Conway County Jail Criminal Court Process

Last updated by Mark Miclette

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Conway County

Criminal Court Process for Conway County Arkansas

After an Arrest in Conway County: The Court Process

Conway County lies along the Arkansas River and Interstate 40 between Little Rock and Russellville, with Morrilton as its county seat. (The city named Conway is a different place, the seat of neighboring Faulkner County.) Felony prosecutions are heard by the Conway County Circuit Court in the Conway County Courthouse, 115 S. Moose Street, Morrilton, AR 72110, and the Circuit Clerk’s phone is (501) 354-9617. The county is part of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, which also covers Logan, Scott and Yell counties. Circuit court has authority over all felonies, operates a juvenile division, and rehears cases appealed from district court.

The Conway County District Court, 117 S. Moose Street, Room 304, Morrilton, AR 72110, (501) 354-9615, hears misdemeanor and traffic cases countywide, covering both the City of Morrilton and the county, with departments for Menifee, Oppelo and Plumerville as well. The elected Prosecuting Attorney for the Fifteenth Judicial District prosecutes felonies and state misdemeanors across the four counties. Defendants unable to pay a lawyer can be appointed one through the Fifteenth District public defender office, which operates with state funding from the Arkansas Public Defender Commission.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas handles federal cases from Conway County in its Central Division, which sits at the federal courthouse in Little Rock. Filings go through the clerk at 600 W. Capitol Avenue, Room A-149, (501) 604-5351. Whether a case is state or federal depends on which government’s law the conduct violates. Breaking an Arkansas statute makes it a state matter for the Fifteenth District prosecutor in Morrilton. Federal charges arise under laws enacted by Congress and usually involve conduct reaching beyond Arkansas or affecting federal interests, such as narcotics carried along I-40, firearms offenses by prohibited people, counterfeit currency, cheating Medicare or an insured bank, and crimes at Corps of Engineers lock and dam sites along the Arkansas River. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Little Rock prosecutes those cases.

Select the category of charge below to read about the usual process.

Morrilton misdemeanor cases: minor theft, first-time DWI, battery, trespass

Officers from the Morrilton Police Department, the Conway County Sheriff’s Office and the Arkansas State Police all bring misdemeanor cases to the district court on Moose Street. A ticket or summons is common for minor charges, and anyone arrested is booked into the jail on Southern Valley Drive. Rule 8.1 requires a prompt trip before a judge for anyone in jail, and the Arkansas rules lean toward release on recognizance when it will reasonably assure the person’s return. Licensed professional bail bond companies can post money bonds when a judge sets one.

Arkansas misdemeanor penalties are depend on class, topping out at a year and $2,500 for Class A; Class B, 90 days and $1,000; Class C, 30 days and $500. Theft of property worth $1,000 or less and third-degree battery are both Class A offenses, and criminal trespass is either Class B or Class C. The penalty for a first DWI includes 24 hours to one year in jail, a fine from $150 to $1,000 and a suspended license, with an ignition interlock generally required to drive on a restricted basis.

Trials in district court are decided by the judge. If convicted, a defendant has 30 days to appeal to the Conway County Circuit Court, which will hear the whole case again and allow a jury. The great majority of Morrilton cases never get that far and are settled by plea, often with fines, probation, community service or a driver’s education or alcohol program.

A youth under 18 accused of a misdemeanor in Conway County usually goes to circuit court's juvenile division, not to the district judge. Prosecutors and juvenile officers frequently use diversion agreements for first offenses, letting the young person avoid a formal finding by meeting conditions such as restitution, school attendance or counseling. Traffic offenses by teenage drivers can still go through district court.

↑ Back to the top

Felony charges in Conway County: burglary, felony theft, drug delivery, felony DWI

Arkansas law gives a judge 48 hours to decide whether reasonable cause supports a felony arrest made without a warrant. The first appearance addresses bond, the formal charge and representation. To qualify for a public defender, a defendant fills out a sworn statement of finances, and the judge may require those with some income to contribute to the cost of their appointed lawyer.

Felony charges in Conway County are almost always filed by the prosecuting attorney as an information in circuit court, without a grand jury. The defendant is then arraigned, discovery is exchanged, and the parties negotiate while motions are heard. Rule 28.1 of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure requires trial within 12 months, although continuances requested by the defense and certain other periods are excluded. Felony trials use a jury of 12, and in Arkansas jurors who return a guilty verdict generally decide the sentence too.

Felony classes set the sentencing ranges. Class Y covers 10 to 40 years or life; Class A, 6 to 30 years; Class B, 5 to 20; Class C, 3 to 10; and Class D, a maximum of 6. Burglary of a residence is a Class B felony, and breaking into a business is Class C. Theft becomes a felony when the property is valued at more than $1,000. Penalties for delivering drugs rise with the substance and the weight involved, and a DWI turns into a felony at the fourth conviction within ten years. Plea bargaining settles most Conway County felony cases, which may include probation, a suspended sentence or a prison term.

