Criminal Court Records in Perry County
Perry County criminal court records are held by the Circuit Clerk's Office in Perryville, Arkansas. The office maintains all circuit-level criminal filings, including felony cases and misdemeanor appeals from the local district court. If you need to search Perry County criminal court records, find a case number, or get certified copies of court documents, this guide walks you through the online and in-person options available. The clerk's office is the best place to start for any official court record request.
Perry County Criminal Court Records
Perry County Circuit Clerk Office
The Circuit Clerk for Perry County is Lisa D. Nichols. The office is located at 310 N Fourche Avenue, Perryville, AR 72126. The mailing address is P.O. Box 78, Perryville, AR 72126. The main phone number is (501) 889-5126, and the fax is (501) 889-3368. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk maintains all circuit court filings under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-20-102, which requires the clerk to record all court proceedings, issue warrants and summons, and preserve files of all pending and past cases.
The Perryville office handles all criminal court records for Perry County, including felony charges, misdemeanor cases that were appealed from district court, domestic matters, and civil filings. Each case file typically contains the charging document, any arrest warrant, bond records, plea agreements, sentencing orders, and a full docket sheet. Staff can help you locate a specific case and give you copy estimates before you pay.
For general office questions, you can also reach the clerk by email at perryclerk@arkansasclerks.com. Staff can provide guidance by email, but they cannot send confidential documents that way.
CourtConnect is Arkansas's free online case search tool. You can search Perry County criminal records by party name or case number through the state portal at no cost.
Search Perry County Records Online
The Arkansas courts system provides a free public case search tool called CourtConnect, available at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. No account is required. You can search by party name, case number, or citation number. Filters for court, case type, and filing date range are available. Perry County participates in CourtConnect at a partial level, meaning basic case index data is available but full document images are not online.
Searches for Perry County criminal cases in CourtConnect will return party names, case numbers, filing dates, current case status, scheduled hearing dates, and docket entries. Actual court documents, transcripts, and exhibits are not available through the portal. Sealed cases and juvenile records do not appear at all. Cases filed before Perry County entered the Contexte system may also be missing.
For cases not in CourtConnect or when you need the actual filed documents, contact the clerk's office directly by phone or in person. Running a CourtConnect search first is a good way to confirm a case exists and gather the case number before submitting a formal request.
Note: CourtConnect is offline for scheduled maintenance from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM on weekdays and from Saturday evening through Sunday noon.
Requesting Perry County Criminal Court Records
Visiting the clerk's office in Perryville in person gives you the fastest and most complete access to Perry County criminal court records. Bring a valid photo ID, any case details you already have, and payment for copies. Public access terminals at the courthouse allow self-directed searching. Staff can pull case files and provide a copy fee estimate before you commit to printing.
If you cannot visit in person, mail requests are accepted. Send a written request to Perry County Circuit Clerk, P.O. Box 78, Perryville, AR 72126. Include the names of both parties, the approximate filing date, the case type, and the case number if you have it. Attach a check or money order for estimated copy fees and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail requests take roughly 7 to 14 business days to process.
Standard copies cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 per document. Inspecting records in person at the courthouse is free. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101, the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, public records must be available during normal business hours. The law requires a response to written requests within three business days.
Arrest Records and the Perry County Sheriff
Arrest records in Perry County come from the Sheriff's Office, not the Circuit Clerk. The Sheriff's Office is located at 310 N Fourche Avenue, Perryville, AR 72126, the same building as the courthouse. The phone number is (501) 889-2333. The Sheriff maintains arrest records, warrant information, and inmate records for the county jail.
To request incident reports or other records from the Sheriff, file a written FOIA request. The office must respond within three business days under Arkansas law. Include the date and location of the incident, the names of parties if known, and a clear description of what you need. Warrant verification typically requires an in-person visit with a valid photo ID.
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system processes statewide name-based background checks for $22.00 per search. This is useful when you need records that go beyond Perry County alone.
Types of Cases in Perry County Circuit Court
The Perry County Circuit Court handles felony charges including drug offenses, violent crimes, property crimes, and other serious matters under state law. Misdemeanor cases that are appealed from the local district court also move to the circuit level, where the Circuit Clerk takes over record-keeping. Each criminal case file in the clerk's office generally contains the charging document, arrest warrant, bond paperwork, court hearing records, plea or trial disposition, and the final sentencing order.
Some records are not available to the public. Juvenile delinquency records are sealed under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309. Court-ordered sealed and expunged records are also withheld. Copies given to the public redact Social Security numbers, financial account information, and victim home addresses in domestic violence cases.
Historical records from Perry County going back several decades may be in the clerk's archives or transferred to the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock.
Perry County Court Records Resources
Additional tools are available for Perry County criminal record searches. The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts website provides contact details for every court in the state along with self-help guides and forms. The Arkansas Association of Counties lists contact information for circuit clerks statewide. The Arkansas Courthouse Kiosk program offers public access terminals at select courthouses where you can search records and access legal forms at no charge.
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.