Find Criminal Court Records in Crawford County
Crawford County criminal court records are maintained by Circuit Clerk JoAnn Carson, with offices in Van Buren and Alma serving the county's two courthouse locations. Crawford County is one of only nine Arkansas counties with full participation in CourtConnect, meaning you can search case records and view document images online without visiting the courthouse. This guide covers how to use that access, plus in-person and mail options for records not yet online.
Crawford County Criminal Court Records
Crawford County Circuit Clerk Office
Circuit Clerk JoAnn Carson oversees all criminal court records for Crawford County under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-20-102. This covers felony charges, misdemeanor appeals from district courts, domestic cases, civil filings, and every other matter that comes before Crawford County Circuit Court. The office issues summons and warrants, maintains case files, and records all docket activity.
The Van Buren office is the primary location: 300 Main Street, Van Buren, AR 72956, phone (479) 474-1821, fax (479) 471-3262. The Alma office is at 8 North 3rd Street, Alma, AR 72921, phone (479) 632-2030. Both offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. You can email the office at crawfordclerk@arkansasclerks.com with questions, though sensitive documents cannot go out by email.
Crawford County's website at crawford-county.org has contact information and basic court guidance. The site links to CourtConnect for online case searches.
Search Crawford County Records Online
Crawford County is one of the few counties in Arkansas with full participation in CourtConnect, the state's free public case search tool at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. This means you can do more than just look up case numbers. You get comprehensive case information, full document images for most case types, complete docket entries, judgment and disposition details, and real-time case status updates. No account is required.
The search lets you look up cases by party name with wildcard support, by case number, by attorney, and by date range. You can also filter by case type (criminal, civil, domestic) and by court location. Full participation is a big advantage compared to counties where CourtConnect only returns basic index data. Most Crawford County criminal records filed since the county joined the Contexte system are fully accessible online.
What you still will not find online: juvenile records sealed under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309, sealed or expunged records, and cases predating the county's entry into Contexte. For those, you contact the clerk directly.
Note: The CourtConnect system is unavailable for maintenance from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM on weekdays and Saturday evening through Sunday noon.
How to Request Copies of Court Records
For records not in CourtConnect, or when you need certified copies, visit either courthouse location in person. Bring a photo ID and any case information you have. Public access terminals at both offices let you search before you ask staff for help. Staff can locate files and tell you copy costs upfront.
Mail requests go to 300 Main Street, Van Buren, AR 72956. Write out what you need: the case number, party names, approximate filing date, and document type. Include a check or money order for estimated fees and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Turnaround for mail requests is typically 7 to 14 business days. Standard copies are $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 per document. Recording fees are $15.00 for the first page and $5.00 for each additional page.
Arkansas's public records law, Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101, requires the office to make public records available during business hours without unnecessary delay.
District Courts and Case Filings
Crawford County has three district courts that handle lower-level matters: Van Buren District Court at (479) 474-3661, Alma District Court at (479) 632-1042, and Mulberry District Court at (479) 997-1213. These courts take misdemeanors, traffic violations, and small claims. When a district case is appealed or involves a felony charge, it moves to circuit court and into the Circuit Clerk's files.
New circuit court case filings carry a $165.00 fee under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403. District appeals to circuit court cost $150.00. Reopening a closed case costs $50.00. These fees are paid to the Circuit Clerk at the time of filing.
Arrest Records and the Sheriff's Office
Arrest records for Crawford County come from the Sheriff's Office, not the Circuit Clerk. The Sheriff's main office is at 301 Main Street, Van Buren, AR 72956, phone (479) 474-1511. The Sheriff handles arrest records, warrant information, inmate rosters, and incident reports. Arrest records and court case records are separate systems, and an arrest does not always mean a circuit court case was filed.
For incident reports, submit a written FOIA request to the Sheriff's Office. The office must respond within three business days under Arkansas law. Include the incident date, location, and names of parties involved. For a statewide criminal history check, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system charges $22.00 and searches all counties at once.
Crawford County Court Records Resources
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts provides court contact details and self-help guides for all 75 counties. The Arkansas Association of Counties directory lists circuit clerks and other officials statewide. For federal criminal cases involving Crawford County, the federal PACER system gives access to U.S. District Court records for the Western District of Arkansas, which covers Van Buren and Crawford County.
Historical court records from Crawford County going back many decades are maintained in the clerk's archives. Very old records may be held by the Arkansas State Archives. If you need a case from early in the county's history, contact the archives before searching CourtConnect.
Nearby Counties
If the case you need was filed in a neighboring county, these Circuit Clerk offices may have the records you are looking for.