Adult cases land in one of three places. Circuit Court is where felony trials, juries and appeals from the lower benches belong. District Court takes state misdemeanors, traffic citations and the early hearings in a felony. The city courts of Alexander City, Dadeville, Jackson's Gap and Tallassee hear ordinance charges brought by their own police.

Charges filed by deputies, troopers or game wardens start in District Court. Felonies typically begin there, then shift to Circuit Court once grand jurors hand up an indictment. Minors go before the juvenile judge. Your ticket or warrant names the court; if the wording confuses you, the Circuit Clerk at 125 North Broadnax Street, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-1098, can sort it out.

Most hearings happen at the Tallapoosa County Courthouse on Broadnax Street, 125 North Broadnax Street, Dadeville, AL 36853. Its Circuit Clerk office picks up at 256-825-1098 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Circuit and District judges also hold sessions in Alexander City, which means a state case might be docketed in either town.

For a case set in Alexander City, dial the clerk's office there at 256-234-4361 and confirm the building and courtroom before the day of court. Carry the case number and any notice that came in the mail. Clerk staff can explain the hearing type and the seating, yet they are not allowed to advise anyone about the charge itself.

Whichever city wrote the ticket keeps the case. Every town court runs its own calendar:

• Alexander City Municipal Court, Municipal Complex, 281 James D. Nabors Drive, Alexander City, AL 35010, 256-329-6750, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Alexander City sends no reminder by mail, so treat the ticket's printed date as final.
• Dadeville Municipal Court at City Hall, 265 North Broadnax Street, Dadeville, AL 36853, main city line 256-825-9242. Sessions fall on the second Wednesday monthly at 5:30 p.m., and fines may be paid by phone at 256-826-0560.
• Tallassee Municipal Court, 3 Freeman Avenue, Tallassee, AL 36078, 334-283-5425. The window opens 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, closing at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, and takes cash, money orders, Visa, Mastercard or debit.
• Jackson's Gap Municipal Court, by way of the town office, 256-825-9077.

Camp Hill, New Site, Daviston and Goldville cases: the Circuit Clerk will say which bench has them.

Soon after booking, a magistrate or judge reads the accusation aloud, reminds the defendant of the right to remain quiet and the right to counsel, and sets bond terms. Guilt is not decided at this point. Rule 4.3 caps the wait: 48 hours for a probable cause decision after an arrest made without a warrant, and 72 hours to see a judge for a person held on a warrant who still cannot meet release conditions.

Speak up then about needing a court-appointed lawyer when private fees are out of reach. For a felony filed on a complaint, the judge also mentions that a preliminary hearing can be requested. For the planned time, phone the jail at 316 Industrial Park Drive, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-1039.

Around Lake Martin, District Court and the city benches see plenty of boating under the influence, menacing, marijuana and reckless endangerment cases. Most follow this path:

1. An opening setting, where the defendant pleads and may request counsel.
2. A bench trial with no jurors, or a negotiated plea.
3. After a conviction, an appeal to Circuit Court for a jury, filed inside 14 days.

Because the lower courts never seat a jury, that two-week appeal window matters a great deal. Skipping a city court date leads to a warrant. For a state misdemeanor setting, ask the Circuit Clerk on Broadnax Street, 256-825-1098.

Alabama lists maximum penalties by class, and judges may impose less. Court costs and restitution can come on top:

• Class A, for example menacing or reckless endangerment: a year or less in jail, with fines capped at $6,000.
• Class B: half a year at most and up to $3,000.
• Class C: three months at most and up to $500.
• A first DUI: no more than a year, with a fine between $600 and $2,100.

Four DUI convictions inside 10 years turn the fourth into a Class C felony. Misdemeanor time is spent in the county lockup, not state prison. When jail is on the table, request appointed counsel at the opening setting, and save receipts for any fine paid.

The 5th Judicial Circuit moves a felony along these stages:

1. A preliminary hearing, if the defense asks, where a district judge checks the evidence. Under Rule 5.1, that demand is due within 30 days of arrest.
2. Grand jury review. Either an indictment or a waiver moves the file up to Circuit Court in Dadeville or Alexander City.
3. Arraignment, discovery and pretrial motions in front of a circuit judge.
4. A guilty plea, or trial before twelve jurors.

An indictment only says grand jurors saw enough evidence to go forward. Without bond, the defendant waits at Industrial Park Drive. Circuit criminal records are held by the clerk at 125 North Broadnax Street, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-1098.

General Alabama ranges by felony class:

• Class A: ten years at the low end, life at the high end, and fines reaching $60,000.
• Class B, first-degree theft for instance: from 2 up to 20 years, fines reaching $30,000.
• Class C, which covers third-degree burglary and second-degree theft: over one year and up to 10, fines reaching $15,000.
• Class D, which covers methamphetamine possession: over one year and up to 5, fines reaching $7,500.

