Montgomery County Criminal Court Records Search
Montgomery County criminal court records are filed and maintained by the Circuit Clerk's Office in Mount Ida, where Brenda R. Williams serves as clerk. This guide explains how to find criminal court records in Montgomery County using the state's free CourtConnect portal, in-person visits to the Highway 270 courthouse in Mount Ida, or written requests sent to the clerk's office by mail.
Montgomery County Criminal Court Records
Montgomery County Circuit Clerk Office
Brenda R. Williams is the Circuit Clerk for Montgomery County. The office is at 105 Highway 270 E, Mount Ida, AR 71957. Mailing address is P.O. Box 379, Mount Ida, AR 71957. Phone is (870) 867-3521, fax (870) 867-2657. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Email is montgomeryclerk@arkansasclerks.com. The county website at montgomerycounty.arkansas.gov provides office and contact information.
The Circuit Clerk maintains all criminal court records under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-20-102. This statute requires the clerk to record all proceedings, keep case files current, and issue all required legal process. Felony charges, misdemeanor appeals, and all other circuit-level criminal matters filed in Montgomery County are on file at this office.
Montgomery County is in the 18th Judicial Circuit of Arkansas, also known as the Ouachita River Judicial Circuit, covering the south-central mountain region of the state. The circuit court handles all felony matters and appeals from lower courts. When a case moves up from district court, the Circuit Clerk takes over the official record.
CourtConnect is the free statewide case search portal for all Arkansas courts. It includes basic criminal case index data for Montgomery County and lets you search by name, case number, or citation without creating an account.
Online Search for Montgomery County Cases
CourtConnect at caseinfo.arcourts.gov is the free online starting point for any search of Montgomery County criminal court records. No login is needed. Search by party name, case number, or citation and filter by court, case type, and date range. Montgomery County has partial participation in the Contexte system, so the portal returns basic index information but not full document images.
CourtConnect results for Montgomery County criminal cases include party names, case numbers, filing dates, current status, scheduled hearing dates, and docket entries. Actual filed documents, orders, transcripts, and exhibits are not available online. Juvenile records and court-sealed cases do not appear. Cases that predate the county's entry into Contexte are also absent from the online database.
For records not found online, contact the clerk's office at (870) 867-3521 or by email. Use CourtConnect first to get the case number, then request copies from the clerk. The portal is offline from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM weekdays and from Saturday evening through Sunday noon for maintenance.
Note: Montgomery County is a smaller jurisdiction. If results are limited, older records may not yet be in the online system. A call to the clerk can confirm availability.
Getting Copies of Montgomery County Court Records
You can visit the clerk's office in person at 105 Highway 270 E in Mount Ida. Bring photo ID and any case details you have. Public access terminals at the courthouse let you search records before asking staff for help. Staff can locate the file and tell you copy costs before you pay. No appointment is needed for a routine records request.
Mail requests go to P.O. Box 379, Mount Ida, AR 71957. Include both party names, the case type, the approximate filing date, and the case number if available. Attach a check or money order for the estimated copy fees and a self-addressed stamped envelope for return. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101, the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, public records must be available during regular business hours. FOIA requests must receive a written response within three business days.
Standard copies are $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 each. Viewing records in person at the courthouse is free. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403, filing a new circuit court case costs $165.00. Mail requests typically take 7 to 14 business days to process.
Arrest Records and the Sheriff
Arrest records for Montgomery County come from the Sheriff's Office at 105 Highway 270 E, Mount Ida, AR 71957. Phone is (870) 867-3155. The Sheriff handles arrest records, warrant information, inmate records, and incident reports. These are separate from the criminal court records held by the Circuit Clerk. The fact that someone has an arrest record does not mean a circuit court criminal case was ever filed.
To get incident reports or other arrest-related records, file a written FOIA request with the Sheriff's Office. Include the date, location, and parties involved in the incident. The office must respond within three business days under Arkansas FOIA law. Warrant checks typically require an in-person visit with a valid ID.
For a broader search across all Arkansas counties, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system runs name-based checks for $22.00 each. This draws from the statewide ACIC database and is useful when you need a complete picture beyond Montgomery County alone.
Types of Criminal Records in Montgomery County
The Circuit Clerk in Mount Ida keeps records for all circuit-level criminal cases. Felonies are the primary case type at this level. Drug charges, assault, theft, property crimes, and weapons offenses all appear in the circuit court docket. Each case file holds the charging document, arrest warrant if one was issued, bond records, plea agreements, sentencing orders, and a full docket sheet covering the case from the first filing to the final close.
Misdemeanor appeals from the local district court also land with the Circuit Clerk. When someone is convicted in district court and appeals, the case moves up to circuit court and the Circuit Clerk begins tracking the record from that point. The district court keeps its original file, but all appeal proceedings are in the Circuit Clerk's custody.
Some records are off-limits to the public. Juvenile cases are sealed under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309. Expunged or court-sealed cases also do not appear in public searches. Social Security numbers, financial data, and victim addresses in domestic violence cases are redacted from copies given to the public. Certified copies come with the clerk's seal and signed certification language confirming the copy is accurate.
Resources for Montgomery County Records
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts maintains statewide court directories, self-help forms, and guides for accessing criminal court records in Montgomery County and all other Arkansas circuit courts. The Arkansas Courthouse Kiosk program provides public access terminals at select courthouses where you can search records and find legal forms for free.
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts is the main statewide resource for court information, including the Montgomery County circuit clerk directory and court self-help tools.
Federal cases involving Montgomery County go to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Federal records are searchable through PACER at $0.10 per page after a quarterly minimum. Legal Aid of Arkansas provides free help for low-income residents on records questions and expungement filings. The Arkansas State Archives holds older Montgomery County court records not in current electronic systems. The Arkansas Association of Counties lists clerk contact details for every county in the state.
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.