Cleburne County Jail Criminal Court Process

Last updated by Mark Miclette

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Cleburne County

Criminal Court Process for Cleburne County Alabama

Heflin is the county seat of Cleburne County, a small county on the Georgia line along Interstate 20, and the courthouse at 120 Vickery Street handles both Circuit Court felonies and District Court misdemeanors. Town courts play a small role here; most criminal cases go straight to the county courts. The District Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, whose main office is in Anniston and who also prosecutes Calhoun County cases, handles state charges. Adult arrestees are kept at the Cleburne County Jail on Lambert Drive in Heflin until they make bail or a judge orders release.

  • Cleburne County Circuit Clerk, Cleburne County Courthouse, 120 Vickery St., Room 202, Heflin, (256) 463-2651
  • 7th Circuit District Attorney, main office in Anniston
  • Cleburne County Sheriff's Office, 140 Lambert Dr., Heflin, (256) 463-7336
  • Cleburne County Jail, 140 Lambert Dr., Heflin, (256) 463-7336 (same line as the sheriff)
  • Indigent defense: appointed lawyers paid by the state; ask the Circuit Clerk
  • Heflin City Hall, 850 Ross St., Heflin, (256) 463-2290
  • Juvenile court and probation intake, through the Circuit Clerk at the courthouse, (256) 463-2651

Which court hears your case. Sheriff's deputies, state troopers working I-20, and conservation officers in the national forest file misdemeanors in Cleburne County District Court, and that court also takes most town cases. Felony charges begin in District Court and move to Circuit Court once a grand jury returns an indictment. District and town judges rule alone; within 14 days a convicted person may appeal to Circuit Court and request a jury. A child under 18 is handled by the juvenile court in Heflin.

Jail before trial. The Sheriff's jail on Lambert Drive is the county's only adult jail, and Heflin police book their arrests there as well. Families reach the jail through the Sheriff's main line.

Cleburne state, town and youth courts

State courts

  • Circuit Court, Cleburne County Courthouse, 120 Vickery St., Heflin, (256) 463-2651
  • District Court and juvenile court, same courthouse and clerk

Town courts

  • Heflin: City Hall, 850 Ross St., (256) 463-2290; check your citation or ask City Hall about the court.
  • Ranburne: Town Hall, 21459 Main St., (256) 568-3483, for town court questions.
  • Fruithurst and Edwardsville: ask the Circuit Clerk where a charge was filed.

Cleburne County is in the 7th Judicial Circuit with Calhoun; judges appoint lawyers paid by the state for people who cannot pay. Anyone held in the Cleburne County Jail should ask at booking which court set the bond, since that court controls any change.

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Misdemeanor (for example, speeding-related reckless driving on I-20, third-degree assault, possession of marijuana for personal use, second-degree criminal trespass)

Misdemeanor arrestees go to the Heflin jail and are often released within hours on scheduled bail by cash, property or bondsman; reckless driving bonds run $300 to $1,000 and DUI bonds $1,000 to $7,500 under the statewide schedule. Domestic violence suspects wait up to 24 hours for a judge or magistrate to set release terms. Someone who stays jailed must have probable cause reviewed within two days of a warrantless arrest, or appear before a judge within three days after a warrant arrest.

  • First appearance in Cleburne County District Court, where indigent defendants can ask for a lawyer.
  • Most cases end in a plea, diversion or bench trial within a few months.
  • In Cleburne County, a Class A misdemeanor such as third-degree assault or personal-use marijuana possession can bring 12 months and a $6,000 fine; the cap is six months for Class B and three for Class C.
  • First DUI: up to a year, $600 to $2,100 in fines and a 90-day suspension.

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Felony (for example, trafficking-level drug stops, second-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, theft of a firearm)

Felony defendants stay in the Cleburne County Jail until bond is posted; drug trafficking bonds can run from $5,000 to $1.5 million. The first hearing covers the charge, release terms and any appointed lawyer.

  1. Preliminary hearing in District Court on a timely demand, within 30 days of arrest.
  2. Grand jury in Heflin; an indictment sends the case to Circuit Court, or the accused can skip indictment and plead.
  3. Circuit Court arraignment, discovery and motions to suppress.
  4. Plea or jury trial, usually six months to a year or more.

Ranges a Cleburne County judge works within: second-degree burglary is Class B (2 to 20 years); theft of a firearm is second-degree theft, Class C (366 days to 10 years); possession of a controlled substance is Class D (366 days to 5 years); trafficking is Class A with mandatory minimum terms tied to drug weight. Nonviolent C and D felonies are scored under presumptive sentencing standards that frequently recommend probation or community corrections; earlier felony convictions push the range higher under the Habitual Felony Offender Act. Defendants younger than 21 at the time of the crime may seek youthful offender status, which seals the record and limits the sentence to three years.

