• Clerk of District Court: 105 Coolbaugh Street, Red Oak, IA 51566 (P.O. Box 469); 712-623-4986.
• Montgomery County Attorney: the prosecutor's office, mail to P.O. Box 78, Red Oak, IA 51566; 712-623-3011.
• Montgomery County Jail: Law Enforcement Center, 106 W. Coolbaugh Street, Red Oak, IA 51566; 712-623-5107.

Soon after booking, usually by video, a magistrate holds the initial appearance. The charge is read, release conditions are set, and the defendant can request an appointed lawyer. Where officers acted without a warrant, the 48-hour probable cause review happens too.

• Magistrate: traffic tickets, simple misdemeanors, and ordinance violations written in Red Oak, Villisca or the smaller towns.
• District associate judge: aggravated and serious misdemeanors, among them OWI.
• District judge: felony cases and juvenile matters.

1. Booking at the Law Enforcement Center and the initial appearance.
2. Formal charging through a trial information, normally inside 45 days.
3. Arraignment, which is often done in writing.
4. Discovery, depositions and motions in the Red Oak courthouse.
5. Trial, which must start inside 90 days of formal charging unless that deadline is given up.
6. A presentence report, then the sentencing hearing, if convicted.

On Iowa Courts Online, select Montgomery County, then type a name or case number. The docket shows the charges, the bond, coming hearings and any orders; juvenile and sealed files are kept off.

Yes, for a defendant who qualifies. The defendant asks the magistrate and completes a financial affidavit, and Red Oak judges then appoint a contract attorney working under the State Public Defender system. The court can later order partial repayment.

Juvenile delinquency cases are heard in Red Oak by a district judge. Juvenile Court Services for the area is at 227 South 6th Street, 5th floor, Council Bluffs, IA 51501, 712-328-5623. When a youth cannot go home before the hearing, the juvenile officer sends them to the Southwest Iowa Juvenile Detention Center, 629 6th Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501, 712-328-4893.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Western Division, at 2146 27th Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501; the clerk's office main line is 515-284-6248; there is no direct local number. Filings are on PACER, and people serving federal time are listed on the BOP locator.

Our Montgomery County bail page explains bond figures, payment options, refunds and the 2026 law.

Call the sheriff's office at 712-623-5107, which doubles as the 911 center; Montgomery County deputies serve the court's warrants. No names are released, and Red Oak families have no statewide Iowa search; the case is on Iowa Courts Online. If the warrant came from a skipped hearing, the Clerk of District Court at 105 Coolbaugh Street (712-623-4986) can explain the steps.