All county courts meet at the Butler courthouse. One clerk handles both levels of state court:

• Circuit Court handles indicted felony cases and also retries appeals from town and District Court.
• District Court hears misdemeanors filed by deputies and state troopers, and every felony begins there.
• Clerk's office: 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 10, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-2155, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Town ordinance violations and in-town misdemeanors are heard by that town's municipal court. The District Attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit, based in Grove Hill and covering Choctaw, Clarke and Washington counties, prosecutes state crimes.

Butler, Gilbertown, Pennington and a few other towns hold municipal court for local charges. Here is where to start for each one:

• Butler Municipal Court: 222 South Mulberry Avenue, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-3794. Court sits the third Thursday of each month at 1 p.m.
• Gilbertown charges: call City Hall at 251-843-2766 for the court date and place.
• Pennington, Silas and Toxey tickets: the circuit clerk in Butler knows where each one was filed.
• Lisman and Needham: cases are generally handled in District Court in Butler.

Unincorporated Melvin and Womack Hill also feed District Court. Look at the ticket or arrest paperwork first, since it spells out which court has the charge.

Choctaw prisoners are usually held at the Washington County Jail in Chatom, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518, 251-847-2202. A new Butler jail should be ready in spring 2027. Until then, deputies may also use other counties' jails when beds are short.

The court case stays in Butler no matter where the person sleeps. Deputies drive defendants to the courthouse for hearings. To confirm where someone is held, call the sheriff at 205-459-2166 to locate a detainee. Ask the same question again before each hearing, because a person can be moved while the case is pending.

Following a warrantless arrest, a judge has 48 hours to find probable cause, and someone held on a warrant must reach a judge inside 72 hours. Domestic violence arrestees cannot bond out until a judge sees them or 24 hours pass. These limits come from Alabama Rule 4.3 and apply in every county.

That first hearing is brief: the judge goes over each charge, looks at bond and asks about a lawyer. Can't afford a lawyer? Say so at the first appearance. Family members can call the clerk at 205-459-2155 to learn the date, though children and witnesses should not expect to speak at this short hearing.

Most misdemeanor defendants can leave after posting bail from the state schedule. They may pay cash, use a bonding company or pledge property. A judge may also allow a signature bond. The arraignment takes place in the town court or in District Court in Butler, and that is where to ask for appointed counsel.

Arraignment is where a plea goes on the record. Pleading not guilty means the clerk's office in Butler will set a trial date. Fines, probation, restitution, classes, deferred prosecution and suspended sentences are common. For the next date, call the clerk at 205-459-2155.

Alabama sorts misdemeanors into classes. The judge can give less than the top amount, and many first cases end with a fine or probation:

• Class A, including paraphernalia possession, second-degree criminal mischief and DUI: up to a year in jail, $6,000 fine
• Class B: up to six months, $3,000
• Class C: up to three months, $500
• Violations, including disorderly conduct: up to 30 days, $200

A conviction can still affect a job, a license or a lease. Ask the defense lawyer how a plea would show up on the record. The circuit clerk at 205-459-2155 can give you copies of the charging papers so you know which class applies.

After a felony arrest, a District Court judge holds the first appearance, sets or reviews bond and decides on appointed counsel. Then the case usually moves like this:

1. A District Court preliminary hearing, if the defense asks within 30 days
2. Grand jury in Butler, presented by the 1st Circuit DA, unless indictment is waived
3. Arraignment and motion practice in Circuit Court
4. Plea agreement, jury trial or dismissal, then sentencing

A felony can stretch across many months. The clerk at 205-459-2155 can tell you when the grand jury meets and whether an indictment has been returned. Keep a list of every date in one place.

Drug possession and third-degree theft are Class D felonies, carrying more than a year and up to 5 years. Second-degree burglary, a Class B felony, can bring 2 to 20 years. Nonviolent C and D cases usually draw probation under presumptive standards, while repeat felons face the Habitual Felony Offender Act.

Defendants who were under 21 at the time may request youthful offender treatment, which seals the record and caps punishment at three years. The judge decides whether to grant it. A defense lawyer should raise it early. Copies of the indictment are kept by the clerk at 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 10, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-2155.

Murder and first-degree kidnapping qualify under Aniah's Law, so the 1st Circuit DA can seek a hearing to deny bail. Amendment 1 came next, on May 19, 2026, adding attempted murder and shooting at a lived-in home or an occupied car. These defendants are kept at a contract jail until the new Butler jail opens.

