Dolores County Jail

Dolores arrests are booked in Cortez, Montezuma County.

Start with Dolores County Inmate Search. If the name is missing, call the Dove Creek sheriff at 970-677-2257 and ask where the person was taken.

The Dolores County Sheriff's Office also provides police work for the Town of Dove Creek under a contract, so a Dove Creek arrest is a sheriff's office arrest. Get his case number and the jail that booked him.

It depends on the charge. Conditions can include no alcohol, no drugs and no new offenses, and nobody leaves until sober. Ask the jail at 970-564-4995 whether he qualifies.

The same order bars release until a judicial officer sets bond for class 1, 2, and 3 felonies, drug felonies 1, 2, and 3, any act of domestic violence, charges covered by the Victims' Rights Act, a third or later DUI or DWAI, violation of a protection order, resisting arrest, escape, and vehicular eluding. A person arrested on a warrant is released only on the bond the judge wrote in that warrant.

Ask the Cortez jail desk at 970-564-4995 which category the booking falls into.

Pay through the Montezuma County Detention Center. Montezuma County takes online bond payments by credit card through a link on its sheriff page. Cash must be the exact bond amount, because the jail cannot make change or break large bills. Payments are made out to Montezuma County, never to the person in jail.

The Dolores County Sheriff's website also links its own bond payment page. Call 970-564-4995 ahead of time to confirm where payment goes.

Under the county's posted rule, which cites C.R.S. 16-4-102, only the bond amount must be paid to get someone out. A $10 bond fee and a credit card fee of up to 3.5 percent can be collected later from the defendant if you did not pay them at bonding. No other bond fees may be charged, and nobody can be held in jail over them.

Montezuma County rules set a six-hour release deadline once the bond is set and ready to post, barring an extraordinary event. For online payments, the six hours begin when your payment is submitted. If it takes longer, the jail has to explain the delay to you.

Yes. Montezuma County says local bondsmen go to the detention center in person to bond someone out, and bondsmen from out of county or out of state should email the jail at mcsodetention@so.montezuma.co.us. Ask for every charge, collateral term and penalty in writing. State law says the charge cannot be more than 15 percent of the bail, or $50, whichever is more (C.R.S. 10-2-707).

In-state real estate can secure a Colorado bond. Free-and-clear equity must reach 1.5 times the bond, secured by a deed of trust (C.R.S. 16-4-104). Land elsewhere in Colorado can qualify, but out-of-state land does not. Call the court clerk at 970-677-2258 to learn how paperwork is filed here.

The state court directory lists the Dolores Combined Court at 409 N. Main, Dove Creek, CO 81324, phone 970-677-2258. The county belongs to the 22nd Judicial District with Montezuma County. County Court handles misdemeanors and first appearances, and District Court handles felonies.

Colorado gives the court 48 hours from his jail arrival, or sooner when practicable, to see him and enter a bond order (C.R.S. 16-4-102). Ask the jail for the hearing date.

The Colorado Constitution, article II, section 19, lets judges withhold bail in capital cases on evident proof or a great presumption, and for certain violent crimes in listed situations. Holds for probation, parole or an outside warrant keep him in too.

The Colorado Public Defender's Durango office serves Dolores and Montezuma counties from 109 W. 9th Street, Durango, at 970-247-9284. The judge appoints it at his first appearance.

The state's Grand Mesa Youth Services Center, 360 28 Road, Grand Junction, serves the 22nd Judicial District, including Dolores County, for youth detention. Its main line is 970-245-2516. A minor's case stays confidential and off the adult search.

A missed date lets the judge forfeit bond and order his arrest.Phone a lawyer plus the bondsman that day, and ask the clerk at 970-677-2258 about resetting the date.

Requests for gift cards, payment apps or crypto come from scammers. Check the number yourself: Cortez at 970-564-4995 or Dove Creek at 970-677-2257.

