What are the case outcomes for Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach?

Of 266 cases filed in Virginia Beach in 2025 (public records), 204 reached a dismissal, plea, verdict, or acquittal. Of those, 56.1% are dismissed, 49.1% result in conviction, and 0.9% end in acquittal. The median case takes 4.5 months. Individual outcomes depend on the specific facts of each case.

What is the dismissal rate for Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach?

The dismissal rate is 56.1% of the 204 cases that reached an outcome, out of 266 filed in 2025 (public court records). This includes judicial dismissals and nolle prosequi (cases dropped by the prosecutor).

How long does a Contempt of Court case take in Virginia Beach?

The median case takes 4.5 months. The fastest 25% resolve in 2.1 months, while the slowest 25% take 7.4 months or longer. Duration depends on factors specific to each case.

What is the conviction rate for Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach?

The conviction rate for Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach is 49.1% of the 204 cases that reached an outcome, out of 266 filed in 2025 (public court records). This includes guilty pleas and findings of guilt at trial.

What does the data show about charge reductions for Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach?

2.7% of Contempt of Court cases in Virginia Beach are amended to a lesser charge based on 2025 court records. The most common reduction is to Fail To Appear, Misd. Offense.

What's the difference between General District Court and Circuit Court for Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach?

Most Contempt of Court cases in Virginia Beach are heard in General District Court (58 cases in 2025), where 56.1% are dismissed and the median case takes 1.5 months. 208 cases were heard in Circuit Court — typically jury trials, felonies, or appeals from District Court — where 48.3% are dismissed.

How does Virginia Beach compare to other courts for Contempt of Court?

Virginia Beach has a 56.1% dismissal rate for Contempt of Court. Visit the Contempt of Court overview page to compare dismissal rates, conviction rates, and case timelines across all Virginia jurisdictions.

What does the sentencing data show for Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach?

For those convicted of Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach, the average sentence recorded is 1.1 months (including suspended time). Actual sentences depend on the specifics of each case. Consult a licensed attorney for guidance on your situation.

Contempt of Court in Virginia Beach, VA

If you've been charged with contempt of court in Virginia Beach — this page shows what typically happens. Most cases (58 of 266) were heard in General District Court, where 56.1% were dismissed or dropped and the median case took 1.5 months. 208 cases moved to Circuit Court — typically jury trials, felonies, or appeals from District Court.

Key takeaways

56.1% of Contempt of Court cases in Virginia Beach were dismissed or dropped in 2025, across 266 public court records (Virginia average: 62.8%).
49.1% resulted in conviction; 0.9% ended in acquittal.
2.7% were amended to a lesser charge, most often Fail To Appear, Misd. Offense.
The median case resolved in 4.5 months; the slowest quarter took 7.4 months or more.

56.1%

Dismissal Rate

▼ vs 62.8% statewide

49.1%

Conviction Rate

▲ vs 35.5% statewide

4.5 months

Median Duration

I Outcomes

Case Outcomes — General District Court

Of 58 General District Court cases in Virginia Beach filed in 2025, 57 ended in a dismissal, plea, verdict, or acquittal — the basis for the rates below. This is where most Contempt of Court cases start.

Exhibit · Case-outcome distribution

52.6%

42.1%

Dismissed by judge 52.6% (n=30) Dropped by prosecutor (nolle prosequi) 3.5% (n=2) Convicted 42.1% (n=24) Acquitted 1.8%

Largest outcomeDismissed by judge — 52.6% of 57 resolved cases.

Source: 58 General District Court records, Virginia Beach, 2025. See the 2025 Virginia Criminal Court Outcomes report for statewide context. — VirginiaCourtFile.com

Exhibit · How Virginia Beach compares

Dismissal rates for Contempt of Court in this and peer jurisdictions, 2025. Peers are the highest-volume neighboring jurisdictions in the same region.

Virginia BeachThis page 56.1% 266 cases

Norfolk 67.2% 89 cases Chesapeake 62.5% 44 cases Newport News 78.3% 37 cases York County 47.4% 33 cases

Statewide average 62.8% all Virginia

Click any peer for its full record. Bar lengths are scaled to the highest rate shown.

