later than on the
3rd day after arrest, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays,
in accordance with the procedures set forth in section 1205-A. A
preliminary probable cause hearing may not be afforded if, within
the 3-day period, the person is released on bail or is afforded
an opportunity for a court hearing on the alleged violation. A
preliminary probable cause hearing is not required if the person
is charged with or convicted of a new offense and is incarcerated
as a result of the pending charge or conviction.

 
A.__Whenever a person arrested pursuant to subsection 1 is
entitled to a probable cause hearing pursuant to this
subsection, that hearing may be held by either the District
Court or the Superior Court located as near to the place
where the violation is alleged to have taken place as is
reasonable under the circumstances.__If it is alleged that
the person violated probation because of the commission of a
new offense, the probable cause hearing is limited to the
issue of identification if probable cause on the new offense
has already been found by the District Court or by the
Superior Court or the person has been indicted, has waived
indictment or has been convicted.

 
B.__If the court determines that there is not probable cause
to believe that the person has violated a condition of
probation, the court shall order the person's release.

 
Sec. 2. 17-A MRSA §1205, sub-§6, as amended by PL 1999, c. 246, §1, is
further amended to read:

 
6. Whenever a person is entitled to a preliminary probable
cause hearing, the failure to hold the hearing within the time
period specified in subsection 4 is grounds for the person's
release on personal recognizance pending further proceedings.

 
Sec. 3. 17-A MRSA §1205-A, as amended by PL 2005, c. 326, §4 and
affected by §5, is repealed.

 
Sec. 4. 17-A MRSA §1205-B, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 246, §3,
is amended to read:

 
4. If the person fails to appear in court after having been
served with a summons, the court may issue a warrant for the


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