Dinwiddie General District Court, 14008 Boydton Plank Road, Dinwiddie, VA 23841.

• Mailing address: P.O. Box 280, Dinwiddie, VA 23841
• Clerk’s Office: (804) 469-4533
• Fax: (804) 469-5383
• Clerk’s office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Contact the clerk directly for current traffic court schedules. The date and time on your summons is what controls.

A note on the courthouse. Dinwiddie’s General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations courts are combined and share a clerk’s office. The Circuit Court, which handles felony trials, jury trials, and appeals from General District Court, is in the same building at 14008 Boydton Plank Road with its own clerk at (804) 469-4540. Check which court your paperwork names, because the two clerks are separate offices even under one roof.

Boutique-style representation means limited caseload with full attorney attention on each case rather than high-volume processing. Weiland Button provides complete backing from initial consultation through final resolution in Dinwiddie County cases, with direct attorney communication instead of paralegal intermediaries handling client contact.

Criminal traffic charges:

• Reckless driving (Class 1 misdemeanor)
• DUI/DWI
• Hit and run
• Eluding police

License violations:

• Driving on suspended license
• Driving on revoked license
• No operator’s license

Traffic infractions:

• Speeding tickets

Where they come from. Dinwiddie sits southwest of Petersburg and carries Interstate 85, U.S. Route 460, and U.S. Route 1. Interstate traffic drives a large share of the docket, and much of it involves drivers passing through who have no easy way to come back for court.

Reckless driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor, not a ticket. Under Va. Code § 46.2-862, you are charged with it at 20 mph or more over the posted limit, or any speed in excess of 85 mph regardless of the limit. On I-85, that threshold arrives faster than most drivers expect.

On conviction:

• Up to 12 months in jail
• Fine up to $2,500
• 6 demerit points
• License suspension of 60 days to six months, at the court’s discretion under Va. Code § 46.2-393
• Lasting criminal record

Two different record clocks. Demerit points stay active for 2 years from the date of the offense. The conviction itself stays on your Virginia driving record for 11 years.

New as of July 1, 2026: on a reckless driving by speed conviction, the court may order enrollment in Virginia’s Intelligent Speed Assistance Program instead of suspending your license. That means a speed-limiting device on any vehicle you own or operate, at your expense, for 60 days to six months. Over 100 mph, the court must order it unless it suspends your license instead.

Can it be reduced? Under Va. Code § 46.2-869, a court may reduce reckless driving to improper driving where the defendant’s culpability is slight based on the facts. Improper driving is a traffic infraction carrying 3 demerit points and a fine up to $500, with no jail and no criminal record. An officer cannot write a ticket for improper driving. It only happens as a reduction, and whether it is available depends entirely on the facts.

Results depend on the specific facts of each case. Prior outcomes do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any other matter.

Yes. Weiland Button defends assault and battery charges in Dinwiddie County General District Court. Simple assault and battery is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia carrying up to 12 months jail, a fine up to $2,500, and a lasting criminal record.

The penalty changes with the facts. Assault and battery against a law enforcement officer is a Class 6 felony with a six-month mandatory minimum. A third offense of assault against a family or household member within 20 years is also a Class 6 felony.

Virginia defines both terms by statute, and the difference is real but narrower than people assume.

• Suspended license: driving privileges temporarily withdrawn, from DMV points, unpaid tickets, or administrative actions. A suspension has a defined period and the privilege may be reinstated when it ends.
• Revoked license: the privilege is terminated rather than paused. It is not simply restored when time runs out. You must apply for a new license, and the Department can only act on that application after the applicable period has expired. Revocation typically follows a DUI conviction or another serious offense.

Revocation is not permanent. That is the most common misunderstanding here. A first-offense DUI carries a one-year revocation, and a second offense within 10 years carries three years. The privilege ends and must be applied for again, rather than resuming on its own.

• Penalties: driving on either a suspended or revoked license is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Va. Code § 46.2-301, carrying up to 12 months jail, a fine up to $2,500, and 6 demerit points. On conviction, the court will generally add a suspension matching the length of the original one. If the original had no fixed end date, the court may add up to 90 days. A third or subsequent offense within 10 years carries a mandatory minimum 10 days in jail that cannot be suspended.

Worth knowing: under Va. Code § 46.2-301(G), if you have no prior violations of this section in the past 10 years, the court has discretion to dismiss the charge if you show proof of compliance on or before your court date. Getting reinstated before court can matter.

Petty larceny in Virginia is theft of property or merchandise valued under $1,000. It is a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying:

• Up to 12 months in jail
• Fine up to $2,500
• Lasting criminal record
• Restitution to the victim

Shoplifting is a specific type of petty larceny involving retail theft. Both are heard in Dinwiddie County General District Court. A larceny conviction affects employment background checks, professional licensing, and housing applications, and it is treated as a crime of dishonesty, which carries weight beyond the sentence itself.

One thing people do not expect. Under Va. Code § 8.01-44.4, a retailer can pursue you civilly regardless of what happens in criminal court. The demand can be twice the unpaid retail value with a $50 minimum, or $350 in liquidated damages if the merchandise was recovered in sellable condition, plus up to $150 in fees. That civil letter is separate from your criminal case, and paying it does not resolve the charge.

Yes. Commercial drivers face federal consequences on top of Virginia law, and those consequences do not care what the state court does with the fine.

Serious traffic violations under federal regulation include speeding 15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper or erratic lane changes, and following too closely. Two serious violations within three years brings a 60-day CDL disqualification. Three within three years brings 120 days.

The part that surprises people: federal law prohibits masking. A state court cannot use a diversion or records arrangement to keep a CDL holder’s conviction off the commercial record. Options that work for a regular driver are not available the same way to a CDL holder, and a conviction in your personal vehicle can still count. If you hold a CDL, that changes the approach from the first phone call.

Eluding under Va. Code § 46.2-817 is driving in willful and wanton disregard of a law enforcement officer’s signal to stop, or attempting to escape or elude the officer. Severity depends on the facts:

• Misdemeanor eluding (§ 46.2-817(A)): Class 2 misdemeanor, up to 6 months jail and a $1,000 fine.
• Felony eluding (§ 46.2-817(B)): Class 6 felony where the driving interferes with or endangers the operation of the law enforcement vehicle, or endangers a person. A Class 6 felony carries one to five years, though the court or jury has discretion to impose up to 12 months in jail and a fine instead.
• If a pursuing officer is killed as a direct and proximate result of felony eluding, the offense becomes a Class 4 felony.

High speed alone does not make it a felony. The statute requires endangerment or interference, not just speed. That distinction matters, because it is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony conviction, and it is often where the real fight in these cases is.

A conviction also carries a mandatory license suspension, and the length depends on the offense and the speed involved.

There is a statutory affirmative defense. Under § 46.2-817, it is a defense if you reasonably believed you were being pursued by someone other than a law enforcement officer. This comes up more than people expect, particularly with unmarked vehicles and at night.

Eluding often accompanies other charges such as reckless driving, suspended license, or outstanding warrants. Misdemeanor eluding is tried in General District Court. Felony charges begin with a preliminary hearing in General District Court and, if certified, proceed to Dinwiddie Circuit Court.

A straightforward explanation of the charge, what it actually carries, and the realistic range of outcomes on facts like yours. What we will not do is predict a result. Nobody can tell you in advance what a court will do with your case.

Consultations are free. Call (804) 355-8037.

Schedule a free consultation today to talk about your Dinwiddie County case.