White County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds
White County bail and bond: working through the Searcy system
Adults arrested in White County are booked into the White County Detention Center, 1600 East Booth Road, Searcy, in the Law Enforcement Center at the edge of town. The jail answers 501-278-8050 at any hour. The sheriff's office is in Suite 100 of the same building, 501-279-6279. The sheriff says the jail can hold about 380 people. This page covers the bail questions families ask first. Begin with White County Inmate Search.
How fresh is the online roster?
The sheriff describes it as a list of current, new and released inmates, and a fresh arrest may not show right away. If you have waited and still see nothing, phone 501-278-8050. Ask for the inmate ID number as well, because you will need it for money and visits.
Which questions belong in that first call to Booth Road?
Get the bond figure for every charge, learn if another agency has placed a hold, and find out which window accepts payment and during what hours. Know the full name and birthday of the person in custody, and note who told you what. If you reach the sheriff's office at 501-279-6279 instead, ask for a transfer to the detention center desk.
Does White County bond go to the jail or the courthouse?
It depends on the charge and the order. The circuit clerk, at the White County Courthouse, 300 North Spruce, 501-279-6203, can help with money held by the court during business hours. Do not drive until you know which one applies.
What payment does the Searcy jail accept?
Confirm with the desk; payment by cash or a money order is typical, and some desks also take a cashier's check. Never mail a personal check. Bring an ID card and hold on to the receipt with your name and the booking number on it.
Can I pay on a weekend?
The jail never closes, but the circuit clerk works weekday business hours only. A bond that must go through the clerk therefore waits until Monday. Ask the jail, 501-278-8050, whether a night or weekend shift takes the bond in question. A bonding company often works after hours because it files its own paperwork with the jail.
How does a judge choose the number?
Rule 9.2 points the judge to the charge, past court attendance, record, job, family, and any danger to others. Under Rule 8.1 the first appearance cannot be put off without reason, which usually means a few days at most. Release on a signed promise to appear is possible too, sometimes with Rule 9.3 conditions attached.
How can a federal or state hold matter?
Paying a White County bond frees the person only from that case. A hold from the U.S. Marshals, a probation or parole office, or another county keeps the person in custody. Ask the desk to read out every hold before you pay.
What do White County bonding companies charge?
Arkansas Code 17-19-301 sets ten percent, rounded up to the nearest five dollars, with a minimum of $50. A $15,000 bond costs $1,500. Nothing is returned. Use only a licensed agent.
Can I put up White County property rather than cash?
Sometimes. The judge has to sign off, and the property needs a clean title with more equity than the bond amount. Every owner must sign, and the deed plus a recent tax assessment should come along. Whether land in another county works is up to the judge. Ask the circuit clerk's office, 501-279-6203, before paying for any paperwork.
Is a White County "no bond" entry final?
Often not. Bail may be refused solely in capital cases with strong proof, under article 2, section 8 of the Arkansas Constitution. That label often just means no amount has been set so far, or that a parole, probation or other-county warrant is keeping the person. A lawyer can request a hearing on it. Ask the jail desk, then the clerk, which applies.
Which White County court hears the case?
Misdemeanors start in White County District Court, which sits in several towns. The Searcy court is in the Law Enforcement Center, 1600 East Booth Road, Suite 600, phone 501-268-7622. Felonies go to White County Circuit Court in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, at the courthouse on Spruce Street.
How does White County appoint a lawyer?
The judge appoints one at first appearance if the person cannot afford counsel, so the person should say so and fill out the income form. The circuit clerk, 501-279-6203, can tell you who covers the case. Pay stubs and proof of a White County address help.
Did Searcy city officers make the arrest, and does it matter?
Adults arrested by Searcy officers go to the county detention center, and the same bond steps apply. If a different town's officers made the arrest, call that department to find out where they took your person.
What if the White County prisoner is a child?
Children are not held at Booth Road. The juvenile division of circuit court decides where a youth waits, and cash bail is not used. The circuit clerk keeps juvenile records, 501-279-6203, and can connect you with juvenile staff. Youth case records are not public.
Why does the inmate account matter?
It does not pay a bond, but a funded account is how the person buys phone time and store items while waiting. The sheriff's page lists a deposit kiosk in the jail lobby along with online options. Money paid there is not credited to bail, and deposits to the wrong place are hard to recover.
What happens if White County court is missed?
Expect a warrant and a forfeiture proceeding. In district court, Arkansas Code 16-84-201 lets the court summon the surety, with about 120 days after notice before forfeiture. Cash is gone. The bondsman will chase the missing defendant and can bill the co-signer. Contact the lawyer and the clerk, 501-279-6203, right away.
