St. Francis County Criminal Court Records
St. Francis County criminal court records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk's Office in Forrest City, which is the official keeper of all circuit-level criminal case filings in the county. If you need to look up a felony case, find a misdemeanor appeal, or get a certified copy of a court document, this guide explains how to search St. Francis County criminal court records through CourtConnect online, by mail request, or with an in-person visit to the Forrest City courthouse.
St. Francis County Criminal Court Records
St. Francis County Circuit Clerk
The Circuit Clerk for St. Francis County is Wanda D. McClinton. Her office is at 313 S Izard Street, Forrest City, AR 72335. You can also send mail to P.O. Box 1047, Forrest City, AR 72336. The main phone is (870) 261-1750 and the fax is (870) 261-1775. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Email inquiries go to stfrancisclerk@arkansasclerks.com, though staff can provide guidance by email but cannot send restricted documents that way.
The clerk's office operates under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-20-102, which requires the clerk to record all court proceedings, issue warrants and summons, and maintain complete files of all pending and past circuit court cases. Records held by the office include felony filings, misdemeanor appeals from district court, domestic-related criminal cases, and civil circuit court matters.
CourtConnect is Arkansas's official free case search system. St. Francis County participates on a partial basis, meaning basic case index data is available to the public at no cost.
Search St. Francis County Records Online
The free statewide case search tool is CourtConnect, available at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. No account or login is required. You can search by party name, case number, or citation number. Filters let you narrow by court type, case type, and filing date range. St. Francis County has partial participation, so you get basic case index information but not full document images.
A CourtConnect search for St. Francis County criminal cases will show party names, case numbers, filing dates, current case status, disposition details, upcoming hearing dates, and docket entries. What you won't find are the underlying court documents, transcripts, or exhibits. Juvenile records, sealed cases, and matters filed before the county joined the Contexte system are not in the online database.
If your search returns no results, the record may be older than the county's online database start date. Call the clerk's office at (870) 261-1750 to check for older records. CourtConnect goes down for maintenance each night from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM and from Saturday evening through Sunday noon.
Note: Partial CourtConnect participation means document images are not available online for St. Francis County. Request copies directly from the clerk's office.
How to Get Criminal Court Records
An in-person visit to 313 S Izard Street in Forrest City gives you direct access to St. Francis County criminal court records. Bring a photo ID and any case details you have, such as the defendant's name or case number. Public access terminals at the courthouse let you search on your own. Staff can pull the file and tell you the copy cost before you pay. Cash and checks are typically accepted for copy fees.
Mail requests work as well. Write a request letter and send it to the P.O. Box address. Include the full defendant name, the approximate filing year or date range, the case type, and the case number if available. Attach a check or money order for estimated fees and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail turnaround generally takes 7 to 14 business days, though busy periods can extend that window.
Standard copies cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 per document. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101, the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, public records must be available for inspection at no charge during regular office hours. Fee waivers for court fees are available to parties who show financial hardship, but only when the court approves a waiver petition.
St. Francis County District Court
District courts in Arkansas handle misdemeanor crimes, traffic cases, and small claims. When a district court case is appealed or involves a charge that moves up to felony level, it transfers to circuit court and the Circuit Clerk takes over. The St. Francis County District Court can be reached at (870) 261-1745. This court operates at the lower level of the criminal court system and handles the first stage of many cases that later appear in circuit court records.
Filing fees for circuit court entry are set under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403. New cases cost $165.00 to file. District court appeals carry a $150.00 fee. Reopening a closed case requires $50.00. These fees are paid to the Circuit Clerk when a case enters the circuit level.
Arrest Records and the Sheriff's Office
Arrest records for St. Francis County come from the Sheriff's Office, not the Circuit Clerk. The Sheriff's Office is at 313 S Izard Street, Forrest City, AR 72335, and can be reached at (870) 261-1700. The Sheriff maintains arrest records, warrant information, inmate rosters, and incident reports. These are separate from the criminal court case files held by the clerk.
To request an incident report, send a written FOIA request to the Sheriff's Office. Arkansas law requires a response within three business days. Include the date, location, and any party names tied to the incident. For warrant checks, plan on visiting in person with a valid ID. Staff do not confirm warrant status over the phone as general practice.
For a broader background check that searches across all of Arkansas, use the Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system. A name-based search costs $22.00 and covers all 75 counties. This is useful when you don't know which county someone's records may be in or when you need a comprehensive search result.
Criminal Record Types in St. Francis County
The Circuit Clerk keeps several types of criminal court records. Felony cases make up the largest category at circuit level. These cover drug offenses, violent crimes, property crimes, theft, and weapons charges. Misdemeanor appeals and domestic-related criminal matters also appear in the clerk's files. Each case file typically holds the information or indictment, any warrant issued, bond documents, motions, plea agreements, the judgment, and a full docket sheet.
Some records stay sealed from the public. Juvenile delinquency records are restricted under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309. Court-ordered expunged or sealed records do not appear in public searches. Sensitive personal data such as Social Security numbers and victim addresses in domestic violence cases are redacted from copies released to the public. Very old records may sit in the courthouse's physical archive or at the Arkansas State Archives.
More Resources for St. Francis County
The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts website lists every Arkansas court with contact details and offers free self-help forms. The Arkansas Courthouse Kiosk program provides public access terminals at select courthouses for record searches and legal information. The Arkansas Association of Counties directory is a reliable source for up-to-date circuit clerk contact information across all 75 counties. Federal cases involving St. Francis County defendants can be found through the PACER system under the Eastern District of Arkansas.
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.