It is technically a criminal complaint, but it's like a speeding ticket. You don't go to court unless you want to fight it and plead not guilty. Otherwise you plead guilty or no-contest and pay the fine. You do this just by filling in a form and mailing it with your cheque to the court clerk.
In Rick's case the record says that his plea was entered by a defense attorney, which is pretty unusual. You usually don't bother with an attorney unless you're facing jail, a huge fine, or a driving suspension. It's possible that his attorneys at Strang Bradley made him sign an agreement at the outset, stipulating that he would notify them in case he ever gets in trouble with the law during the ongoing MPD litigation. So that they can try to sweep it up.