These public offices serve Dolores County cases:

• Montezuma County Detention Center (holds Dolores arrests): 730 East Driscoll Street, Cortez, CO 81321; 970-564-4995.
• Dolores County Sheriff's Office: 409 N. Main Street, Dove Creek, CO 81324; 970-677-2257; dispatch@dolorescountyco.gov.
• Dolores Combined Court: 409 N. Main, P.O. Box 511, Dove Creek; 970-677-2258; DoloresClerk@judicial.state.co.us; open Monday and Tuesday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Dove Creek Municipal Court: Town of Dove Creek, 314 W. Hwy 491; 970-677-2255.
• Rico Municipal Court: Town of Rico, 2 Commercial Street, P.O. Box 9; 970-967-2861; townclerk@ricocolorado.gov.
• District Attorney, 22nd Judicial District: 109 West Main Street, Cortez; 970-565-3788.
• Public Defender, Durango: 109 W. 9th Street, Durango; 970-247-9284; Durango@coloradodefenders.us.

A detained Dolores youth goes to Grand Mesa Youth Services Center, 360 28 Road, Grand Junction.

The state sets these rules for him:

• 48 hours: bond is set within 48 hours of his arrival at the Cortez jail.
• PR: he leaves on his signature.
• Unsecured: money is due only if he misses court.
• Cash: the whole amount, payable to Montezuma County.
• Agent bond: 15 percent at most, or $50 when that is more.
• Land: Colorado property with equity of 1.5 times the bond.
• Petty and traffic: cash bond is off limits.
• Leftover fees: the $10 bond fee and card charges up to 3.5 percent can be billed afterward and never block release.
• Remote payment: HB25-1015 requires online cash bond by credit card; Montezuma County posts a pay link.
• No bail: Amendment I (2024) reaches first-degree murder when proof is evident or the presumption great.

The statute is at Colorado bail law, C.R.S. Title 16, Article 4 (https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-16.pdf), and each bond type is at Colorado Judicial Branch guide to bond types (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/types-bonds).

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado hears Dolores federal cases at the federal court in the La Plata County Courthouse, Durango, 1060 East 2nd Avenue, Suite 150, Durango, CO 81301, 970-385-9564, with a Durango courtroom at 1060 E. 2nd Avenue. The process:

• A first hearing before a magistrate judge.
• A talk with Pretrial Services.
• A detention hearing if the prosecutor wants him held.
• Release on federal conditions if allowed.

Before sentence, the U.S. Marshals choose where he is held: U.S. Marshals Service, Durango office, 970-317-6117 (district headquarters in Denver: 303-728-7800).

Each agency runs its own search:

• Federal: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/); before sentencing, the Marshals at 970-317-6117.
• State prison: Colorado Department of Corrections inmate search (https://www.doc.state.co.us/oss/).
• Cortez jail: Dolores County Inmate Search.

Our Dolores County inmate search page lists more options.

C.R.S. 24-76.6-102 (https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-24.pdf) keeps Colorado jails from arresting someone, or keeping him past release, solely for a civil immigration detainer. Once the Dolores case allows release, county custody stops, though ICE can still use federal authority.

The ICE Denver Field Office, 12445 East Caley Avenue, Centennial, CO 80111, 720-873-2899 covers Dolores County. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) with his A-number and birth country.

VINE costs nothing and reports custody status:

• Visit VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/) and select Colorado.
• Search his full name or inmate number.
• Open the match for his current status.
• Add a contact so a transfer or release triggers a notice.

Free options:

• Dockets: Colorado Judicial Branch docket search (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/dockets); pick Dolores County.
• Records: court record request form (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/recorddocument-request-form), or 970-677-2258.
• Town tickets: Dove Creek 970-677-2255; Rico 970-967-2861.
• Warrants: Dolores County Sheriff's Office, 970-677-2257.

He can surrender on a warrant at the Cortez jail, with a lawyer along if possible.

Phone these two first:

• The Cortez jail, 970-564-4995, for bond type, amount and pay method.
• The Dove Creek clerk, 970-677-2258, for his court order and next date.

Looking up a case for free: Sadly, there's no no-cost Colorado site that opens up whole court files online. Still, Dove Creek residents have a few free routes. The statewide docket page at coloradojudicial.gov/dockets lists hearings that are coming up, and you can ask for copies of records using the Judicial Branch's web form at coloradojudicial.gov/recorddocument-request-form. You can also just call the clerk in Dove Creek. Paid search sites run by outside vendors also exist; you'll find them listed on the state's public records access guide.

