Sheridan Detention Center Criminal Court Process

Last updated by Mark Miclette

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Grant County

Criminal Court Process for Grant County Arkansas

Facing Charges in Grant County: A Guide to the Sheridan Courts

Grant County, a rural county of pine forest between Little Rock and Pine Bluff, shares the 7th Judicial Circuit with just one neighbor, Hot Spring County. One of the circuit’s two judges keeps an office in Sheridan, and criminal, juvenile and appeal cases are heard in the Grant County Circuit Court at the Grant County Courthouse, 101 West Center Street, Sheridan, AR 72150. The County and Circuit Clerk, whose office is in Room 106 on the same block, answers at (870) 942-2631.

The Grant County District Court, 101 West Pine Street, Sheridan, AR 72150, (870) 942-3464, handles misdemeanors and traffic cases, first appearances and the early bond and probable-cause stage of felonies. Its judge also presides over the Hot Spring County District Court in Malvern. The elected Prosecuting Attorney for the 7th Judicial District is headquartered in Malvern but keeps a Grant County office at 101 West Pine Street, Room 2, Sheridan; call (870) 942-7799. Defendants who cannot afford counsel are assigned public defenders funded through the Arkansas Public Defender Commission, the state agency that pays for indigent defense; the circuit clerk explains how to apply.

Federal offenses committed in Grant County go to Little Rock. Under 28 U.S.C. § 83, Grant is one of the counties in the Central Division of the Eastern District of Arkansas, and cases there are tried at the federal courthouse in Little Rock. Papers are filed to Room A149 at 600 West Capitol Avenue in Little Rock (AR 72201), and the clerk answers at (501) 604-5351. The question is which government wrote the law. Arkansas statutes define most crimes people encounter, from shoplifting and assault to manufacturing methamphetamine, and the 7th District prosecutor charges those in Sheridan. When conduct breaks a federal statute, like transporting drugs or guns across state lines for sale, robbing a federally insured bank or credit union, filing fraudulent claims with a federal agency, or exploiting children online, federal agents investigate and the U.S. Attorney prosecutes. Because Arkansas has no Indian reservations, tribal jurisdiction does not apply. Select a type of case below.

Misdemeanors before the Sheridan district judge (theft of $1,000 or less, first DWI, battery, trespass)

Grant County has no county jail; the lockup in Sheridan is the city-run Sheridan Detention Center on Gatzke Drive. Many misdemeanor suspects are never booked at all and instead receive a citation with a district court date. For anyone who is held, Rule 8.1 of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure requires a prompt first appearance, and a probable-cause ruling must follow a warrantless arrest within 48 hours. Under Article 2, Section 8 of the Arkansas Constitution, all charges are bailable except capital offenses with evident proof. Rule 9.1 asks judges to start with release on recognizance or conditions, and licensed bondsmen charge a 10% premium on surety bonds.

Grant County misdemeanors carry the same maximums as anywhere in Arkansas. Class A covers theft of property valued at $1,000 or less and third-degree battery, and the maximum is one year plus $2,500. Class B reaches 90 days and $1,000; Class C reaches 30 days and $500, and criminal trespass is commonly charged at one of these two lower levels. A first DWI is sentenced under its own statute: a minimum of 24 hours and maximum of one year in jail, or community service, plus fines, license suspension, an ignition interlock and alcohol education. The district judge hears the trial without a jury. A person convicted in district court has 30 days to appeal, and the case is heard over in circuit court, where a jury may be requested.

Under 18: A minor accused of a misdemeanor in Grant County has the case heard on the juvenile side of the Sheridan circuit court. State law keeps all misdemeanor-level juvenile conduct out of adult court (Ark. Code § 9-27-318), and judges and intake officers often resolve first offenses with diversion, community service, counseling or informal supervision. Certain traffic matters involving minors can be heard by the district judge. When a juvenile is held in a detention facility, the court must hold a detention hearing, generally within 72 hours.

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Felony charges in Grant County Circuit Court (burglary, felony theft, drug delivery, felony DWI)

In a Grant County felony case, the district judge usually conducts the first appearance and sets bond. The prosecutor’s Sheridan office then reviews the investigation and charges the felony by information in circuit court. Grand juries are seldom called in Arkansas, since the law doesn't require one. The circuit judge arraigns the defendant at the Center Street courthouse, assigns a public defender to a qualifying defendant, then schedules pretrial dates. The court may order a defendant who has some means to pay a public defender fee (Ark. Code § 16-87-213).

