Glenn County Jail Criminal Court Process

1. Glenn misdemeanors: shoplifting, a first DUI, simple battery, trespass

Being cited is far more common than being jailed for a misdemeanor in Glenn County. Sheriff’s deputies, Orland police and CHP officers typically issue a written notice to appear at the Willows courthouse and let the person go. For anyone who is booked into the Glenn County Jail in Willows and held, the law sets a 48-hour limit for getting in front of a judge, not counting Sundays or holidays. All charges are filed by the Glenn County District Attorney.

The first Willows hearing is the arraignment, where he hears the charges, most often pleads not guilty, and learns his release terms. Legal help for people who can’t afford it comes through the Glenn County Public Defender’s Office on West Sycamore Street, steps from the courthouse, and the state no longer bills anyone for appointed counsel. On lots of lesser Glenn charges the lawyer may appear in his place so the client doesn’t need to attend every hearing.

Many Glenn misdemeanors then end at a pretrial conference, through a deal, a lesser charge or a dropped case. A judge may also order misdemeanor diversion, dismissing the case after the person completes counseling, classes or other conditions, although DUI, domestic violence and offenses requiring sex-offender registration are excluded. A case that doesn’t settle is tried to a 12-person jury drawn from Glenn County residents. Defendants have the right to a trial within 30 days of arraignment if jailed or 45 days if released, yet Glenn defense lawyers commonly waive it to buy prep time.

The usual Glenn misdemeanor ceiling is six months behind bars plus a $1,000 fine for most misdemeanors, with some allowing up to a year, but probation, fines and programs are the norm. Expect a typical Glenn misdemeanor to close within weeks, or a couple of months at most.

↑ Back to the top

2. Glenn felony cases (break-ins, big thefts, dealing, DUI with injury)

Glenn felony cases begin with a complaint from the District Attorney, and anyone still locked up is arraigned at the Willows courthouse within 48 hours. The judge rules on bail or release at that hearing. Ever since the state's top court ruled in 2021 in In re Humphrey, a judge may not set bail without first considering whether the person can afford it. In 2026 the court went on to hold, in Kowalczyk, that Glenn bail must generally be attainable.

The court appoints the Public Defender at arraignment for any defendant who lacks the money to hire private counsel. When that office cannot ethically take him, perhaps because a codefendant is its client, it sends the case to a private lawyer the Willows judge picks.

Next comes the preliminary hearing, which must be held within 10 court days of arraignment unless the defendant waives time. At that preliminary hearing a Willows judge tests the DA's evidence before anything moves to trial. The District Attorney can instead seek a grand jury indictment, which bypasses the preliminary hearing. When the judge orders him to stand trial, prosecutors file a fresh charging document, the information, followed by a second arraignment, with trial due inside 60 days. Most people waive that clock, and most Glenn felonies close with a plea deal.

Once convicted, he is interviewed by Glenn probation for a written background report, with sentencing normally set inside 20 court days of the verdict. Thanks to the 2011 realignment law, lots of nonviolent felony time is spent in the Willows jail, not a state prison, and certain “wobbler” crimes can be reduced to misdemeanors. Glenn felonies tend to run several months; tangled ones stretch beyond twelve.

↑ Back to the top

3. Glenn's gravest charges: homicide, rape, gunpoint robbery

Glenn County sees few homicide trials, but when one happens it follows the standard felony sequence: arraignment, a preliminary hearing or indictment, then trial. Release is the major difference. For violent or sex-assault felonies, California's constitution permits a no-bail order when clear and convincing evidence shows release would likely lead to great bodily harm, so many of these defendants stay jailed for the whole case.

All three crimes count as strikes. Three Strikes sentencing doubles the term for someone with one prior strike and can mean 25 years to life with two. Violent felony convictions require serving no less than 85% of the sentence.

• Murder: 15 years to life in the second degree and 25 years to life in the first degree. Add a special circumstance, like killing someone during a robbery, and the sentence becomes life with no parole, or death. Seeking death is the DA's call alone, and a statewide pause has stopped executions since 2019.
• Armed robbery: the base term reaches nine years for the robbery count, before any gun add-ons. Firearm enhancements add 10 years for using a gun, 20 for firing it and 25 years to life if someone is badly hurt or killed, although judges may strike them under a law in effect since 2018.
• Rape: as much as eight years, longer with aggravating facts, and sex-offender registration in the highest tier.

In a death case, the defendant gets two specially qualified appointed lawyers. Under Marsy’s Law, a Glenn victim hears about each hearing, may address the judge at sentencing, and can seek repayment. Expect these Willows cases to need between one and three years, and a homicide past five.

↑ Back to the top

4. Glenn County Superior Court

• Glenn courthouse: 526 West Sycamore Street, Willows, CA 95988 · 530-934-6446

↑ Back to the top

Glenn County Superior Court takes CourtCall before some judges; CourtCall is a private business, and each appearance carries a fee. When a judge allows it, the party can open a registration and book, any fee waiver granted by the court applies, and the court frequently offers its own free video route.

5. Federal cases from Glenn County

Glenn's federal cases are heard by the Eastern District of California. Initial appearances are before a magistrate judge at Sacramento federal courthouse, 501 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, and some are held in Redding. Pretrial Services reports on release. A detention hearing can be delayed up to three days for prosecutors or five for the defense. Contract jails house detainees; contact U.S. Marshals Service, 501 I Street, Suite 5600, Sacramento, 916-930-2030.

↑ Back to the top

6. ICE detainers in Glenn County

In Willows, a detainer has no bearing on court dates or charges. SB 54 stops the jail from extra holding, and only qualifying serious or violent convictions allow release-date notice. The defense lawyer should be told about immigration status before any plea. The TRUTH Act requires notice before ICE interviews in jail. The San Francisco ICE field office, 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111, 415-365-8800 covers Glenn; detainees go to:

• Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center: 425 Golden State Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
• Golden State Annex: 611 Frontage Road, McFarland, CA 93250
• California City detention site: 22844 Virginia Boulevard, California City, CA 93505

↑ Back to the top

7. Searching after a Glenn arrest

• Glenn County Inmate Search: last and first name.
• VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): California, then name.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): register number or name; pretrial calls go to 916-930-2030.
• CDCR Inmate Locator (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/): CDCR number or name.
• ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number or name with country of birth; else call 415-365-8800.

↑ Back to the top

8. Who in Willows can tell me if I have a warrant?

Orland, Hamilton City and Artois warrants go out through the Sheriff's Office; ring (530) 934-6431 and a deputy can look a name up locally and across California. The Superior Court's case index shows whether a matter is still open. If one is active, you can surrender with an attorney at the Glenn County Jail, 141 South Lassen Street, or let counsel ask the judge to recall it. Once the warrant is handled, the clerk's office at 526 West Sycamore Street sets the new court date.

↑ Back to the top