Greene County Detention Center Criminal Court Process
Criminal Court Process for Greene County Arkansas
Criminal Court in Greene County: Paragould’s Courts From Arrest to Verdict
Greene County, in the northeast corner of Arkansas along Crowley’s Ridge, is part of the large 2nd Judicial Circuit, which also covers Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Mississippi and Poinsett counties. Several of the circuit’s twelve judges have chambers in Paragould. Felonies, juvenile matters and district court appeals go to the Greene County Circuit Court at the Greene County Courthouse, 320 West Court Street, Paragould, AR 72450. For criminal filings and docket information, contact the Circuit Clerk at (870) 239-6330. See also our bail guide.
Misdemeanors, traffic citations, first appearances and felony bond hearings are handled by the Greene County District Court, which occupies Room 227 of the same courthouse at 320 West Court Street; call (870) 239-7507. A Marmaduke department serves the northern end of the county, (870) 597-2753. The elected Prosecuting Attorney for the 2nd Judicial District runs the six-county office from the Paragould courthouse, (870) 232-7021, and a Greene County office at 414 West Court Street, (870) 239-9581, handles local cases. Appointed lawyers are public defenders paid by the Arkansas Public Defender Commission, a state agency; the circuit clerk can tell you how to request one.
Federal crimes from Greene County belong to the Northern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and those cases are heard 20 miles away in Jonesboro at the federal courthouse on 615 South Main Street in Jonesboro (AR 72401); the clerk’s office (Room 312) is at (870) 972-4610. Two separate systems of criminal law apply here. The Arkansas Code covers nearly all local cases, including theft, domestic battery, burglary and DWI, which the 2nd District prosecutor charges in Paragould. United States law covers offenses Congress has made federal: drug distribution networks that reach into Missouri or Tennessee, robbery of an FDIC-insured bank, fraud against Social Security or Medicaid, illegal gun possession by a felon, and online child exploitation. Federal agencies investigate those, and the U.S. Attorney’s office prosecutes. Arkansas has no reservation lands, so there are no tribal courts to consider. Choose a section below.
- Greene County misdemeanors, such as a first DWI, simple battery, trespass or smaller thefts
- Felony offenses in Paragould (burglary, felony-level theft, drug delivery, fourth-offense DWI)
- Serious violent felonies (capital or first-degree murder, rape, aggravated robbery)
- Greene County court locations
- How do I check on a warrant in Greene County?
- Greene County federal cases
- Finding a Greene County inmate
- Greene County and ICE detainers
1. Greene County misdemeanors, such as a first DWI, simple battery, trespass or smaller thefts
People arrested in Paragould or elsewhere in Greene County are booked into the Greene County Detention Center on North Rockingchair Road, though officers often issue a citation and release for lower-level offenses. Rule 8.1 requires that anyone held see a judge promptly. An arrest with no warrant calls for a judge's finding of probable cause in 48 hours. Bail is guaranteed by the state constitution for every offense except a capital charge with evident proof, and Rule 9.1 directs judges to consider non-financial release first. A licensed bondsman’s fee is generally 10% of the bond amount and is kept by the bondsman.
Theft of property worth $1,000 or less and third-degree battery are Class A misdemeanors, which can mean 12 months in the county jail and fines as large as $2,500. Lesser offenses fall into Class B (up to 90 days, $1,000) or Class C (up to 30 days, $500), and trespass is normally charged in one of those. For a first DWI, the separate DWI statute provides for 24 hours to a year in jail, with community service as an option, plus fines, a license suspension, an ignition interlock and a mandatory alcohol course. District court cases are bench trials. A defendant has 30 days to appeal a conviction to the Greene County Circuit Court, which hears the case anew and can empanel a jury.
Under 18: A misdemeanor charge against a minor skips district court and goes before the Paragould courthouse's juvenile judge. Adult court is closed to juvenile misdemeanor cases, per Ark. Code § 9-27-318. Intake officers and the court frequently use diversion agreements, community service and family counseling for first offenses, and some juvenile traffic matters go to district court. If a youth is held in detention, a detention hearing must take place, generally within 72 hours.
2. Felony offenses in Paragould (burglary, felony-level theft, drug delivery, fourth-offense DWI)
A felony arrest in Greene County leads first to the district court, where bond is set and probable cause is reviewed. The prosecutor’s office decides on charges and files a felony information in circuit court; Arkansas’s constitution permits charging by information, so a grand jury is the exception. One of the Paragould circuit judges arraigns the defendant, assigns a public defender to those who qualify and lays out the schedule. Arkansas courts are authorized to impose a public defender fee based on what a defendant can pay (Ark. Code § 16-87-213).
The felony class sets the possible prison term. Residential burglary is a Class B felony (5 to 20 years); commercial burglary is Class C (3 to 10 years). Theft rises to a Class D felony, punishable by up to 6 years, once property value passes $1,000, to Class C above $5,000 and to Class B at $25,000 or more. Delivery of controlled substances is graded by drug and quantity and can become a Class Y felony carrying 10 to 40 years or life. DWI is charged as a felony on the fourth offense in a 10-year period. Under Rule 28.1, trial generally must occur within 12 months, with time excluded for defense-caused delays. Circuit trials use 12 jurors, who also suggest the sentence. Even so, plea agreements, probation and the circuit’s drug court resolve many cases.