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Violent felonies (murder, attempted murder, first-degree robbery or domestic violence)

People charged with violent felonies are held at the Cleburne County Jail, sometimes for the whole case. Aniah's Law lets the 7th Circuit prosecutor seek a hearing to deny bail on charges like murder, top-degree robbery and top-degree domestic violence, and since May 2026 attempted murder too.

  • Murder, attempted murder, first-degree robbery and first-degree domestic violence are Class A felonies: a Heflin jury's guilty verdict means 10 to 99 years or life, and no less than 20 when a firearm or deadly weapon was used.
  • Capital murder: death or life without parole.

Trials here can run past a year. The state pays for experienced appointed counsel when the defendant cannot afford a lawyer.

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Juveniles (under 18) arrested in Cleburne County

Juvenile cases are heard at the Heflin courthouse, with intake by juvenile probation through the Circuit Clerk's office. Cleburne County has no detention center for youth; detained youths go to a state-licensed regional center, and juvenile probation can confirm the placement. Juveniles do not post bail. If held, the child must receive a detention hearing within 72 hours, counting weekends and holidays (Ala. Code §12-15-207).

  • Informal adjustment with counseling, restitution or service and no formal finding.
  • Probation through the juvenile court.
  • Commitment to the Alabama Department of Youth Services in the most serious cases.

Under §12-15-204, a 16- or 17-year-old facing a capital charge, a Class A felony, an armed felony, a felony causing death or grave injury, or trafficking is tried as an adult and held at the Cleburne County Jail. Prosecutors may seek transfer for youths 14 and over after a hearing (§12-15-203). The state pays for counsel when a family can't.

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Federal cases (U.S. District Court) from Cleburne County

Federal charges from Cleburne fall under the Eastern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, which hears cases in Anniston. Cases become federal for crimes such as large interstate drug shipments, firearms offenses by felons and fraud, and for offenses in the Shoal Creek district of the Talladega National Forest, which covers much of the county.

  • Defense: the federal defender, or a panel lawyer the court picks when a conflict exists

A federal arrestee is brought before a magistrate judge. A fixed bail amount is rarely the issue; detention or release on conditions is decided under the Bail Reform Act. Indictment is due 30 days after arrest; trial should start within 70 days, but excluded time often stretches that. Judges sentence under the federal Guidelines; with no parole, people serve about 85% in the Bureau of Prisons, then supervised release. Appeals are decided by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. A pretrial detainee held for the Marshals may appear on a local contract jail's roster. To find a sentenced person, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

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Cleburne courthouse, jail and phone list

State courts meet at one Heflin courthouse:

  • Circuit and District Court clerk: 120 Vickery Street, Room 202, Heflin, AL 36264, 256-463-2651
  • Heflin City Hall: 850 Ross Street, Heflin, 256-463-2290
  • Ranburne Town Hall: 21459 Main Street, Ranburne, 256-568-3483
  • Cleburne County Jail and Sheriff's Office: 140 Lambert Drive, Heflin, AL 36264, 256-463-7336

For bond steps see our Cleburne bail guide; the Alabama Rule 7.2 bail schedule (https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr7_2.pdf) sets the ranges.

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Federal court for Cleburne County

Cleburne belongs to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama:

  • Courthouse: the federal courthouse in Anniston, 1100 Gurnee Avenue, Anniston, AL 36201, 256-741-1533
  • U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611

The magistrate settles detention; the Marshals choose the jail.

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Locating a Cleburne inmate

Our Cleburne inmate page has added tips.

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ICE detainers in Cleburne County

A detainer lets ICE request that the Heflin jail hold someone two extra business days at most.

  • Field office: ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360
  • Alabama short-stay jails: Baldwin County Correctional Center in Bay Minette, Etowah County Jail in Gadsden and Pickens County Detention Center in Carrollton
  • Locator: ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/)

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Cleburne warrant and case checks

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This summary of Cleburne courts is general, not legal advice, and contacts and laws shift. For a real case, consult an Alabama defense lawyer. For an appointed lawyer, ask the judge or phone the Circuit Clerk at (256) 463-2651; for someone in the county jail, call (256) 463-7336.

Before a Heflin hearing, phone the clerk at 256-463-2651 to confirm the date and courtroom, then the jail at 256-463-7336 to confirm custody.

Courts

ALABAMA UNIFIED JUDICIAL SYST
120 VICKERY ST
HEFLIN AL, 36264
256-463-2651
CLEBURNE COUNTY DISTRICT JUDGE
120 VICKERY ST # 202
HEFLIN AL, 36264
256-463-5955
CLEBURNE CIRCUIT COURT
120 VICKERY ST # 202
HEFLIN AL, 36264
256-463-5955

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Cleburne County

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Every detail on this page is checked by hand, not scraped. This unofficial directory helps friends and family of incarcerated individuals find critical information — inmate lists, locations, bail resources, visitation hours, rules, and text, phone, email, and mail services — for jails, detention centers, and prisons across the United States.