Lonoke County Criminal Court Records
Lonoke County criminal court records are filed and kept by the Circuit Clerk's Office at 301 N Center Street in Lonoke. This guide covers the main ways to search criminal court records in Lonoke County, from the state's free CourtConnect portal to in-person visits at the courthouse. Whether you need a case number, a certified copy of a judgment, or just want to check on the status of a charge, the steps below will help you find what you need fast.
Lonoke County Criminal Court Records
Lonoke County Circuit Clerk Records
Dawn M. Porterfield serves as Circuit Clerk for Lonoke County. Her office handles all circuit-level court filings under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-20-102, which requires the clerk to record all court proceedings, issue warrants, and keep a full file of every pending and past case. That means felony charges, misdemeanor appeals from district court, and any criminal matter that reaches the circuit level are all in her office's files.
The office sits at 301 N Center Street, Lonoke, AR 72086. You can also mail requests to P.O. Box 1303, Lonoke, AR 72086. Phone is (501) 676-2368, fax is (501) 676-2393. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Staff can help you locate a case and pull documents once you have a case number or party name ready.
The Lonoke County official website carries basic contact details and links to county offices. For a full records search, you will need CourtConnect, the state's court portal, rather than the county site alone.
CourtConnect is the state's main tool for searching Lonoke County criminal court records online. You can look up cases by party name or case number at no cost.
Search Lonoke County Court Records Online
Arkansas provides free public access to court case data through CourtConnect at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. No sign-in is needed. You can search by party name, case number, or citation number and narrow results by court, case type, or date range. Lonoke County has partial participation in the system, so you get basic index-level information but not scanned copies of the actual court documents.
A CourtConnect search for a Lonoke County criminal case will show you the party names, case number, filing date, current case status, scheduled hearing dates, and docket entries. What the portal will not show are court documents like charging instruments, affidavits, plea agreements, or exhibits. Sealed cases and juvenile matters do not appear at all. Cases filed before Lonoke County joined the Contexte case management system are also absent from the online index.
When CourtConnect does not have what you need, call the Circuit Clerk at (501) 676-2368 or visit in person. CourtConnect is a good first step to confirm a case exists and pull the case number before you make a formal request to the clerk's office.
Note: CourtConnect goes offline for maintenance from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM on weekdays and during part of the weekend. Try again during normal hours if you get a system error.
How to Get Lonoke County Criminal Records
In-person visits to the Lonoke County Courthouse give you the most direct path to criminal court records. Bring a photo ID and any case details you have, such as the case number or the full names of the parties. Public access terminals at the courthouse let you search on your own before asking staff for help. Staff will pull the records and let you know the copy cost before you pay.
Mail requests go to the Circuit Clerk at P.O. Box 1303, Lonoke, AR 72086. Include as much case detail as you can, such as case number, party names, approximate filing date, and the type of case you want. Attach a check or money order for estimated copy fees and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return. Mail requests take roughly 7 to 14 business days. You can also email lonokeclerk@arkansasclerks.com, though staff can give general guidance by email but cannot send confidential documents that way.
Standard copies cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 per document. Inspecting public records in person is free. Under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101, public records must be available during regular business hours. People who cannot afford fees may apply to the court for an indigent waiver.
Lonoke County District Court
District courts handle the first level of criminal cases in Arkansas. In Lonoke County, the District Court handles misdemeanor charges, traffic violations, and small claims. Reach the Lonoke County District Court at (501) 676-3811. When a district court case is appealed, or when a charge is serious enough to move up, it transfers to the Circuit Court and the Circuit Clerk takes over the file.
Filing fees at the circuit level follow Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403. New circuit court cases carry a $165.00 filing fee. District court appeals to circuit court cost $150.00. Reopening a closed case is $50.00. These fees go to the Circuit Clerk at the time of filing.
If you are trying to find a misdemeanor case and it does not appear in CourtConnect's circuit records, check whether it was handled entirely at the district level and never appealed. District court case records are separate from the Circuit Clerk's files.
Arrest Records and the Lonoke County Sheriff
Arrest records in Lonoke County come from the Sheriff's Office, not the Circuit Clerk. The Sheriff's Office is at 440 Dee Hughes Drive, Lonoke, AR 72086, phone (501) 676-5511. Arrest reports, warrant information, inmate records, and incident reports are all handled by the Sheriff rather than the court clerk.
To get an incident report, file a written FOIA request with the Sheriff's Office. Under Arkansas law, the office must respond within three business days. Include the date and location of the incident and any names you know. For warrant verification, an in-person visit with a valid photo ID is usually required.
For statewide background checks, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system runs name-based searches for $22.00 each. This tool covers every Arkansas county and is the right choice when you need a broader search than Lonoke County alone can give you.
Note: An arrest record from the Sheriff's Office and a circuit court case are separate things. Not every arrest leads to a circuit court filing.
Types of Criminal Court Records in Lonoke County
The Circuit Clerk keeps several kinds of criminal records. Felony cases are the most common at the circuit level and cover drug charges, violent offenses, property crimes, and other serious matters. Misdemeanor cases that were appealed from district court also end up in the circuit clerk's files. A typical case file holds the charging document, arrest warrant if one was used, bond paperwork, plea agreements, judgment and sentencing orders, and a full docket sheet that tracks every step of the case from start to finish.
Some records are not public. Juvenile delinquency records are sealed under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309 and are not available to the public. Records the court has ordered expunged or sealed also do not show up in public searches. Copies given to the public have Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and victim addresses in domestic violence cases removed. Certified copies carry the clerk's seal and a statement that the document is a true copy of the original.
Older Lonoke County court records going back many decades exist in the clerk's archives. Very old cases may be stored off-site or held by the Arkansas State Archives. If you are tracking a case from many years ago, contacting the archives first may save time.
Other Criminal Record Resources
A few other tools and agencies can help with Lonoke County criminal record searches. The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts lists contact information for every court in the state and offers self-help forms and guides. The Arkansas Courthouse Kiosk program runs public access terminals at select courthouses where you can search records and find forms at no cost. The Arkansas Association of Counties directory has contact details for every circuit clerk in the state.
For people who need help understanding their rights or cannot afford an attorney, the Center for Arkansas Legal Services offers free legal aid in civil and some criminal matters. The Arkansas Courts Self-Help Center also has guides for navigating the court system on your own.
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.