Criminal Court Cases in Mingo County
Mingo County criminal cases are divided by jurisdiction. The Mingo County Circuit Court hears felonies and maintains files for indictments, pleas, judgments, sentences, appeals from lower courts, and expungement petitions. Mingo and Logan Counties form the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. The judges serving Mingo are Joshua Butcher, Kelly Codispoti, and Sabrina Deskins. Circuit Clerk Lonnie Hannah is the custodian of Mingo County felony files.
Mingo Magistrate Court handles misdemeanors within its authority as well as complaints, bond matters, and preliminary proceedings in felony cases. A felony may therefore have a magistrate number before the prosecutor presents it for indictment, then receive a different Circuit Court number. Williamson, Delbarton, Gilbert, Matewan, and Kermit municipal courts keep ordinance and municipal traffic records. Family Court is not a criminal-record source.
Mingo Felony Files in Room 232
The Circuit Clerk counter is the direct document channel for an indicted Mingo County felony. It is at the Mingo County Courthouse, 78 East Second Avenue, Room 232, Williamson, WV 25661. Call 304-235-0320 or fax 304-235-0326. Give the clerk the defendant name and an approximate filing year. A magistrate number can help trace the path, but it may not match the Circuit Court case number.
The official Mingo Circuit Court and clerk contacts show exactly where that local request begins.
The contact listing helps a requester distinguish the clerk who holds the file from the judges who hear Mingo County criminal court cases.
Mingo Circuit Clerk
78 E. Second Ave., Room 232
Williamson, WV 25661
304-235-0320
Mingo Magistrate Court
101 Logan St., Room 303
Williamson, WV 25661
304-235-2445
Official pages do not state routine counter hours, parking details, or local copy fees. Call before travel and ask whether inspection, an electronic scan, a plain copy, or a certified copy is available.
Mingo County Case Record Searches
The free Magistrate Record Search guidance describes the public statewide index. It works from a computer or phone and needs no account. It returns no more than 30 records, so a common name can produce an incomplete-looking list. The portal gives index details, not complaints, orders, recordings, certified copies, or scanned pleadings.
- Open MCR Search, accept its terms, and select Mingo County.
- Enter a first or last name. Use the exact case number instead when one is known.
- Narrow a broad result with the first name or exact spelling, since the index stops at 30 matches.
- Record the court, case number, filing details, charge text, and displayed status.
- Call Room 303 for magistrate documents or Room 232 if the felony was indicted. Ask for a docket sheet first and request only the needed papers.
The official MCR Search screen makes these few controls the gateway to Mingo County magistrate case records.
The county filter and exact number are the strongest tools for separating the intended Mingo County case from similar names elsewhere in West Virginia.
| Field | Control | How to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Optional narrowing field for a common surname |
| Last Name | Text | A first or last name can start the search |
| Case Number | Text | Best discriminator when copied from a court record |
| County | Dropdown | Select Mingo from the statewide list |
| Search / Clear | Buttons | Run the query or reset the entered values |
Note: A blank MCR result may reflect spelling, an older file, another court level, a restricted record, or no responsive public entry.
Mingo Case Numbers Can Change
A magistrate number and a later Circuit Court number can refer to stages of the same underlying Mingo County matter. The magistrate file begins with the complaint and may include the initial appearance, bond order, and preliminary work. If a grand jury returns an indictment, the Circuit Clerk opens the felony case under the Circuit Court docket. Treating the first number as a universal identifier is a common search error.
When the Circuit record cannot be found online, give Room 232 the defendant name, approximate year, and lower-court number. Ask for the complete docket sheet. It shows which indictment, motion, plea, judgment, sentencing order, capias entry, or cost record exists. That step can keep a copy order focused. A municipal citation takes a different path and remains with the town court unless an appeal or separate state charge creates another file.
What a Criminal Case File Contains
A Mingo County criminal case file records what the state formally filed and what the court did. It is more useful than a booking page when the goal is to learn whether charges changed, a plea was entered, a count was dismissed, or a sentence was imposed. Public records may omit Social Security numbers, full birth dates, victim or minor identities, protected addresses, and sealed material.
| Case Number and Court | Identifies the docket and whether Magistrate, Circuit, or Municipal Court holds it. |
|---|---|
| Charging Document | The complaint, information, or indictment states the filed counts and legal basis. |
| Docket Entries | A dated list of filings, hearings, orders, and other case events. |
| Bond and Warrants | Public orders may reflect release terms, capias entries, or warrant returns. |
| Disposition and Judgment | Shows the result for each count, such as conviction, dismissal, or acquittal. |
| Sentence and Costs | Records the court-ordered sentence, conditions, restitution, and financial entries where public. |
MCR Search exposes only part of that inventory. Plea papers, orders, attachments, and certified copies must come from the clerk that maintains the Mingo County court file.
