Rhode Island § 31-40-5 - Habitual Offenders

§ 31-40-5. Show cause order — Service — Procedure where conviction denied.

(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.

(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.