Marengo County Detention Center Criminal Court Process

Last updated by Elizabeth Boyle

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Marengo County

Criminal Court Process for Marengo County Alabama

Linden is the Marengo County seat, though Demopolis is larger. Circuit Court (felonies) and District Court (misdemeanors) share the Linden courthouse, and Demopolis and Linden run municipal courts. The District Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit, which takes in Marengo, Greene and Sumter counties and keeps its office in Demopolis, prosecutes state charges. Arrests from every corner of Marengo County are booked into the Marengo County Detention Center in Linden and held there until they make bail or a judge releases them.

  • Marengo County Circuit Clerk (Circuit and District Court), Marengo County Courthouse, 101 East Coats Avenue, Linden, AL 36748, either (334) 295-2224 or (334) 295-2219
  • District Attorney, 17th Judicial Circuit, Demopolis office (334) 289-2149; Linden courthouse office (334) 295-8634
  • Marengo County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff Robert Alston), 101 Dunn Street, Linden, AL 36748, (334) 295-4208
  • Marengo County Detention Center, 101 Dunn Street, Linden, AL 36748, (334) 295-2257
  • Appointed counsel: raise it with the Linden judge at the first appearance or with the clerk
  • Demopolis and Linden police: cases go to each city's municipal court (numbers below)
  • Juvenile intake: Marengo County juvenile probation, (334) 295-5541

Which court hears your case. Demopolis and Linden officers file city ordinance violations and misdemeanors from inside their police jurisdictions in their own municipal courts. Deputy and trooper misdemeanors, plus those from towns with no court, land in Marengo County District Court. Felonies begin in District Court and reach Circuit Court by indictment. A Demopolis, Linden or District Court conviction has 14 days for appeal to Circuit Court, where a jury may hear it fresh.

Where pretrial inmates are held. Dunn Street in Linden houses Marengo pretrial inmates, Demopolis arrests among them. Custody status and bond amounts come from Dunn Street at (334) 295-2257. A defendant without money for counsel should say so at the first Linden hearing.

Local courts in Marengo County (Demopolis, Linden, Thomaston, Sweet Water and smaller towns)

Demopolis and Linden each run a city court. A city magistrate sets bond on municipal warrants, and people serving city time or awaiting a city hearing are usually held at the Marengo County Detention Center. When a city sentence could mean jail, Demopolis and Linden judges appoint counsel.

County courts in Linden

  • Marengo County Circuit Court, 101 East Coats Avenue, Linden, (334) 295-2219
  • Marengo County District Court, same courthouse and clerk, (334) 295-2219

Municipal courts

  • Demopolis Municipal Court, 301 East Washington Street, Demopolis, AL 36732, (334) 289-5933
  • Linden Municipal Court, 211 North Main Street, Linden, AL 36748, court clerk (334) 295-5051
  • Thomaston and Sweet Water: ask the circuit clerk whether a pending charge is in a town court or in District Court
  • Myrtlewood, Faunsdale and Providence: charges from these towns go to Marengo County District Court unless the clerk says otherwise

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Misdemeanor (for example, public intoxication, fourth-degree theft, menacing, first-offense DUI)

Release on a Marengo County misdemeanor usually comes once bail is posted at the Marengo County Detention Center. The state schedule runs $300 to $6,000 for most charges and $1,000 to $7,500 for DUI; cash, bondsmen and property all work. Without release, a probable-cause review must come within 48 hours of a warrantless arrest and a first appearance within 72 hours after a warrant arrest. Domestic violence suspects are held up to 24 hours for a judge.

At the opening hearing in a Marengo city or District Court, the defendant pleads and may request a lawyer. No jury sits at this level. Fines, probation, DUI school, treatment, diversion or a suspended sentence are common.

Penalty ceilings in Marengo County misdemeanor cases

  • Class A (Class D theft, DUI and similar): 12 months and $6,000 at most
  • Class B, such as menacing: 6 months, $3,000
  • Class C: 3 months, $500
  • Violations, such as public intoxication: 30 days, $200

Within 14 days, a Marengo defendant can take the verdict to Circuit Court for a new trial.

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Marengo felonies: drug possession, Class B receiving stolen property, credit card fraud

Someone charged with a Marengo County felony sees a District Court judge soon after booking at the Marengo County Detention Center. The judge reviews bond and decides on appointed counsel.

