Holmes County Jail

Enter his name in Holmes County Inmate Search. If Holmes shows nothing, give it a little while, since new bookings post slowly. Then call 850-547-3681 and press 2 for the jail. Have his birth date ready. The Sheriff's Office cannot suggest a bail agent, but its bond page lists the agents who work the county.

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People who do not bond out are taken before a judge within 24 hours of arrest. The booking staff receive the results from the Clerk of Courts around 11 a.m. each day, according to the Sheriff. Until then, a bond amount for a new arrest may be missing or may change. Call after 11 a.m. on the day after the arrest for the amount set by the judge.

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The judge reads the charges and tells the person what happens next. In a Holmes misdemeanor case, a judge can take a guilty plea and let the person go with time served or a written promise to return. For a felony, the judge may raise or lower the bond. That is why a smart family waits for the result before paying a large amount. Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130 sets the 24-hour limit.

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Holmes's sheriff lists cashier's checks, certified checks, or money orders payable to "Holmes County Clerk of Courts." Cash and cards aren't listed, so call ahead about cash. Call the Clerk at 850-547-1100 or the jail line 850-547-3681 to confirm what the window takes. The Sheriff's page gives no counter hours.

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The Holmes County Clerk is at 201 North Oklahoma Street, Bonifay, FL 32425; mail goes to P.O. Box 397. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The main line is 850-547-1100. Press 6 for the misdemeanor and felony department, or press 0 for the operator.

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Florida has a statewide schedule from the Florida Supreme Court for releases made before first appearance. It runs through December 31, 2026. Examples: a third-degree felony with no force, $2,500; one that involves force or threat against a person, $5,000; a first-degree misdemeanor with no force, $500; with force, $1,000; a second-degree misdemeanor with no force, $150; with force, $250.

In Holmes, the circuit's chief judge is allowed to raise amounts or add conditions, and the first appearance judge can pick any figure. Ask the jail desk which figure applies to your case.

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Florida Statute 903.011(6) bars release before a judge reviews the case for people on probation, pretrial release, or community control at the time of a felony arrest, registered sex offenders, people arrested three or more times in six months, and people charged with serious violent crimes such as homicide, robbery, or burglary. Holmes courts may also deny any release on capital or life charges with plain guilt, under Article I, section 14 of the Florida Constitution.

Holmes inmates can also be held by another county's hold or a probation warrant.

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In Holmes, only if you can't pay the full amount. Holmes bail agents are licensed by Florida's Department of Financial Services. For Holmes, the state's bail bond overview sets the premium at 10 percent of court-set bail, kept after release and refunded if the person never gets out. Collateral is due back within 21 days after the court discharges the bond. Under Florida Statute 648.33 the agent must charge the filed rate. In Holmes, ask about collateral, and get in writing what a missed hearing would trigger. The Sheriff's staff will not pick one for you.

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The Sheriff's page covers checks, money orders, and agents, and does not describe property bonds. Ask the Holmes Clerk at 850-547-1100 if real estate is accepted, if the land may be anywhere in Florida, and how much equity the judge wants. Do not sign anything until you have those answers.

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Holmes usually returns court-paid money when the case ends, though the Clerk may first take out costs and fines. Florida Statute 903.286 says the clerk must withhold unpaid costs, fees, and penalties from a cash bond posted by someone other than an agent. A defendant who skips court can lose the bond to forfeiture. Keep every receipt with the case number.

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The Public Defender for the Fourteenth Circuit has a Holmes County line at 850-547-7009. A Holmes judge decides at first appearance if the person qualifies, so ask for one then. The State Attorney's Bonifay office, which prosecutes the case, answers at 850-547-2262.

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Town officers bring adults to the county jail for booking, but the Sheriff's pages do not list a city lockup. Find out from the arresting department where the person is, then check Holmes County Inmate Search or call 850-547-3681.

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Call the Department of Juvenile Justice screening office at 651 West 14th Street, Suite M, Panama City, 850-767-3262, and ask which center has your child. Ask about Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center first. It is at 450 East 11th Street, Panama City, FL 32401, 850-872-4706. The Bay County Clerk says staff cannot give out juvenile case details by phone, so a parent needs to bring photo ID. The adult search leaves out juveniles.

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The judge can forfeit the bond under Florida Statute 903.26 and issue a warrant. The surety gets notice from the clerk first. Contact the lawyer and bail agent at once, and ask the Holmes Clerk at 850-547-1100 for the next date.

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Holmes jail and Clerk staff never take gift cards or app transfers for bond. If a stranger demands money in minutes, end the call and phone 850-547-3681 yourself.

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• An ICE detainer (Form I-247A) asks the Holmes jail to hold someone longer.
• The Holmes hold can last up to 48 hours past release.
• The Holmes clock keeps running on weekends and holidays.
• Posting bond in Holmes does not end an ICE hold.
• Under F.S. 908.105, the Holmes judge setting bond must hear about it.
• The Holmes state attorney gets notice as well.
• F.S. 908.11 requires the Holmes sheriff to work with ICE under 287(g).
• ICE's official 287(g) list shows these models for Holmes:
  • Task Force Model
  • Warrant Service Officer
• After ICE takes a Holmes inmate, use the online detainee locator.

