6.14 Surplusage

If a criminal charge includes extra information that isn't needed to state the crime, the court can simply ignore that extra information. It doesn't have to be part of the case.

The person charged with a crime can also ask the judge to remove this unnecessary information from the indictment, information, complaint, or citation. This is done by filing a motion. If the judge agrees the information isn't needed, the judge can order it taken out of the official document.

This rule exists to keep charging documents focused on what actually matters, which is the specific crime being charged. It helps prevent extra details, accusations, or language from confusing the case or unfairly influencing how people view the charges.