Izard County Criminal Records Lookup
Izard County criminal court records are kept by the Circuit Clerk's Office in Melbourne, which serves this rural north-central Arkansas county. The clerk handles felony cases, misdemeanor appeals, domestic matters, and civil filings. You can look up basic case information online through CourtConnect, visit the Melbourne courthouse in person, or send a written request by mail. This page covers each method and the contact details you need to get Izard County criminal court records.
Izard County Criminal Court Records
Izard County Circuit Clerk
The Circuit Clerk for Izard County is Christy R. Whitehead. The office is at 1 E Main Street, Melbourne, AR 72556. Mailing address is P.O. Box 327, Melbourne, AR 72556. Phone is (870) 368-4316, fax is (870) 368-4319. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-20-102, the clerk records all court proceedings, issues summons and warrants, and maintains files for every pending and closed case in the county. Contact the clerk by email at izardclerk@arkansasclerks.com.
Izard County is a small, rural county in north-central Arkansas. The courthouse in Melbourne is the only court location for the county. The circuit clerk serves as the ex-officio county recorder in addition to the court clerk role, which means land records including deeds, mortgages, and liens are recorded with the same office that keeps criminal court files.
The county government website at izardcounty.arkansas.gov has basic information about county departments and services. For court record searches, the main tool is CourtConnect at the state level rather than a local county portal.
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts at arcourts.gov provides access to CourtConnect, court forms, and contact information for Izard County and every other circuit court in Arkansas.
Search Izard County Cases Online
Izard County is a partial participant in the Arkansas CourtConnect system at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. That means you can search by party name or case number and see basic case information: case status, filing dates, and general docket entries. No account is required and there is no fee to use the public search. Document images are not available for partial-participation counties like Izard.
CourtConnect is still a useful first step even with partial access. It lets you confirm whether a case exists in the system, get the case number, and check on the current status before making a formal request to the clerk. For criminal cases, the search covers felony charges and misdemeanor matters that moved to circuit court. Cases handled entirely at the district court level will not appear in this search.
Historical records in Izard County are limited online. Cases filed before the county joined the Contexte system will not appear in CourtConnect. For those older records, contact the clerk's office directly by phone or in person. The system is down for maintenance from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM weekdays and from Saturday evening through Sunday noon.
Note: If no results appear for a search, the case may predate the online system or may have been resolved at the district court level without going to circuit court.
How to Get Izard County Court Records
Visiting the courthouse at 1 E Main Street in Melbourne is the most direct way to get Izard County criminal court records. Public inspection is free. Bring a photo ID and any identifying information you have about the case. Staff can help locate records and tell you the copy cost before you pay. Copies are $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 per document.
Mail requests go to P.O. Box 327, Melbourne, AR 72556. Include the case number or party names, the approximate filing date, and what type of records you are requesting. Attach a check or money order for the estimated fees. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return. Processing by mail generally takes 7 to 14 business days. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101, the office must respond to FOIA requests within three business days.
Fax requests go to (870) 368-4319. For general questions, email izardclerk@arkansasclerks.com. Staff can answer basic questions by email but cannot send restricted or confidential documents through email. Filing fees under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403 set a new case filing fee of $165.00 and a $50.00 fee to reopen a case.
Izard County Sheriff and Arrest Records
Arrest records for Izard County come from the Sheriff's Office, not the Circuit Clerk. The Sheriff's Office is at 300 Circle Drive, Melbourne, AR 72556, phone (870) 368-4203. The Sheriff handles arrest records, warrant information, inmate data, and incident reports. While an arrest often leads to a criminal court case in the clerk's files, the two offices are separate and each keeps its own records.
To request incident reports from the Sheriff, submit a written FOIA request. The office has three business days to respond under Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101. Provide the date, time, and location of the incident and names of parties involved if you know them. Warrant verification requires an in-person visit with a valid photo ID.
For statewide criminal background checks covering all Arkansas counties, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system processes name-based checks for $22.00 per search. This covers every county in the state and is the right choice when you need more than just Izard County records.
What Records the Clerk Keeps
The Circuit Clerk in Izard County maintains criminal case records covering felony charges and misdemeanor appeals from Melbourne District Court. The office also holds domestic relations records, civil case files, and probate records. Each criminal case file includes the charging document, any arrest warrant, bond records, plea information, the judgment, sentencing details, and the full docket sheet. Land records including deeds, mortgages, and liens are also filed with the clerk in the role of ex-officio recorder.
Juvenile delinquency records are sealed under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309 and cannot be accessed by the general public. Expunged and sealed records are not available in any search. Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and victim addresses in domestic violence cases are redacted from all public copies. Certified copies carry the clerk's official seal and a statement certifying accuracy.
For very old records that are not in CourtConnect or that date back decades, contact the clerk directly. Some old case files may have been transferred to the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock for long-term storage.
Federal Records and Statewide Tools
Izard County falls within the Eastern District of Arkansas for federal court purposes. Federal criminal cases with a connection to Izard County would be filed with the PACER system rather than the local circuit clerk. PACER charges $0.10 per page with the first $30 waived each quarter. You need a PACER account to access federal records.
The Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) manages the statewide criminal history database and provides warrant verification, protection order checks, and other criminal justice information services. The sex offender registry at acic.org is free to search by name or location and covers all counties including Izard.
Izard County Court Resources
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts website has contact information for every court in Arkansas along with self-help guides and court forms that can be used in Izard County matters. The Arkansas Association of Counties maintains a statewide directory of circuit clerks and other county officials. For legal help, Arkansas Legal Services provides assistance to low-income residents in Izard County who need guidance on criminal court matters. The Arkansas Courthouse Kiosk program offers free public access terminals at select courthouses for record searches and form access.
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.