Frequently Asked Questions


Contact the District Attorney's Office at (209) 525-5550 and provide your police report or booking number to the operator.

In most cases, crimes must be reported to the police department or other law enforcement agency which has jurisdiction over the city or county where the crime occurred. However, we do handle the investigation of Real Estate Fraud, Consumer Fraud, Auto Insurance Fraud and Worker's Compensation Fraud. Contact the District Attorney's Office at (209) 525-5550 and ask for that particular unit.

Contact the Public Defender's Office at (209)525-4200.

The District Attorney is the public prosecutor for Stanislaus County and does not provide legal advice or representation for individuals nor do we make recommendations about private attorneys. For advice or representation you should contact your own attorney or the Lawyer's Referral Service of the Stanislaus County Bar Association at (209) 571- 5727 if you wish a referral to an attorney handling your type of problem.

The District Attorney does not release police reports except to defense counsel, or to the defendant when the defendant represents himself.

The District Attorney's Office does not handle child custody issues in general. You should contact your family law attorney or the Family Law Facilitators Office of the Stanislaus Superior Court at (209)558-6000 or their website at

http://www.stanct.org or the California state Bar website at http://www.courts.ca.gov.

(From the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

Keep and update regularly a complete written description of your child. Include date of birth, color of hair and eyes, height, weight, physical attributes and any other significant identifiers (braces, pierced ears, eyeglasses). Take color photographs of your child every six months. Photographs should be of high quality and in focus so the child is easily recognizable. Head and shoulder portraits from different angles, such as those taken by school photographers, are preferable.

Make sure the dentist updates your child's dental charts each time an examination or dental work is performed. Know where your child's medical records are located. Medical records, particularly X-rays, can be invaluable in helping to identify a recovered child. It is important to have all permanent scars, birthmarks, blemishes and broken bones recorded.

Arrange with your local police department to have your child fingerprinted. In order for fingerprints to be useful in identifying a person, they must be taken properly. Your police department has trained personnel to assist you. The police department will give you the fingerprint card and will NOT keep a record of the child's prints.

Keep this information in a place where an abducting parent cannot obtain it!

For additional information and safety tips, visit the website for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. http://www.ncmec.org

The District Attorney does not represent private individuals. If you do not have a lawyer, contact Stanislaus County Bar Association Lawyers Reference Service at (209) 571-5727. If you want to get a restraining order yourself contact the Stanislaus County Family Law Facilitator's Office at (209) 558-6000.

You can find them on the web at http://www.stanct.org.

The decision to drop charges in any criminal prosecution can only be made by a prosecutor with the approval of a judge. The victim's wishes alone do not dictate whether or not a case will be filed or dismissed.

If you are the victim of domestic violence, you may contact the Victim Services Unit at (209) 525-5541.

If you are the victim of domestic violence, you may contact the Victim Services Unit at (209) 525-5541.

To find out the status of your case, contact the District Attorney's Office at (209) 525-5550 and provide the police report number or other information. You may also contact the Stanislaus Superior Court at (209) 558-6000.

Contact your attorney to discuss your case. The District Attorney cannot speak to defendants who are represented by counsel, nor can we provide legal advice to the public.

You must appear in court on the date and time indicated on the subpoena. A subpoena is a court order and failure to appear may be punished as contempt of court. For further information contact the Witness Service Unit at (209) 525-5175

If there is a warrant for your arrest, contact an attorney for legal advice. The District Attorney cannot provide legal advice to the public. You may also put yourself on calendar and appear in court. Contact the Stanislaus Superior Court Clerk's Office, at (209) 558-6000 and give them the warrant information. You can find them on the web at http://www.stanct.org.

The District Attorney's Consumer Fraud Unit may be able to help, or they may refer you to an agency that can help you. The Consumer Fraud Unit also helps consumers who have been victims of false or misleading advertising or unlawful business practices. Contact the Consumer Fraud Unit at (209) 525-5550.

In Stanislaus County we have a Criminal Grand Jury and a Civil Grand Jury.

The Criminal Grand Jury, consisting of 19 jurors, exclusively hears felony criminal matters, as requested by the District Attorney. These Grand Jurors are selected at random in the same manner as trial jurors. If at least 12 jurors find that there is probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and that the named defendant is guilty, they issue an indictment. An indictment is a document that charges a defendant with one or more crimes. It is filed in the Superior Court.

The Civil Grand Jury members are selected by the Judges of the Stanislaus County Superior Court. These jurors serve for one year. The Civil Grand Jury reviews the civil function and fiscal affairs of city and county government and its agencies and departments. Its findings and recommendations are filed with the Superior Court. (http://www.stanct.org )

Write to the District Attorney, Birgit Fladager at the District Attorney's Office, 832 12th Street, Modesto, California, 95354.

If the defendant was ordered to pay restitution, you may obtain a restitution application, and assistance on filling it out, from either the District Attorney Victim Services Unit or the Stanislaus County Adult Probation Department (209)567-4120.

If the defendant was sentenced to state (not local) prison, contact the California Department of Corrections, Office of Victim Services and Restitution at 1-888-562-5874 or at www.cdcr.ca.gov.