Misdemeanors sit in the middle: worse than a parking ticket, milder than a felony. In Dolores County, a sheriff's deputy or state troopermay just hand you a ticket, called a summons, that says when to show up in court. If deputies book a person into jail, the law requires a trip to the judge with no needless stalling, and Colorado sets a 48-hour clock, starting at arrival in jail, for the bond hearing. Bond means the promises (and sometimes cash) a judge requires before letting a person wait for trial at home. For petty and traffic cases, the judge can(?:’|’|')t require cash to get out.

Your first time in front of the County Court judge is called the advisement or arraignment. You hear the charges read out and get a rundown of your rights. The lawyer for the state is the District Attorney's office for the 22nd Judicial District. People who might face jail and can't pay a lawyer may apply for representation by the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender; a judge looks at income to decide. Dolores County is covered by the Durango office on 109 W. 9th St. (CO 81301); call (970) 247-9284. Conflicts happen, say when two people charged together need separate lawyers, and then the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel hires an independent attorney for one of them.

Starting in March 2022, Colorado shrank its misdemeanor ladder to two steps. The top step, class 1, can bring a jail stay as long as 364 days and a fine reaching $1,000. Class 2 caps out at 120 days and $750. A petty offense, which is even smaller, tops out at 10 days and $300. Drug misdemeanors have their own levels, called DM1 and DM2. You can ask for a jury trial, and in misdemeanor cases the jury has six people. A Dove Creek misdemeanor can wrap up through a plea bargain, with probation, a fine or a class standing in for jail.

Under 18: Minors who get in trouble at this level land in the District Court's juvenile docket instead. Prosecutors in the 22nd District can start with juvenile diversion, a kind of second chance: finish the assigned tasks, maybe counseling or volunteer hours, and no formal case moves forward. Some town rule and traffic cases for teens can be heard in a local court. A youth held in custody gets a detention hearing (a quick check on whether the child can go home) within 48 hours, with Saturdays, Sundays and holidays skipped in the count. The public defender's office also represents young people in juvenile cases when the court appoints it.

Felony charges are the ones where prison is on the table. Here they begin in County Court in Dove Creek, with a bond decision and a reading of the charges. In felony cases the defense is allowed to request a preliminary hearing, a short hearing that tests whether the DA has enough evidence to keep going. It's supposed to be held within 35 days of being asked for. When the proof is enough, the file gets "bound over," which just means sent up to District Court. Colorado also allows grand juries, but in a small county that is rare.

Felonies come in six classes, plus four levels of drug felonies. The normal ranges are: class 2, 8 to 24 years; class 3, 4 to 12 years; class 4, 2 to 6 years; class 5, 1 to 3 years; and class 6, 1 year to 18 months. Drug felonies run from DF4, 6 months to a year, up to DF1, 8 to 32 years. Colorado's speedy-trial rule gives prosecutors a half-year window after the not-guilty plea to get the trial going, unless the defense asks for or agrees to a delay. A felony jury has 12 people, and all 12 must agree.

Under 18: For teenagers, felony charges stay on the juvenile side, where the focus is on turning a life around. Possible outcomes include probation, a treatment program, or time in a facility operated by Colorado's Division of Youth Services (DYS). For felonies outside the direct-file list, the District Attorney cannot just file a teen's case in adult court. The DA has to ask the juvenile judge for a transfer hearing. That can happen for kids 14 or older accused of any felony, or for 12- and 13-year-olds in the most serious cases.

Judges weigh release closely here, and when the charge is first-degree murder with strong proof, the judge can refuse bond altogether. Colorado's death penalty is gone, abolished as of July 1, 2020. Today a class 1 felony, such as first-degree murder, means life behind bars without parole, the toughest punishment the state has. Some violent offenses carry a "crime of violence" label. That label means the judge must give prison time no lower than the middle of the range, and possibly up to twice its top, and probation is off the table.