Reading Mingo Criminal Case Outcomes
Charge text at arrest is not always the final filed charge. Read the docket count by count and pair each count with its disposition. A dismissal ends a charge without a judgment of guilt. An acquittal is a not-guilty finding. Nolle prosequi means the prosecutor formally chose not to continue a charge; it is not the same as an acquittal. A conviction follows a guilty plea or verdict and leads to judgment and sentencing.
- Arraignment
- The hearing where the charge is stated and a plea is taken.
- Indictment
- A grand jury's formal felony accusation.
- Disposition
- The final outcome of a count or case.
- Capias
- Court process directing an arrest, often after a failure to appear or comply.
- Expungement
- Statutory removal of a qualifying charge or conviction from public records.
Note: A dismissed magistrate case does not automatically erase the arrest record; expungement requires separate eligibility and court action.
Criminal Case Stages in Mingo County
Mingo County felony proceedings often start before a magistrate, then move to the Circuit Court only after the charging decision and indictment. Misdemeanors can remain in Magistrate Court. Municipal violations follow the town court track. The exact number and order of hearings depend on the case, so a docket is a history of what occurred, not a promise about what must happen next.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
After the final order, an appeal, probation filing, restitution entry, or expungement petition may add more docket events. An arrest or booking record cannot establish those later court results. The contextual Mingo County arrest search helps locate the custody event, while the clerk's file controls the prosecution and outcome.
Mingo Criminal Cases and Drug Court
Mingo Adult Drug Court is a named treatment-court program established in 2016. The official treatment-court contacts list Judge Sabrina Deskins and Probation Officer Miranda Lambert for the Mingo program. Its existence does not mean that any ordinary docket entry proves participation, eligibility, progress, or completion.
When a Mingo County criminal case appears to involve the program, use the court file and public orders for the status the court has actually disclosed. Do not infer treatment details from a charge, sentence label, or probation entry. Adult probation is part of the West Virginia judiciary and Eleventh Circuit structure, not a county executive office with a public name-search portal.
Mingo Town Courts Keep Separate Files
Mingo County's five incorporated municipalities maintain their own ordinance and municipal traffic records. Williamson Municipal Court starts at 108 East Fourth Avenue, 304-235-1510. Delbarton uses 1 Riverside Drive, 304-475-3359. Gilbert routes through 101 Main or Central Avenue, 304-664-9625. Matewan starts at 20 McCoy Alley, 304-426-4092, and Kermit at 160 Logan Street, 304-393-3563.
No official shared municipal docket portal was found. Contact the town court with a citation or case number, the name, and an approximate date. Ask for the disposition and the cost of inspection, a plain copy, or certification. Do not assume MCR Search replaces the municipal file. A town case may be the missing link when neither the magistrate nor Circuit index answers a question about a local citation.
Federal Cases Follow a Different Search
Federal criminal matters from Mingo County belong to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, not the county Circuit Clerk. The official Southern District court site identifies that federal court. Dockets and filed documents are available through PACER, which requires an account and applies its published fee schedule.
The PACER entry page is the official national doorway for those federal dockets.
This federal channel should not be confused with MCR Search or a Mingo County Circuit Court file, even when the events began in the same county.
Access Rules for Case Records
West Virginia Trial Court Rules 10.01 through 10.04 generally support access to court records while allowing sealing, confidentiality, redaction, and clerk administration. Juvenile cases, sealed matters, protected victim or minor data, Social Security and financial identifiers, and some warrant material may not appear in a public view. A clerk can explain what form of access is available but cannot treat sealed content as public.
The West Virginia Freedom of Information Act applies to non-court public bodies. It is not a substitute portal for a Circuit Court or Magistrate Court case. For a missing Mingo County case, ask the right clerk about older or offline material and provide alternate spellings and a date range. If a file was expunged under WV Code §61-11-25 or §61-11-26, public access can be removed while limited statutory access remains.