(a)  The court in which the complaint is filed shall enter an order, which incorporates the habitual offender transcript or abstract and is directed to the person named in it, to show cause why he or she should not be barred from operating a motor vehicle on the highways of this state. A copy of the show cause order and the transcript or abstract shall be served on the person named in it in the manner prescribed by law for the service of a complaint. Service on any nonresident of this state may be made on the administrator of the division of motor vehicles in the same manner as in any action or proceeding arising out of a collision on the highways of this state.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 31-40-5

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Motor vehicle: means any vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power for use on the public streets, roads, and highways;

    (2)  "Odometer" means an instrument for measuring and recording the actual distance a motor vehicle travels while in operation;

    (3)  "Person" means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or business trust including, but not limited to, private individuals and motor vehicle dealers, both wholesale and retail, whether the private individual or dealer is a dealer in the ordinary course of business or not;

    (4)  "Repair and replacement" means to restore to a sound working condition by replacing the instrument or any part thereof or by correcting what is inoperative;

    (5)  "Transfer" means to acquire ownership by purchase, gift, bequest, or any other means. See Rhode Island General Laws 31-23.2-2

  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.

(b)  If the person denies having been convicted, or in the case of a juvenile denies that he or she was found delinquent or wayward, of any offense necessary for a holding that he or she is an habitual offender, and if the court cannot, on the evidence available to it, make the determination, the court may certify the decision of the issue to the court in which the conviction or finding of delinquency or waywardness was made. The court to which the certification is made shall immediately conduct a hearing to determine the issue and send a certified copy of its final order determining the issue to the court in which the complaint was filed.

History of Section.
P.L. 1970, ch. 77, § 1.