How does the White County clerk return a cash bond?
When the case ends, the clerk returns the deposit to the name on the receipt, less fines, costs, and restitution. Nothing a bondsman collects is given back. Save the receipt, which is the only proof of who paid.
What if a stranger phones about White County bail?
A Booth Road deputy would never tell you to buy gift cards or wire funds. End that call and dial the Searcy jail at 501-278-8050. Real staff will tell you whether your relative is held.
Which Searcy offices handle a White County arrest?
The jail and the courts that matter most are all in Searcy:
- White County Detention Center and Sheriff's Office: 1600 East Booth Road, Suite 100, Searcy, AR 72143 · jail 501-278-8050 · office 501-279-6279
- Circuit Court and Circuit Clerk: White County Courthouse, 300 North Spruce Street, Searcy, AR 72143 · 501-279-6203
- District Court, Searcy department: 1600 East Booth Road, Suite 600, Searcy, AR 72143 · 501-268-7622
- District Court, Beebe department: 201 West Illinois Street, Beebe, AR 72012 · 501-882-8110
The https://correctionsrecordssearch.com/whitecountyar roster is the quickest way to see if someone is on Booth Road. For more on intake, holds and release dates, read our White County inmates page. When the bond part is behind you, our guide to jail calls from Searcy and our page on messaging an inmate explain how to keep in contact.
Our cousin from White County was charged federally. What comes next?
Booth Road cannot set or take a federal bond. White County sits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Central Division, at the federal courthouse in Little Rock, 500 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-604-5351. A typical case moves like this:
- An indictment or a criminal complaint gets things started.
- A magistrate judge presides over the first hearing.
- A pretrial services officer looks into work, housing and criminal history.
- Federal prosecutors tell the court if they want him kept in custody.
- Release comes with written terms he has to obey.
Until a judge releases him, he is a U.S. Marshals prisoner: U.S. Marshals Service, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-324-6256.
What if ICE files a hold at the Searcy jail?
A detainer under 8 CFR 287.7 can request up to 48 hours of added custody past the release time, weekends and holidays included. It is up to each Arkansas sheriff to honor one or not, and the White County case keeps moving.
Arkansas is served by the ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. People held by ICE from central Arkansas often go to Louisiana facilities, for example:
- 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
Searching the ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) works best with an A-number, though a name and home country can be enough.
Booth Road's roster doesn't list my relative. What should I try?
Your relative might be free, still in intake, or held by a different agency. Look here too:
- White County Detention Center: White County Inmate Search. Charges and bond are on each entry.
- VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). With Arkansas chosen, one search reaches every county, and alerts are free.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/). Covers sentenced federal prisoners; people still awaiting trial may be absent, so contact the Marshals at 501-324-6256.
- Arkansas Division of Correction: Arkansas Division of Correction Inmate Search (https://apps.ark.org/inmate_info/). Find a state prisoner by name or number.
What Searcy phone numbers give bond amounts and hearing dates?
Phone ahead before driving to Searcy. The jail at 501-278-8050 answers at any hour about custody and bond. The Searcy district court, 501-268-7622, and the Beebe department, 501-882-8110, handle misdemeanor dates. For felony or juvenile settings, the circuit clerk answers at 501-279-6203.
White County bond contacts
- County jail: White County Detention Center, 1600 East Booth Road, Searcy, AR 72143; 501-278-8050
- Bond guide: How bond works on Booth Road
- Sheriff: 1600 East Booth Road, Suite 100; 501-279-6279
- Circuit clerk: White County Courthouse, 300 North Spruce, Searcy, AR 72143; 501-279-6203
- District court: Searcy, 1600 East Booth Road, Suite 600, Searcy, AR 72143; 501-268-7622
- Juvenile: Circuit clerk, juvenile division records, 501-279-6203
Phone numbers and procedures can change, so call the jail or clerk to double-check first. None of this counts as legal advice; it is general background.
White County Detention Center
Address:
1600 East Booth
Searcy, AR 72143
Phone:
501-278-8050
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in White County
What kind of bonds are accepted in White County?
Who can set bail in White County?
When is bail set in White County Arkansas?
Does White County have bail?
Yes, Arkansas is a bail state and White County allows bail.
What kind of bonds are accepted in White County?
White County recognizes most types of bonds. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest. The judge in Arkansas considers one of the following bonds:
1. An unsecured bond in an amount set by the judicial officer.
2. An unsecured bond with 10% cash or securities valued at 10% of the bail amount. 90% of the 10% will be returned at the end of the proceedings as long as the conditions have been met.