Felony stages

  1. Preliminary hearing in District Court when demanded within 30 days and no indictment has yet been returned
  2. Grand jury presentation in Linden by 17th Circuit prosecutors, or a waiver allowing a plea on an information
  3. Arraignment in Circuit Court, then discovery and motions
  4. Negotiated plea, jury trial or dismissal, followed by sentencing

Possession of a controlled substance and fraudulent use of a credit card are Class D felonies, 1 year and 1 day to 5 years. First-degree receiving stolen property, which covers property worth more than $2,500 or any vehicle, is Class B, 2 to 20 years. Presumptive standards often recommend probation for nonviolent C and D offenses; the Habitual Felony Offender Act lengthens terms for repeat felons. Defendants under 21 at the time may seek youthful offender status, keeping the case confidential with a three-year cap.

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Marengo violent felonies: Class C assault, robbery in the first degree, capital murder

Capital murder is the one Alabama charge where bail can be refused outright on strong proof. Aniah's Law lets the 17th Circuit prosecutor seek a Linden detention hearing for murder, robbery in the first degree and the other listed crimes, and Amendment 1 (May 19, 2026) brought attempted murder and gunfire at a Marengo house or car with people inside under it; the judge then weighs whether any release terms would be safe.

Second-degree assault is Class C, up to 10 years. First-degree robbery is Class A, 10 to 99 years or life, with at least 20 years when a firearm is used. A Marengo capital murder conviction carries death or life with parole barred.

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Juveniles (under 18) arrested in Marengo County

A judge sitting as Marengo County's juvenile court handles delinquency cases in Linden in hearings closed to the public. Probation intake may settle smaller complaints without a petition.

Marengo has no juvenile lockup, so a held teen goes to a center in another county; juvenile probation, (334) 295-5541, can say where a child went. Within 72 hours of placement, a judge must hold a detention hearing. Juvenile court rarely uses money bond; release to a parent under conditions is the norm. A lawyer is appointed when the family can't afford one.

A Marengo youth case may end in informal adjustment, probation or Department of Youth Services custody. Marengo teens aged 16 or 17 facing capital charges, Class A felonies, trafficking, or felonies involving a deadly weapon, death or serious injury are automatically tried as adults, and the DA may ask to move other Marengo youths 14 and up to adult court.

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

Marengo County is assigned to the Northern (Selma) Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. The Selma courthouse at 908 Alabama Avenue is used during court terms but has no full-time staff; the clerk's office in Mobile, 155 Saint Joseph Street, (251) 690-2371, manages these cases.

A magistrate judge presides over the initial appearance. Bail is governed by the Bail Reform Act, and a detention hearing follows if prosecutors seek custody. A Marshals Service detainee held in a contract jail may appear on that jail's roster. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator tracks sentenced prisoners.

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Marengo County courthouse, jail and city court numbers

Marengo County's state courts meet in the Linden courthouse; the two city courts sit in Demopolis and Linden:

The Marengo County bail guide covers each payment window; ranges are in the Alabama Rule 7.2 bail schedule (https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr7_2.pdf).

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Marengo County federal cases

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama hears federal charges from Marengo County:

  • Clerk: the federal courthouse in Selma, 908 Alabama Avenue, Selma, AL 36701 (clerk work is in Mobile), 251-690-2371
  • U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 155 St. Joseph Street, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-499-6620

A magistrate judge rules on custody for a Linden-area defendant, and the Marshals choose the jail.

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Finding a Marengo County prisoner

Our Marengo County inmate page lists more.

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ICE detainers on Dunn Street

An ICE detainer at the Linden jail asks for two working days at most after a Marengo County release.

  • 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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Marengo County warrant and docket searches

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Marengo procedures and numbers change, so read this summary as background. A licensed Alabama defense lawyer can advise on a specific Linden or Demopolis charge. For a court-appointed lawyer in Marengo, phone the Linden clerk at (334) 295-2224. For custody and bond information, call the detention center at (334) 295-2257.

Marengo County dockets move, so call the circuit clerk at 334-295-2224 or the right city court before driving to Linden or Demopolis, and ask the detention center at 334-295-2257 whether the person is still on Dunn Street.

Courts

DEMOPOLIS COURT CLERK
301 E WASHINGTON ST
DEMOPOLIS AL, 36732
334-289-5933
LINDEN CITY MUNICIPAL COURT
211 N MAIN ST
LINDEN AL, 36748
334-295-4333

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Marengo County

Human-verified information Manually curated

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.