Filed in Virginia Beach General District Court? See the full General District Court record — charge mix, judges, and officer activity.

If your case goes to Circuit Court · 208 Contempt of Court cases in 2025

A small share of Contempt of Court cases in Virginia Beach are heard in Circuit Court — typically jury trials, felonies, or appeals from General District Court. Outcomes look different at this level.

25.2%

23.1%

44.2%

Dismissed 25.2% (n=37) Nolle prosequi 23.1% (n=34) Guilty Plea 44.2% Found Guilty 6.8% Acquitted 0.7%

See the full Virginia Beach Circuit Court record — all charges, judges, and case outcomes at this level.

January to June 2026 · read at June 30 · General District Court

19 contempt of court cases in Virginia Beach General District Court were filed January to June 2026, and 16 had resolved by June 30.

Fewer than 20 of them had resolved by June 30, so no 2026 rate is published here yet. 3 were still open at June 30. The same read of January to June 2025 is beside it, so the two half-years are compared at the same age.

Measure	Jan–Jun 2026	Jan–Jun 2025, same read
Filed	19	42
Resolved by June 30	16	25
Still open at June 30	3	17
Dismissed or dropped, of resolved	n/a	72.0%
Convicted, of resolved	n/a	28.0%
Convicted on a reduced charge, of resolved	n/a	0.0%

A case counts as resolved only if its final hearing was held on or before June 30 of its filing year; rates divide by those cases. General District Court only — 2026 Circuit Court figures are not yet published (feed paused 2026-07-09). Filed counts carry a recording caveat and no year-over-year change is claimed. Source read 2026-09-14; the 2025 benchmark elsewhere on this page is the full calendar year. Method.

VCF Sentencing Outcome Index

Outcomes for 37 convicted cases in Virginia Beach General District Court (2025-2026).

Exhibit · Sentencing when convicted

78.4%

Received Active Jail

Median suppressed (N<30)

▲ vs 60.9% statewide

5.4%

Received Probation

Median suppressed (N<30)

● vs 4.6% statewide

These figures describe outcomes for cases that ended in conviction in Virginia Beach General District Court. They do not predict any individual case outcome. See methodology for definitions and suppression rules.

Charge Reductions

When the original charge is amended to a lesser offense, usually through negotiation between the attorney and prosecutor.

Exhibit · Charge-reduction patterns

2.7% of Contempt of Court cases
in Virginia Beach are reduced

7 cases had their charge amended to a lesser offense.

Most common reductions

Contempt of Court Fail To Appear, Misd. Offense

2 cases · 28.6% of reductions

Contempt of Court Fail To Appear-Fel./Misd./Sumons

2 cases · 28.6% of reductions

Contempt of Court Contempt Of Court

1 cases · 14.3% of reductions

Case Duration

Time from filing to final disposition — half of cases resolve faster than the median.

Exhibit · Case duration

Fastest 25% 2.1 months

Median 4.5 months

Slowest 25% 7.4 months

II Getting Help

Getting Help With a Contempt of Court Charge

Representation options in Virginia Beach.

If you cannot afford an attorney for a contempt of court charge, you may qualify for court-appointed counsel or a public defender. How Virginia's indigent-defense system works explains who qualifies and how representation is assigned in Virginia Beach. Defense attorneys who have appeared on contempt of court cases in Virginia Beach are listed below.

Defense Attorneys with Contempt of Court Cases in Virginia Beach

Attorneys whose primary jurisdiction is Virginia Beach and who appeared as defense counsel of record on Contempt of Court cases in 2025. Listed by case count.

Amber Torgerson 7 of 46 total Jennifer Howland-Smith 4 of 51 total John O Venner 3 of 113 total Charles L Pincus 3 of 103 total Robert Williams 3 of 87 total Sarah Murphy 3 of 42 total Carrie Schenk 3 of 40 total K Smith 3 of 38 total Matthew Cramer 2 of 45 total A Miller 1 of 39 total

Counts are each attorney's full 2025 caseload statewide. Click any name for their jurisdiction + outcome breakdown.