Alabama's sentencing standards point many nonviolent C and D offenders toward supervision at home rather than prison. Prior felonies push the range higher through the Habitual Felony Offender Act. Someone who had not turned 21 at the time of the crime may seek youthful offender handling, which keeps records sealed and limits the term to three years.

Murder plus first-degree robbery, burglary and assault are all Class A felonies. A guilty verdict can mean a decade to life in prison, plus a fine reaching $60,000, with fixed minimum terms when a gun played a part. For capital murder, the only sentences are execution or life in prison without parole, and attorneys taking those cases must meet added state requirements.

Getting out before trial is tougher as well. Aniah's Law lets prosecutors seek a hearing that can end with no bail on listed charges, and voters on May 19, 2026 extended that to attempted murder and to shooting into an occupied dwelling, building or vehicle. Where bond is allowed, an ankle monitor may be ordered. Release rules are covered in depth on our Alabama bail laws page. Jail phone lines are recorded, so save case talk for counsel.

State prosecutions come from the 5th Judicial Circuit District Attorney, whose mail goes to P.O. Box 997, Alexander City, AL 35011 and whose office phone is 256-234-3741. That office represents Alabama, never the accused, so the defendant needs a lawyer of their own.

When hiring one is impossible, the defendant says so in court and completes a sworn statement of finances. State judges here then name an attorney from the local bar. Under Rule 6.3, eligibility can be revisited if finances change, and family help with bond money does not cancel the right. The Office of Indigent Defense Services, 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059, backs the program in Montgomery, though appointments themselves come only from a judge.

Calling the Dadeville clerk, 125 North Broadnax Street, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-1098, is usually quickest. Keep the defendant's birthday, complete name and case number handy, then request the next hearing date, room and purpose. Paper records may be read at the courthouse for free.

On the web, the clerk keeps a Tallapoosa court website with office details, while Alacourt Access searches trial court records across the state at $9.99 per name. Booking charges sometimes shift after the DA files formal charges. Records from juvenile court or youthful offender cases stay sealed unless a judge orders otherwise.

Tallapoosa deputies carry out county warrants, and their office sits at 316 Industrial Park Drive, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-4264. Staff can tell you whether papers are on file, and a defense lawyer can arrange a scheduled surrender at Industrial Park Drive, a far calmer option than being picked up at a roadside stop. The county clerk's court site and Alacourt Access may reveal a related case, yet a search result never cancels a warrant. After a missed state hearing, phone the Circuit Clerk at 125 North Broadnax Street, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-1098. Town warrants come from the Alexander City, Dadeville, Jackson's Gap or Tallassee court. The Secret Witness tip line is 256-827-2035.

A federal case from this county is docketed in the Eastern Division of Alabama's Middle District. Its courtroom building in Opelika, 701 Avenue A, Opelika, AL 36801, does not have clerk staff every day. Reach the clerk's office in Montgomery instead at 1 Church Street, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-954-3600.

Common federal cases here involve guns possessed by prohibited people, interstate drug trafficking, fraud and offenses on federal property. A magistrate judge presides at the first appearance and detention hearing, and no bond schedule is used. Pretrial housing is a U.S. Marshals decision: 1 Church Street, Suite A-100, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-922-6960. Following sentencing, look up the assigned federal prison on the Bureau of Prisons locator.

An immigration detainer and the state prosecution move separately. Through Form I-247A, ICE asks Dadeville jail staff for notice of release and a short extra hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. That paperwork is not a conviction, and it leaves the state charge in place, so every hearing still has to be attended.

Detainers in Alabama are issued through the New Orleans ICE field office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. If the person is moved, try the online detainee search with the A-number and native country. Before any plea, the defense attorney should consult an immigration lawyer, since certain convictions can change immigration status.

Juvenile matters go before a district judge. Juvenile probation, inside the courthouse at 125 North Broadnax Street, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-1045, runs intake, picks between release, informal adjustment or a petition, and lets parents know where a detained child is staying. If the child stays locked in detention, Ala. Code § 12-15-207 requires a judge to look at the case within 72 hours. Outcomes can include:

• Diversion, or an informal adjustment.
• Probation with conditions on school, counseling or paying back losses.
• Placement with the Department of Youth Services.

Section § 12-15-204 moves teens of 16 or 17 into adult court for capital crimes, Class A felonies, trafficking and some other grave felonies. For youths 14 or older, § 12-15-203 permits a hearing on transfer. Each child is entitled to counsel, at state expense when parents lack the money.

A term longer than twelve months usually means state prison. People often sit in Dadeville for weeks until ADOC can take them. The trip starts at a reception center. There, staff check health needs, mental health, gang ties and risk level, and then they pick a prison for the rest of the term.

Look the person up on the ADOC custody lookup by name; if you know the AIS, a six-digit prison ID, use that instead, checking birth details when several names match. Youthful offender cases are left out of that database. When the assignment comes through, our Alabama state prison pages list each prison's mailing address and visiting rules. Before the move, the jail at 316 Industrial Park Drive, Dadeville, AL 36853, 256-825-1039, confirms whether the person is still there.