Victims also have rights. The Colorado Victims' Rights Act, written into the state constitution, lets crime victims get notice of key hearings, sit in the courtroom, and describe the crime's impact to the judge before sentencing. The 22nd District Attorney's victim advocates help people through that process.

Under 18: Prosecutors may "direct file," meaning charge a teen as an adult from day one, only for youths who were 16 or 17 when accused of a murder-level (class 1) crime, a class 2 offense, or one of certain violent sexual assaults. For younger teens, or for other violent crimes, the case has to go through a transfer hearing in juvenile court first. Colorado bars life-without-parole sentences for anyone younger than 18 on the date of the offense. While waiting, a young person may be held by the Division of Youth Services rather than in an adult jail, and a lawyer from the public defender's office can help the family.

These offices handle Dolores criminal cases:

• Dolores Combined Court: 409 N. Main, Dove Creek, CO 81324; 970-677-2258; Monday and Tuesday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Dove Creek Municipal Court: 314 W. Hwy 491, Dove Creek; 970-677-2255
• Rico Municipal Court: 2 Commercial Street, Rico; 970-967-2861
• District Attorney: 109 West Main Street, Cortez; 970-565-3788
• Public Defender: 109 W. 9th Street, Durango; 970-247-9284
• Jail: Montezuma County Detention Center, 730 East Driscoll Street, Cortez, 970-564-4995; Dolores County Sheriff's Office, 970-677-2257
• Youth detention: Grand Mesa Youth Services Center, 360 28 Road, Grand Junction; 970-245-2516

Bond steps are on our Dolores County bail page; the statute is Colorado bail law, C.R.S. Title 16, Article 4 (https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-16.pdf).

• Bond must be set within 48 hours of reaching the Cortez jail.
• Petty and traffic counts cannot carry a cash bond.
• A Dolores judge picks the mildest terms that still guard safety and his return.
• HB25-1015 opens online credit card payment for Dolores bonds.
• Amendment I (2024) allows no bail for first-degree murder when proof is evident or the presumption great.

Bond types are listed at Colorado Judicial Branch guide to bond types (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/types-bonds).

Federal court: Federal charges land in Colorado's U.S. District Court. Its main building is the Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse, 901 19th Street, Denver. Closest to Dove Creek is the federal court's Durango office, housed in La Plata County's courthouse (1060 E. 2nd Ave., (970) 385-9564). So what makes a crime "federal"? One of two things: the act breaks a rule written by Congress, or it takes place on ground managed by Washington. Dolores County has a lot of that land. Large parts of the San Juan National Forest sit in the county, and the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, run by the Bureau of Land Management, reaches into it too. The Ute Mountain Ute Reservation is close by in Montezuma County, but it is not inside Dolores County. Pick a type of charge below.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado takes Dolores federal cases:

• Courthouse: the federal court in the La Plata County Courthouse, Durango, 1060 East 2nd Avenue, Suite 150, Durango, CO 81301, 970-385-9564
• U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, Durango office, 970-317-6117 (district headquarters in Denver: 303-728-7800)

A magistrate judge settles detention, and the Marshals keep custody.

• Cortez jail: Dolores County Inmate Search
• State prison: Colorado Department of Corrections inmate search (https://www.doc.state.co.us/oss/)
• Federal prison: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/); pre-sentence, 970-317-6117
• VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/) for status and alerts.

Our Dolores County inmate page has more searches.

C.R.S. 24-76.6-102 (https://content.leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-24.pdf) bars the Cortez jail from holding anyone on a civil ICE detainer by itself.

• Field office: ICE Denver Field Office, 12445 East Caley Avenue, Centennial, CO 80111, 720-873-2899
• Locator: ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/)

• Dockets: Colorado Judicial Branch docket search (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/dockets)
• Records: court record request form (https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/recorddocument-request-form)
• Warrants: Dolores County Sheriff's Office, 970-677-2257

This is a general, easy-reading summary of the Dolores County criminal process, not legal advice. Got a real case? Hire defense counsel, or phone the state public defenders serving Dolores County at (970) 247-9284.

Call the Dove Creek clerk at 970-677-2258 to confirm the hearing, and the Cortez jail at 970-564-4995 to check his custody before driving or paying.