3. Secured bond by cash or property from the defendant family or a qualified bond agent.
Who can set bail in White County?
A sheriff or police officer is authorized to set bail during the time of the arrest. If held in a city jail, a police officer can accept bail and a sheriff can accept bail in a county jail. In the higher courts, the judge sets bail at the initial appearance.
It is the law in Arkansas that the judicial officer can only set money bail if it is determined that no other conditions will guarantee that the defendant will appear in court.
Who can set bail in White County?
Bail can be sent by the arresting officer at the time of booking and if the offence was a misdemeanor the bail is immediately paid, the date for the initial appearance before a judge will be made.
What is Bail?
Bail is what the arrested in White County must pay or do to stay out of jail until the first court appearance.
The agreement to bail acts as a promise that the arrested will return to court for court dates and trial. Bail usually refers to a dollar amount, but bail can also mean something that has to be done, or a condition such as reporting to an officer of the court, a curfew, restraining orders or attending a treatment program.
Bail is usually a significant enough amount of money and/or condition that the person will be negatively impacted and has incentive to return to court and not flee. A flight risk usually means that the person would flee the area, and not necessary that they are going to take an airplane.
If a judge in White County feels that the arrested will return to court for further proceedings, the arrested could be released under a conditional release without needing to pay bail money. This is called Released on Own Recognizance, or ROR.
Conditions for ROR might be to obey all court orders and laws, maintain contact with the lawyer, report changes in residence or have no contact with the victim. Family support will show the court that there are people who will make sure that the defendant makes it to court.
If the judge or bail schedule determines that the defendant would be a danger to the public if they were released, bail can be denied, and the person will be detained in the White County Detention Center until the case is resolved or goes to trial.
Bail can be denied if the defendant did not comply with bail conditions from a previous arrest. Bail is usually denied in cases of violent offenses.
What is the difference between Bail and Bond?
Bail and bond are used interchangeably to mean the same thing but technically, they are different.
The bail is the amount to be paid and a bond is a signed document promising payment of the bail amount with certain conditions.
Think of a bond as a loan to pay for the bail.
The bond payment is always written to the court in your municipality, White County or district directly and does not go through the defendant. Chances of obtaining a bond from a bond company or clerk of court are better if family is involved.
The thought of being in jail can cause the arrested to panic and try to secure a bond immediately.
DO NOT panic and take the time to understand all the options.
More courts are now trying to work with defendants to make bail work and might provide non-monetary options or even reduce the bail.
Payments to a bond company are not refundable. It is a long process to get back property title or money that was given to the clerk of court or bondsperson to secure the bond. This could put your loved ones into a difficult financial situation.
Another reason not to unnecessarily rush into securing a bond is that if the court notes that you came up with the money to pay a bond company, they may assume you have resources to pay a defense attorney and decline public defense.
On the other hand, as anyone who has ever been involved in their criminal defense understands, fighting your case while ‘out on the streets’ gives you a much better chance of either winning, or getting a more favorable sentence.
What are the different types of bonds in White County?
Based on a review of information from the arrest, the judge or bail officer will determine and notify the accused of which types of bonds are available to them.
To describe the types of bonds, let’s use an example of buying your neighbor’s car. Your neighbor decides the price of the car and how they would be paid. Similarly, the court (meaning a police or bail officer, clerk of court, bail magistrate or judge) determines the bail amount and how it would be paid. Here are different options that the seller of the car or the court might consider:
You could pay full asking price for the car in cash. This is similar to paying cash bail. The full amount of bail would be paid to the town or county clerk or at the jail. Cash, cashier’s checks and credit cards are usually accepted.
You could sign an agreement on your own or with another person to pay for the car at a future date knowing that your neighbor would know where to find you if you stopped payment. This would be similar to a cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond which are bonds to where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible for making sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up.
Surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
You can put a deposit down for your neighbor’s car and sign an agreement that the car will be paid off at a later date. Cash percentage in lieu of bonds is when the defendant pays a percentage of the bail amount, usually 10%, to the court which then holds the money until the case is over.
The amount is returned to the person who paid the 10% after the case is over. In most cases, the full amount is not returned if there are court fees or fines due. This is a type of surety bond if another person signs the bond paperwork.
You could sign an agreement that if the car were not paid off, that your neighbor would get your house or something of value.
A property bond is a bond that the courts might consider in which the bond is pledged in land or home real estate (mobile homes are not accepted).
Usually, the property must be in the same state as the courts, and it must be worth at least 1 ½ - 2 times the amount of the bond.