For a 16- or 17-year-old, the prosecutor may file any felony in the juvenile division or in adult court. A transfer motion may come from either side, and the judge decides after considering the offense, the young person’s record, how mature they are, and the odds that youth programs would help. A juvenile kept in detention must receive a hearing within 72 hours. Cases that stay in juvenile court can end with probation, treatment or commitment to the Division of Youth Services, and Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction allows the court to supervise a serious offender until 21 with an adult sentence available as a backstop.

↑ Back to the top

Serious violence in Conway County: capital murder, murder, rape, aggravated robbery

Violent felonies move through circuit court like other felony cases, though the stakes are far higher. Under Article 2, Section 8 of the Arkansas Constitution, everyone is entitled to bail unless charged with a capital offense where the proof is evident or the presumption of guilt great. A defendant charged with capital murder can therefore be denied release entirely.

Rape, aggravated robbery and first-degree murder fall in Class Y, which starts at 10 years. For capital murder, Arkansas law offers just two sentences: execution or life behind bars with no parole. Act 659 of 2023, known as the Protect Arkansas Act, covers crimes committed on or after January 1, 2025: people sent to prison for capital murder, rape or aggravated robbery get no early release, and second-degree murder requires at least 85% served. The state had 23 men under death sentences in April 2026, its last execution took place in 2017, and lawmakers added nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method in 2025.

Arkansas’s victims’ rights law, beginning at Ark. Code 16-90-1101, gives victims in Conway County the right to notification of court events, to talk with the prosecutor ahead of any plea deal, and to address the judge before sentence. The Fifteenth District prosecutor’s victim-witness coordinator assists with those rights and with restitution and compensation claims.

A 14- or 15-year-old accused of capital murder, first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, rape, first-degree battery or a terroristic act can be charged in adult court from the start. After a hearing, the judge may still send the case to juvenile court or treat it as an Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction matter. A person under 18 at the time of the crime cannot face execution, and the 2017 Fair Sentencing of Minors Act gives juveniles convicted of capital murder a chance at parole after 30 years.

↑ Back to the top

Morrilton courthouse addresses and phones

Conway County criminal cases are heard in these courts:

  • Conway County Circuit Court: Conway County Courthouse, 115 S. Moose Street, Room 206, Morrilton, AR 72110, 501-354-9617
  • District Court, Morrilton Department: 117 S. Moose Street, Room 304, Morrilton, AR 72110, 501-354-9615
  • District Court, Plumerville Department: 501-354-6400
  • District Court, Oppelo Department: 8 Municipal Drive, Oppelo, 501-354-2454
  • District Court, Menifee Department: 501-354-9763, ext. 402

Circuit court on Moose Street tries every felony, sits as juvenile court and also reviews district court appeals. District court handles misdemeanors and traffic for Morrilton and the rest of the county.

↑ Back to the top

Conway County charges in federal court

Crimes like trafficking drugs on Interstate 40, illegal gun possession by a felon or defrauding a federal program go to the Central Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, at the federal courthouse in Little Rock, 500 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-604-5351.

  • A magistrate judge presides at the initial appearance.
  • Pretrial Services hands the court a background report.
  • Prosecutors seeking detention must argue for it at a hearing.
  • Before a felony trial, a grand jury has to return an indictment.
  • The U.S. Marshals hold people charged federally: U.S. Marshals Service, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-324-6256.

The same Conway County arrest can result in a state case and a federal case, each moving on its own.

↑ Back to the top

Finding a Conway County inmate

↑ Back to the top

ICE detainers on Conway County prisoners

An ICE detainer asks the Morrilton jail to keep a person for as many as 48 hours past release, weekends and holidays included. The local charges continue.

Arkansas is under the ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360, and detainees often go to Louisiana:

  • LaSalle ICE Processing Center: 830 Pinehill Road, Jena, LA 71342 · 318-992-1600
  • Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center: 1133 Hampton Dupre Road, Pine Prairie, LA 70576 · 337-599-2400

The ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) works with an A-number, or full name and country of birth.

↑ Back to the top

What appears here describes Conway County criminal court in broad strokes, as background rather than legal advice. Defendants may hire a defense attorney or reach the Conway County Circuit Clerk at (501) 354-9617 about requesting a public defender.

Felony dates can be confirmed with the circuit clerk in Morrilton at 501-354-9617. District court dates come from the Morrilton clerk at 501-354-9615, Plumerville at 501-354-6400, Oppelo at 501-354-2454 or Menifee at 501-354-9763, ext. 402.

Courts

MENIFEE CITY COURT
68 N MUSTANG ST
MENIFEE AR, 72107
501-354-9763
CONWAY COUNTY COURTHOUSE
118 S MOOSE ST
MORRILTON AR, 72110
501-354-9621

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Conway 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.