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For many misdemeanors, the officer simply writes a notice to appear. Think of it as a summons you must obey: it names the day you must come to court in Bonifay. If you’re booked into the Holmes County Jail instead, Florida Rule 3.130 gives the court 24 hours or less to put you before a judge. That short hearing is your first appearance. Until then, jail staff look up the charge on the 2026 uniform bond schedule issued by the Florida Supreme Court in AOSC25-69, which names the minimum bond, meaning the money or promise that makes sure you return to court. Some charges, like domestic violence, require seeing the judge before any release. A Holmes bondsman with a license can post the bond for a fee, often 10%, which the bondsman keeps.

Across the 14th Circuit’s six counties, a single elected State Attorney handles every state prosecution. Without money for a lawyer, you can ask the judge for the circuit’s elected Public Defender. Sometimes the Public Defender already represents a witness or co-defendant; in that case, the court turns to a different state-paid office, Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel. Florida Statute 938.29 allows a judge to charge fees for a public lawyer, and unpaid fees can be turned into a lien.

A first-degree misdemeanor in Holmes can bring at most a year locked up in Bonifay plus a $1,000 fine; second-degree charges are capped lower, at 60 days plus $500. Possession of drug paraphernalia, for instance, is a first-degree misdemeanor. The speedy trial rule gives the state 90 days on misdemeanors, but a defendant may waive that clock. Six people sit on a misdemeanor jury. First-time offenders can often enter pretrial diversion, and the charge is dismissed when they finish.

For kids: No matter how small the charge, a Holmes County child appears before the Circuit Court judge who handles juvenile matters. Florida Statute 985.12 allows a civil citation or prearrest diversion for many first misdemeanors, so the young person can make up for the mistake through service hours or counseling while keeping the record clean. A child who must be locked up rides about an hour south to the Bay Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Panama City, a state juvenile justice facility, where a judge’s review comes within 24 hours.

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A crime that can be punished with over a year in state prison is called a felony. As with misdemeanors, a Holmes felony starts at first appearance. There the judge sets bond or other pretrial release conditions, which let a person wait at home for trial, sometimes while wearing a monitor or checking in. The State Attorney’s Bonifay office then decides whether to file an information, the formal written felony charge. At the arraignment, the defendant answers it with a plea.

Florida divides felonies into degrees. The lowest level, third degree, covers crimes such as grand theft of property worth $750 or more and brings up to 5 years. Second degree, which includes burglarizing an empty house, brings up to 15 years. First-degree felonies bring up to 30. Fleeing a deputy with lights and siren on is a third-degree felony, and it climbs higher with high speed or injuries. Points from a Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet, scored from the offense and prior record, decide the lowest sentence allowed. Florida prisoners can’t walk out before finishing 85% of their term.

Felony cases have a 175-day speedy trial limit, which can be waived. A Florida felony jury has six members, who must reach a unanimous verdict. Still, most Holmes felonies end in a plea deal.

For kids: Juvenile court keeps most teen felonies, focusing on supervision and treatment. Statute 985.557, however, gives the State Attorney a power called direct file. With it, prosecutors can take most felony cases against 16- or 17-year-olds to adult court, and for 14- or 15-year-olds, only cases on a list of violent crimes. Since 2019, no direct file has been mandatory in Florida, so it’s the 14th Circuit prosecutor’s decision each time.

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A violent felony goes through the same Circuit Court stages, but the possible punishment grows a lot. At the very top of Florida’s scale come two more classes, the life felony and the capital felony. Murder in the first degree is the main capital crime, and its sentence is death or life in prison without parole. In capital and life cases where proof is strong, a judge can keep someone in jail with no bond.

If a gun is part of a listed crime, Florida’s 10-20-Life statute (775.087) requires a minimum: 10 years when the gun is simply possessed, 20 when it’s fired, and anywhere from 25 years up to life when it kills or seriously injures someone.

In death penalty cases, 12 jurors decide, and since 2023 a vote of 8 out of 12 is enough for death. Raiford’s Union Correctional Institution holds death-sentenced men; Lowell Correctional Institution holds death-sentenced women. Florida’s Constitution also includes Marsy’s Law, which lets victims hear about each hearing ahead of time and address the court.

For kids: Section 985.56 lets a Holmes grand jury, citizens reviewing evidence privately, indict a child of any age for a crime carrying death or life, which sends the case to adult court. Something done before a person’s 18th birthday can never lead to a death sentence. Before a life sentence for a juvenile, Florida requires the judge to hold a separate hearing that looks at the teen’s age, family and chance to change.

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A good first stop is the free Online Court Records Search, where a capias appears on the case. Holmes deputies keep the warrant file at the Sheriff's Office; a deputy at (850) 547-3681 can check any name. Counsel can call ahead so the person surrenders at the Lonny Lindsey Drive jail at a set hour. New dates are set by the clerk on North Oklahoma Street, and Ponce de Leon and Westville cases go to the same office. FDLE runs a statewide wanted persons search with warrants other agencies released.

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