Find Criminal Court Records in Pope County
Pope County criminal court records are held by the Circuit Clerk's Office at the courthouse in Russellville. This guide covers how to search case records through Arkansas CourtConnect online, how to get copies in person or by mail, what fees apply, and where to go for arrest records and background check services in Pope County.
Pope County Criminal Court Records
Pope County Circuit Clerk's Office
The Circuit Clerk for Pope County is Rachel O'Neal. The office is at 100 W Main Street, Russellville, AR 72801. Mail can go to P.O. Box 968, Russellville, AR 72811. The main phone number is (479) 968-7499 and fax is (479) 968-2533. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
The clerk's duties are set out in Ark. Code Ann. § 16-20-102, which requires the clerk to record all court proceedings, keep files for pending and closed cases, and issue process documents. Pope County's circuit court sits in the 5th Judicial Circuit and handles felony charges, misdemeanor appeals from district court, domestic cases, and civil matters.
Email contact is popeclerk@arkansasclerks.com. Staff can respond to general questions by email but cannot send copies of records through that channel. For copies, visit in person or send a written mail request.
The Arkansas CourtConnect portal at caseinfo.arcourts.gov provides free online access to Pope County criminal case index information. No account is needed to search by party name or case number.
Search Pope County Court Records Online
CourtConnect at caseinfo.arcourts.gov is the free state portal for searching Arkansas criminal court records. No login is needed. You can search by party name, case number, or citation number, and narrow results by court, case type, and date range. Pope County has partial participation, so the portal returns basic index information and docket entries for recent cases but not full document images.
A Pope County search on CourtConnect will show party names, case numbers, filing dates, case status and disposition, scheduled hearing dates, and general docket entries. Actual court documents, transcripts, affidavits, and exhibits are not available online. Sealed cases and juvenile records don't appear. Older cases filed before the county entered the Contexte case management system may not be in the database.
If CourtConnect shows no results for a case you know exists, it may predate the online system. Call the clerk at (479) 968-7499 to check. CourtConnect is offline for maintenance between 12:30 AM and 2:00 AM weekdays and Saturday evening through Sunday noon.
How to Get Copies of Court Records
In-person visits to 100 W Main Street in Russellville are the most direct way to get Pope County criminal court records. Bring a photo ID and any case details you have. Public access terminals at the courthouse let you search before asking staff. Staff can find records and tell you costs before you pay anything.
Mail requests go to P.O. Box 968, Russellville, AR 72811. Include the case number if you have it, both party names, the approximate filing date, and the case type. Send a check or money order for copy fees and a stamped return envelope. Processing takes 7 to 14 business days. Questions by email to popeclerk@arkansasclerks.com are fine, but don't send requests for confidential documents that way.
Standard copy fees are $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 per document. Inspecting public 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 open for inspection during regular business hours. Fee waivers are available in some cases for indigent parties with court approval.
New case filing fees under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403 are $165.00 for new cases and $150.00 for district court appeals. Reopening a case costs $50.00.
Arrest Records and the Sheriff's Office
Arrest records in Pope County come from the Sheriff's Office, not the Circuit Clerk. The Sheriff's Office is at 211 E Commercial Street, Russellville, AR 72801. Phone is (479) 968-2558. The Sheriff handles arrest records, warrant information, jail records, and incident reports. The Circuit Clerk only keeps court case files.
To get an incident report from the Sheriff, file a written FOIA request. Include the date, time, and location of the incident and names of parties involved if known. Under state law, the Sheriff must respond within three business days. Warrant checks require an in-person visit with valid ID.
The Pope County District Court can be reached at (479) 968-1409. District court handles misdemeanor cases and traffic matters before they reach the circuit level. When a district court case is appealed, the Circuit Clerk takes over record-keeping.
For a statewide background check, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system runs name-based searches for $22.00 per search across all 75 Arkansas counties.
Types of Criminal Records in Pope County
The Pope County Circuit Clerk maintains all criminal case files at the circuit level. Felony cases are the most common, covering drug offenses, violent crimes, property crimes, and other serious charges. Misdemeanor cases appealed from district court also end up with the circuit clerk.
A typical criminal case file contains the charging document, arrest warrant if one was issued, bond records, plea agreement, judgment and sentencing order, and the full docket sheet. Each entry on the docket marks a step in the case from initial filing to final disposition.
Juvenile delinquency records are sealed under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309 and are not available to the public. Expunged records and court-ordered sealed records also don't appear in public searches. Copies provided to the public have Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and victim home addresses in domestic violence cases redacted.
Very old records from Pope County may be stored in the clerk's archives or held by the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock. For records from many decades ago, starting with the archives may be more productive than CourtConnect.
Additional Resources
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts website has forms, self-help guides, and contact information for all Arkansas courts. The Arkansas Courthouse Kiosk program provides public access terminals at select courthouses where you can search records and find legal forms at no cost. The Arkansas Association of Counties directory has contact information for all circuit clerks statewide.
For free legal help, Arkansas Legal Services serves income-qualifying residents. Their website has an online intake form. The courthouse law library in Russellville is also open to the public during business hours.
Cities in Pope County
The county seat and largest city in Pope County is Russellville. All circuit court filings for Pope County, including those from Russellville, are handled by the Circuit Clerk's Office at 100 W Main Street.
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.