Under 18: Felony charges against a 16- or 17-year-old can go forward as a juvenile or as an adult; the prosecutor makes that call. A transfer hearing is available at either side’s request, and the judge considers the nature of the offense, the youth’s prior record, maturity and amenability to treatment, moving the case only on clear and convincing evidence. Juvenile court dispositions range from probation and restitution to commitment to the Division of Youth Services, and Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction allows a suspended adult sentence to be attached to the juvenile case.
3. Serious violent felonies (capital or first-degree murder, rape, aggravated robbery)
Violent felony prosecutions in Greene County proceed in circuit court like other felonies, but with much stricter release terms. Bail can be denied in a capital murder case when the proof is evident or the presumption of guilt is great, and high bonds with no-contact orders are standard in other violent cases. Two outcomes exist for a capital murder conviction in Arkansas: execution, or prison until death without parole. Rape, aggravated robbery and first-degree murder are Class Y felonies with 10 to 40 years or life. Second-degree murder is a Class A felony carrying 6 to 30 years.
For crimes on or after January 1, 2025, Act 659 of 2023, the Protect Arkansas Act, requires a sentence to be served in full when the crime is rape, aggravated robbery, capital murder or one of a handful of others, and those convicted of second-degree murder, manslaughter or first-degree sexual assault must serve at least 85%. Arkansas’s death row held 23 men as of April 2026. The last execution was in 2017, and the state approved nitrogen hypoxia as an additional method in 2025.
Victims in Greene County cases are protected by Arkansas’s victims’ rights statutes (Ark. Code § 16-90-1101 et seq.), which entitle victims to hearing notices, to speak before sentencing and to request restitution. The 2nd District prosecutor’s victim-witness staff assist victims. A violent felony set for trial can take a year or more to resolve.
Under 18: Adult charges against a 14- or 15-year-old are limited to listed serious felonies, including capital murder, first-degree murder, rape, kidnapping and aggravated robbery, while 16- and 17-year-olds may face adult charges for any felony. A transfer hearing can be sought in either direction. Minors can't receive the death penalty in Arkansas. A 2017 state law also did away with life without parole for crimes committed before 18, which makes parole possible for a juvenile capital murder conviction after 30 years. Cases that remain in juvenile court can end in commitment to the Division of Youth Services or in Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction lasting up to age 21.
4. Greene County court locations
Paragould's courthouse houses both state trial courts:
- Greene County Circuit Court: Greene County Courthouse, 320 West Court Street, Paragould, AR 72450, circuit clerk 870-239-6330
- Greene County District Court: 320 West Court Street, Room 227, Paragould, AR 72450, 870-239-7507
- District Court, Marmaduke department: 870-597-2753
- Prosecuting Attorney, 2nd District: courthouse office 870-232-7021; Greene County office 414 West Court Street, Paragould, AR 72450, 870-239-9581
- Public Defender, 2nd District: Jonesboro, 870-932-6226
Circuit judges try felonies and hear juvenile matters and appeals. Misdemeanors, tickets, first appearances and felony bond hearings go to district court.
5. How do I check on a warrant in Greene County?
The sheriff's office in Paragould serves warrants throughout the county; call 870-236-7612 to ask about a specific name. Arkansas maintains the public ARCourts case search, where circuit and district matters appear by name. The usual way to clear a warrant is to hire a lawyer who can arrange a surrender at the detention building on Rocking Chair Road and ask for bond before you arrive. Felony paperwork is handled by the Circuit Clerk at 870-239-6330. Bring identification and any citations you've received.
6. Greene County federal cases
Jonesboro hosts Greene County's federal cases. Cases are filed in the Northern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, at the federal courthouse in Jonesboro, 615 South Main Street, Jonesboro, AR 72401, 870-972-4610.
- The defendant learns the charges from a magistrate judge at the first hearing.
- Pretrial services gives the judge a background report.
- The government can request a detention hearing to oppose release.
- An indictment by a grand jury is required for a federal felony trial.
- The U.S. Marshals hold any federal defendant not released: U.S. Marshals Service, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-324-6256.
Prosecutors in Paragould and federal prosecutors can both bring charges from the same arrest. The two cases proceed independently.
7. Finding a Greene County inmate
- Greene County Detention Center: Greene County Inmate Search. Look up a last name to see charges and the arresting agency.
- VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Search Arkansas by name to see the holding facility. You can set up alerts for free.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/). Enter a register number or a name.
- Arkansas Division of Correction: Arkansas Division of Correction Inmate Search (https://apps.ark.org/inmate_info/). Search a name or ADC number for the state prison unit.
8. Greene County and ICE detainers
ICE can ask the Rockingchair Road jail, by detainer, to hold a person as long as 48 hours after release is due. That clock ignores weekends and holidays, and the state case keeps moving.
The ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360 oversees Arkansas, and northeast Arkansas detainees often end up in 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
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) with an A-number, or name and country of birth.
You're reading a broad sketch of how Greene County handles criminal cases. It is not legal advice. Someone with real charges should hire a defense attorney, and you may also ask the Greene County Circuit Clerk about a public defender at (870) 239-6330.
Before you travel to Paragould, call the circuit clerk at 870-239-6330 and check the felony date. You can verify misdemeanor and traffic dates at 870-239-7507.