There are multiple court fees involved to execute a property bond with the courts and a tedious process to get the property deed back. This is another type of surety bond if another person or a bond company is used to secure the bond.
You could also go to a local bank and take out a car loan offering property or anything of value for collateral. You may get someone to co-sign on the loan and offer their property. The bank charges fees, interest and could keep your property if you did not pay the loan back, or even on time.
A professional bondsperson makes money, at least 10% of the bond amount by providing you with a “loan” called a bond. The percent that they charge is fixed by the state and cannot be negotiated. The defendant or surety does not get that 10% or more back even if the terms of the bail are met.
With a property bond, the property deed would need to be signed over to the bondsperson and everyone on the deed would need to be involved.
Since the bondsperson signed off, to be responsible that you show to court as your surety, they can send a bounty hunter to bring you to court if you flee. A bondsperson does not have to give you a bond if the defendant seems to be too much of a risk.
Ask the bondsperson to explain all the costs: percentage, fees or court fees. There is never a reason to rush through signing the paperwork with a bond company. Make sure that everything told to you is in writing and that you understand what you are signing. Ask questions, and if you feel rushed or don’t understand the contract with the bond company, you might want to call another one.
(There have been phone scams where a bond company calls and informs a person that their family member has been arrested and they ask for financial information. A bondsperson will not call asking for money without involvement of the arrested.)
Does White County have bail?
Yes, Arkansas is a bail state and White County allows bail.
What kind of bonds are accepted in White County?
White County recognizes most types of bonds. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest. The judge in Arkansas considers one of the following bonds:
1. An unsecured bond in an amount set by the judicial officer.
2. An unsecured bond with 10% cash or securities valued at 10% of the bail amount. 90% of the 10% will be returned at the end of the proceedings as long as the conditions have been met.
3. Secured bond by cash or property from the defendant family or a qualified bond agent.
Who can set bail in White County?
A sheriff or police officer is authorized to set bail during the time of the arrest. If held in a city jail, a police officer can accept bail and a sheriff can accept bail in a county jail. In the higher courts, the judge sets bail at the initial appearance.
It is the law in Arkansas that the judicial officer can only set money bail if it is determined that no other conditions will guarantee that the defendant will appear in court.
When is bail set in Arkansas?
Bail can be sent by the arresting officer at the time of booking and if the offence was a misdemeanor the bail is immediately paid, the date for the initial appearance before a judge will be made.
Can I get the bail or bond reduced in White County Arkansas?
Yes, your attorney can also request a bond reduction if a judge already set the initial bail.
In White County Arkansas, who can pay bail for me?
The person posting bail should be a relative or close friend, called a surety, because they are promising and taking responsibility that you will return to court to get their money back.
A surety is not responsible for court fees or paying off personal debts for the defendant. A professional bondsperson who is approved by the State of Arkansas could be the surety and execute a bond to the court on your behalf.
Can bail be paid online in White County Arkansas?
Almost all counties in Arkansas accept online payments or payment by phone with an associated fee. It is important that you pay the correct officer or White County Clerk of Court and not pay a scammer.
What options are there to pay bail in White County Arkansas?
Cash is accepted in some counties and not others and it is dependent on the amount. Most all jails and courts accept cash, a cashier or bankers’ check. Some accept a credit card with fees. Please contact the jail for specific information on what methods of payment are accepted.
Go to the White County Detention Center for more information about posting bail in White County.
Will I get all my bond money back in Arkansas?
Bail money is returned to the person who paid the bail; in whole or in part once the case is finished.
There may be fees, restitution (money to pay for damage caused by the crime) or fines that come out of that amount including an $80 minimal fee imposed by the court.
If you used a bondsperson, you would not get your 10% back. Property is returned by the court or bondsperson after the appropriate requests and formal paperwork are completed with the court.
Can I get bail or a bond with no money down in White County?
The judge or officer who sets bail determines which kind of bail will be an option for you, but a cash bond and PR bonds usually do not require cash down, though you might have to pay court fees.
A cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond are bonds where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible to make sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up. A surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
What are the least expensive and affordable bail bonds in Arkansas?
All professional bond companies must collect a 10% fee before the defendant is released from jail and there non-refundable are court fees in addition. The court can provide you with a list of approved and licensed bond companies in White County.
If you have an attorney, it is a good idea to ask which has the best reputation or you can read reviews by others who have used them. It would be advisable to find out exactly how much they would charge, including extra costs.
You can call several bond companies and negotiate the best rate and conditions for you, although not all bond companies are obligated to execute a bond for you.