Arkansas felonies and their ranges:

  • Class Y, 10 to 40 years or life, which can include delivery of large drug quantities
  • Class A, 6 to 30 years
  • Class B, 5 to 20 years, such as residential burglary or theft of $25,000 or more
  • Class C, 3 to 10 years, such as commercial burglary or theft above $5,000
  • Class D, up to 6 years, such as theft above $1,000

A fourth DWI inside 10 years is charged as a felony. Rule 28.1 sets a general 12-month limit for bringing a case to trial, with periods of delay caused by the defense excluded. Circuit court juries have 12 members and recommend sentences after convictions. Most Grant County felonies resolve through negotiated pleas, and first-time offenders often receive probation or a suspended sentence.

Under 18: When a felony suspect is 16 or 17, the case may be filed in juvenile court or adult court, and Arkansas lets the prosecutor pick. A transfer hearing can be requested by the prosecution or defense, and the judge looks at factors including the offense’s seriousness, the youth’s background and maturity, and the prospects for rehabilitation, transferring only on clear and convincing evidence. Options in juvenile court range from probation, treatment and restitution to a Division of Youth Services commitment, and may use Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction so that an adult sentence waits in reserve behind the juvenile one.

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Capital murder, murder, rape and aggravated robbery prosecutions

The most serious cases in Grant County move through the same circuit court, but pretrial release is much harder to get. When capital murder is charged and the proof is evident, a judge can deny bail, and in other violent cases high bonds and strict conditions are typical. A capital murder conviction carries death or life imprisonment without parole. Class Y, the top felony class, includes first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and rape, punishable by 10 to 40 years or life; second-degree murder is a Class A felony with a 6-to-30-year range.

The Protect Arkansas Act (Act 659 of 2023) reshaped how much time is served for crimes committed from January 1, 2025: early release is gone for the worst crimes, capital murder, rape and aggravated robbery among them, and at least 85% for second-degree murder, manslaughter and first-degree sexual assault. In April 2026 there were 23 men on Arkansas’s death row. The state’s last execution took place in 2017; in 2025 the legislature made nitrogen hypoxia a lawful execution method; lethal injection remains available.

Victims are entitled under Ark. Code § 16-90-1101 and related sections to hear about court dates, address the judge at sentencing and seek restitution; a victim-witness coordinator with the 7th District prosecutor helps them. Expect a year or longer when a violent felony is tried in Sheridan.

Under 18: Prosecutors may charge 14- and 15-year-olds as adults only for listed violent or serious felonies, including capital murder, first-degree murder, rape, kidnapping and aggravated robbery; 16- and 17-year-olds can be charged as adults for any felony. A transfer hearing is available in either direction. Juveniles convicted in adult court face no death sentence, and a 2017 state sentencing law for minors means life without parole is unavailable for offenses committed under 18, with parole eligibility after 30 years for capital murder. In juvenile court, a youth may be committed to the Division of Youth Services or placed under Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction until as late as age 21.

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Grant County courts and offices

Sheridan holds all of Grant County's court offices:

  • Grant County Circuit Court: Grant County Courthouse, 101 West Center Street, Sheridan, AR 72150, county and circuit clerk (Room 106) 870-942-2631
  • Grant County District Court: 101 West Pine Street, Sheridan, AR 72150, 870-942-3464
  • Prosecuting Attorney, 7th District (Sheridan office): 101 West Pine Street, Room 2, Sheridan, AR 72150, 870-942-7799
  • Public Defender, 7th District: Malvern office, 501-337-0071

Circuit court's docket holds felony trials, juvenile matters and appeals coming up from district court. Traffic tickets, misdemeanors and a felony's first steps belong to district court.

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Federal charges out of Grant County

A Grant County case under federal law is heard in Little Rock. It goes to the Central Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, which sits at the federal courthouse in Little Rock, 500 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-604-5351.

  • Charges and rights are read to the defendant by a magistrate judge.
  • A pretrial services report covers the defendant's history.
  • If the prosecutor asks, a hearing on detention is held.
  • A grand jury must indict before a felony goes to trial.
  • Anyone held on federal charges is in U.S. Marshals custody: U.S. Marshals Service, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-324-6256.

One arrest can lead to both a Sheridan case and a federal case. They are separate, and each has its own court dates.

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Grant County inmate lookups

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ICE holds and Grant County arrests

Through a detainer, ICE may ask the Sheridan lockup to hold a person up to 48 hours after release would happen, with weekends and holidays counted. The county charges keep going either way.

The ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360 covers the state. People detained here are often transferred 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

Look for a detainee in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) with the A-number, or with name and country of birth.

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This is an outline of how a Grant County criminal case moves, not legal advice. Get advice on actual charges from a defense attorney, or call the Grant County Circuit Clerk at (870) 942-2631 about requesting a public defender.

For a felony court date, phone the circuit clerk in Sheridan at 870-942-2631 before you go. Misdemeanor and traffic dates are at district court, 870-942-3464.

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Grant 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.