{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-2-5-203","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-2-5-203","heading":"Court proceedings - Jurisdiction","body":"A. 1. A child who is charged with having violated a state\n\nstatute or municipal ordinance other than as provided in Section 2-\n\n5-205 of this title shall not be tried in a criminal action as an\n\nadult or a youthful offender, but in a juvenile proceeding, unless\n\npreviously adjudicated as a youthful offender or sentenced as an\n\nadult under the provisions of the Youthful Offender Act or certified\n\nas an adult pursuant to Section 2-2-403 of this title.\n\n2. When multiple offenses occur within the same course of\n\nconduct within the same county and the person is prosecuted for at\n\nleast one offense as a youthful offender or as an adult pursuant to\n\nsubsection A, B, C, D, or E of Section 2-5-205 of this title, all\n\ncharges may be prosecuted under the same action pursuant to the\n\nprovisions of the Youthful Offender Act, if so ordered by the court.\n\nThe decision to join the cases shall not be appealable as a final\n\norder. If the offense or offenses listed in subsection A, B, C, D,\n\nor E of Section 2-5-205 of this title are subsequently dismissed for\n\nany reason, or if a verdict of not guilty is returned, then any\n\nremaining pending charges shall be transferred to the juvenile\n\ncourt.\n\nB. If, during the pendency of any action under the Youthful\n\nOffender Act, it shall be ascertained that the person was a child at\n\nthe time of committing the alleged offense and had not reached the\n\nage requirement for filing charges under subsection A, B, C, D, or E\n\nof Section 2-5-205 of this title, the district court shall\n\nimmediately transfer the case, together with all the papers,\n\ndocuments and testimony connected therewith, to the juvenile\n\ndivision. The division making such transfer shall order the child\n\nto be taken forthwith to the place of detention designated by the\n\njuvenile division, to that division itself, or release such child to\n\nthe custody of some suitable person to be brought before the\n\njuvenile division.\n\nC. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the\n\nexercise of concurrent jurisdiction by another division of the\n\ndistrict court or by municipal courts in cases involving children\n\nwherein the child is charged with the violation of a state or\n\nmunicipal traffic law or ordinance.\n\nD. 1. If a person commits an act which could have been charged\n\nunder subsection A, B, C, D, or E of Section 2-5-205 of this title\n\nbut, through no fault of the state, the crime was not reported or\n\ndid not become known to the district attorney or law enforcement\n\nuntil the person reached eighteen (18) years of age, the person\n\nshall be held accountable for his or her act as an adult and shall\n\nnot be subject to the provisions of the Youthful Offender Act or the\n\nprovisions of the Juvenile Code for certification as a juvenile.\n\n2. In the event a person who is charged as a youthful offender\n\nwith a crime listed in subsection A, B, C, D, or E of Section 2-5-\n\n205 of this title willfully and purposefully avoids arrest after\n\nreasonable attempts by law enforcement to apprehend on his or her\n\nwarrant shall be prosecuted as an adult if apprehended after the\n\nperson turns eighteen (18) years of age.","path":["OK Code","Title 10A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os10A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"806185806c61732ef368235491884739b722d2c580e45b243858950fa6e2e475","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-2-5-202","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-2-5-204"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}