All Virginia defense attorneys

Commonwealth's Attorney Office — Virginia Beach

7,065 circuit court filings prosecuted by the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney in 2025. Office-level data — direct-indictment rate, disposition mix, trial activity. View office records →

III Background

Arresting Officers — Dismissal Rates

Officers whose Contempt of Court arrests in Virginia Beach are dismissed most frequently. Minimum 10 cases.

Court 56.1% 58 cases

Ranking shows officers in this jurisdiction with the highest Contempt of Court dismissal rates (minimum 10 cases). Click any name for their full record.

All arresting officers in Virginia Beach

Common Questions

Statistics from public court records for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. Past outcomes do not predict future results. Consult a licensed attorney for guidance on your case.

What's the difference between General District Court and Circuit Court?

In Virginia, most Contempt of Court cases start in General District Court — that's where the 58 cases shown above were heard. Cases can move to Circuit Court for jury trials, felony indictments, or appeals from District Court. 208 Contempt of Court cases were heard in Virginia Beach Circuit Court in 2025, where 48.3% were dismissed and 51.0% resulted in conviction.

Can a Contempt of Court charge be reduced to something lesser?

2.7% of Contempt of Court cases in Virginia Beach were amended to a lesser charge in 2025. The most common reduction was to Fail To Appear, Misd. Offense (2 cases), followed by Fail To Appear-Fel./Misd./Sumons (2 cases). Whether a reduction is available depends on the specifics of the case and is typically negotiated between the defense attorney and the prosecutor.

How does Virginia Beach compare to other Virginia courts?

Virginia Beach has a 56.1% dismissal rate for Contempt of Court cases. Outcomes vary significantly across Virginia courts. View the Contempt of Court overview to compare dismissal rates, conviction rates, and case timelines across every jurisdiction.

Where does this data come from and how often is it updated?

All figures on this page come from Virginia's public Case Information System (CIS) and District Court system, calendar year 2025 onward. See methodology for definitions, denominators, and known coverage gaps.

Read this before you quote a number

What this record cannot show

This page is built from what court clerks recorded for Contempt of Court cases in Virginia Beach. Some of what you may want to know is not in that record.

The judge. Virginia’s court records do not carry the judge’s name, so nothing on this page describes any judge.
The prosecutor. The record names the office — the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney — not the individual prosecutor who handled a case.
Why a case ended the way it did. A dismissal can mean a witness did not appear, a motion was won, a plea was reached on another charge, or evidence never arrived. The record shows the outcome, not the reason.
Cases still open. Rates here count only the 204 cases that reached a dismissal, plea, verdict, or acquittal. The other 62 cases filed in 2025 were still pending or otherwise unresolved when the record was read, and they are in none of the rates.
Cases filed before 2025. This page covers cases filed in 2025. A case filed in 2024 and decided in 2025 is not here.
Whether the person had a lawyer. The court’s counsel field is not reliable enough to publish, so this page does not say who was represented, or whether counsel was hired or appointed.
Guilty plea or trial in General District Court. District court records do not say whether a conviction came by plea or after a trial. Only Circuit Court records do, so no plea or trial rate appears here.
What the 2026 half-year can show. The January to June 2026 figures are General District Court only, read at June 30, and count a case as resolved only if its final hearing was held by that date. 3 of the 19 cases filed were still open at the read. Circuit Court 2026 is not yet published; no year-over-year change is claimed.
Time actually served. Sentences here are what the court imposed. Suspended time is included unless a figure says <em>active</em>. Time served, credit for time already spent in jail, and early release are not in the record.

Every figure on this page comes from Virginia’s public court records as read on August 24, 2026. Coverage notes and definitions are in the methodology. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will check the record.

Cite this page

VirginiaCourtFile.com (2026). Contempt of Court Outcomes — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Based on 266 public court records, 2025; last updated August 24, 2026. https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/charges/contempt-of-court/virginia-beach

Other Charges in Virginia Beach

Reckless Driving

4,349 cases · 11.1% dismissed

Probation Violation

1,732 cases · 60.1% dismissed

Larceny / Theft

1,688 cases · 40.5% dismissed

DUI / DWI

1,606 cases · 5.4% dismissed