§ 22-2602 Place of trial.

A criminal case has to be tried in the county where the crime happened. This is the normal rule for deciding which court handles a case.

There are some exceptions written into other laws. So if a specific law says a case can be handled differently, that law takes priority over this general rule. But unless one of those exceptions applies, the county where the crime took place is where the trial will be held.

This matters because it decides which courthouse, which local prosecutors, and which jury pool will be involved in a case. It keeps criminal trials tied to the community where the alleged crime occurred, rather than letting cases be moved to a different location without good reason.