First-degree assault is a Class B felony, 2 to 20 years. First-degree kidnapping and murder are Class A felonies, which can mean anywhere from 10 years up to 99, or life, and a firearm or deadly weapon raises the minimum to 20 years. Two sentences exist for capital murder: execution, or prison for life without parole. Jurors must vote at least 10 to 2 for death. For hearing dates, call the clerk at 205-459-2155.

The court names state-paid private attorneys for people who cannot pay. The defendant asks the judge and signs a sworn form listing income, debts and family members. Under Rule 6.3, the judge can take a fresh look if money troubles change later in the case.

The circuit clerk at 205-459-2155 explains how to ask and can tell you which lawyer was named. When jail is possible, a town judge can also name a defense lawyer. You can also reach Alabama's Office of Indigent Defense Services at 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059. Ask for a lawyer before any plea or waiver.

A municipal or District Court conviction can be appealed within 14 days to Circuit Court, where the case is tried again and a jury may be demanded. The new trial starts fresh, so the first verdict does not carry over.

Fourteen days goes by quickly. The notice of appeal is filed with the court that decided the case. Ask the clerk at 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 10, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-2155, which forms are needed and whether an appeal bond is required. A lawyer can help weigh whether a new trial is worth the risk of a different sentence.

A judge sitting as Choctaw County's juvenile court hears delinquency cases privately in Butler. A child who has to be locked up is taken out of county. Baldwin County lists Choctaw among the counties served by the Baldwin County Juvenile Detention Center, 43405 Nicholsville Road, Bay Minette, AL 36507, 251-580-2540. Some children are placed at the Mobile County Youth Detention Center, 2315 Costarides Street, Mobile, AL 36617, 251-574-1450 instead.

Juvenile probation, which can confirm the placement, is reached through the circuit clerk at 205-459-2155. A detention hearing is due within 72 hours. Release to a parent under conditions is typical, and families short on money get an appointed lawyer. A judge can order probation or, in serious cases, place the young person in state Department of Youth Services custody. Automatic adult prosecution applies to 16- and 17-year-olds charged with capital crimes, Class A felonies or trafficking.

Ask the Butler deputies about warrants at 205-459-2166. The office is at 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 11, Butler, AL 36904. Down the hall, in Suite 10, the clerk's counter helps too. Hearings can be looked up on the county court website. Alacourt Access charges $9.99 for each name search, which covers one case.

Town warrants may sit with Butler police or another town's court. Turning yourself in with a lawyer present tends to go better than an arrest, and it gives you time to arrange bond first.

Families have three main ways to follow a case:

• Call or visit the circuit clerk at 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 10, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-2155. Free copies can be viewed at the clerk's office.
• Read office details and hours on the county court website.
• Search statewide records on Alacourt Access, which charges $9.99 per name search.

Keep the defendant's name, birthday and any case number close by when you call. Court dates change often, so check again a day or two before each hearing. Ahead of any Butler hearing, phone the clerk about the time and room.

Choctaw County is assigned to the Southern Division of the Southern District of Alabama, so its federal charges go before judges at the U.S. Courthouse, 155 St. Joseph Street, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-690-2371. Federal charges here include drug distribution, firearm cases and fraud.

The defendant first appears before a magistrate judge, who sets bail conditions or, at the government's request, holds a hearing under the federal Bail Reform Act on keeping the person locked up. The Speedy Trial Act gives prosecutors 30 days to indict and sets a 70-day trial clock, excluding allowed delays. Federal parole no longer exists, and roughly 85 percent of the term is served ahead of supervised release. Defendants who cannot pay get a federal defender or a panel lawyer. Detention is a magistrate's call; housing is the Marshals' call: 155 St. Joseph Street, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-499-6620.

Through a detainer, ICE may ask whichever jail has the person to hold them up to 48 hours once local release is due. The state case keeps going in Butler either way, and the person still needs to answer every charge and attend every hearing.

The detainer comes from the ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. Alabama short-stay jails for ICE include the Baldwin County Corrections Center, 200 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, AL 36507, 251-937-0361. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator System if the person is moved. Make sure the defense lawyer hears about an ICE hold early, since a plea to some charges can change a person's immigration case.

These lookups cover county, state and federal custody:

• County: the sheriff's custody lookup, then a call to the sheriff at 205-459-2166.
• State prison: the ADOC inmate search, which takes a last name or AIS number.
• Federal prison: the federal inmate locator.
• Alerts: the VINELink search for Alabama, free, with text or email updates.

A Marshals Service detainee may show up on the roster of the local jail holding them. See our Inmate Search page for more ways to find someone, from new bookings to transfers.