Legal Question in Criminal Law in Ohio

In Ohio, many felony cases start out in Municipal Court, even though municipal courts don't have authority to hear felony cases. Usually, the muni court's role is to take an initial not guilty plea, set a bond, and then schedule a pre-trial hearing. It is at that hearing that the case is "dismissed for indictment". The case is transferred to the Court of Common Pleas where a prosecutor over there will present the evidence he has against you to a grand jury and if the grand jury votes to indict you, then the case begins anew over there.

While misdemeanor charges do not require a grand jury, felony charges do. Depending upon the complexity of the facts of the case and how often the common pleas court in your jurisdiction has a grand jury ready to go, it could be a few weeks or a few months before the indictment comes down. Or it may never come down if the common pleas court prosecutor sees things differently than the municipal court prosecutor.