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Arrested in Mansfield, Connecticut: What Happens Next

If you were arrested in Mansfield, including on the UConn campus in Storrs, your case will be heard at Rockville Superior Court (GA 19) in Vernon. There is no student court and no local Mansfield court. Here is what happens next and how to reach a defense attorney who practices at this court.

Where the case is heard

Tolland County. Cases from Mansfield are heard at Rockville Superior Court, 20 Park Street, Vernon 06066.

Who polices Mansfield

Mansfield is policed two ways, and which one arrested you does not change where the case goes. The UConn Police Department covers the Storrs campus. The rest of the town is covered by resident state troopers assigned from Connecticut State Police Troop C.

This is the point most people searching after a weekend arrest in Storrs get wrong. A UConn arrest is a real criminal arrest in the Connecticut court system. It is not a campus disciplinary matter that stays with the university, and there is no student court that handles it. An arrest on campus by UConn police and an arrest off campus by a resident trooper both go to the same courthouse in Vernon, in front of the same judges and the same prosecutors.

The university may run its own conduct process alongside the criminal case. That is separate, it has its own consequences, and what you say in one can matter in the other, which is a good reason to speak to an attorney before either.

Where your case goes

Mansfield and UConn cases are heard at Rockville Superior Court, GA 19, in the Rockville section of Vernon, roughly half an hour from Storrs. The court page covers parking, the arraignment docket, and where to check in.

If you were released after the arrest, the date is on your paperwork. If you were held, you go to court the next business day. For a student, that date will not move because of a class or an exam, so tell an attorney early if you have a scheduling problem.

After the arrest

Whether UConn police or a resident trooper made the arrest, the next steps are the same. You are released on a written promise to appear or after posting a bond, or held for court the next business day. The arrest page covers booking and release; the bond and bail page covers the bond.

For a student the sharpest advice is the plainest: stop talking about it. Not to the officers, not to roommates, not in a group chat, and not on a recorded call from a holding cell. Messages and posts are evidence, and they are the easiest evidence in the world for a prosecutor to obtain.

If the arrest was a family violence arrest, and that includes incidents between people who live together in student housing, court is the next business day and a protective order will issue at it. An order can bar you from a residence hall or an apartment you are on the lease for. The arraignment page explains that appearance and the what to expect page explains the months after it.

Common charges in Mansfield

The charges GA 19 sees most often out of Storrs are DUI and drug possession, which between them account for a large part of the student docket. Assault, larceny and shoplifting, and domestic violence and family violence make up most of the rest, in Storrs and in the rest of Mansfield alike.

For a student with no record, a diversionary program that ends in dismissal is usually the goal, because a conviction can follow someone into graduate applications, professional licensing, and immigration status long after the case is closed. Most of those programs can be used once, so which one to apply for and when is a decision to make with an attorney rather than at the counter.

Next step

If you or someone you know was arrested in Mansfield, send the short form on this page and it will go to a defense attorney who practices in your court. If the person is in custody now, call (860)484-7979 instead.

Common questions

I was arrested at UConn. Where does my case go?

Rockville Superior Court, GA 19, at 20 Park Street in Vernon. There is no student court and no local Mansfield court.

Is a UConn arrest just a campus disciplinary matter?

No. It is a criminal case in the Connecticut court system. The university may also run its own conduct process, but that is separate and does not replace the court case.

Who polices Mansfield?

The UConn Police Department covers the Storrs campus. The rest of the town is covered by resident state troopers from Troop C.

Does it matter whether UConn police or a trooper arrested me?

Not for where the case goes. Both go to GA 19.

How soon is court after a Mansfield arrest?

If you were released, the date is on your paperwork. If you were held, or it is a family violence arrest, court is the next business day.

My parents are out of state. What should they know?

The case is heard in Vernon, the date will not move for a class, and a first offense often has a program that ends in dismissal. An attorney who practices at GA 19 can explain the options before the first appearance.

Do I need a local lawyer?

You need an attorney who practices at GA 19 and has handled student cases there. That court sees the UConn docket every week.

Charges we cover

What to do now

You will usually hear from an attorney within the hour during the day, or first thing in the morning if you send this overnight.

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