District Court in Paintsville takes misdemeanors, traffic tickets, juvenile matters and the arraignment and probable-cause stage of serious charges. A felony reaches Circuit Court only after at least 9 of 12 grand jurors indict. The circuit judge divides time among Johnson, Lawrence and Martin and decides appeals from District Court as well.

Look on KYeCourts guest search or ask the clerk at 606-297-9567. Dates slide, so check again the evening before. Arrive early for screening at the judicial center entrance. When sickness or a crisis makes attending impossible, notify the clerk before the docket begins; silence can produce a bench warrant.

Johnson's sheriff serves its court warrants, and a name can be checked at 606-792-6396. That call is the sure warrant check; for your own reading, Kentucky's statewide court record is the free KYeCourts guest login, where you type a name, choose Johnson, and switch to a Starts With match if you know only part of a surname.

Local arrests are housed at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, where a warrant is normally cleared by surrender after an attorney has raised bond. The circuit clerk at 908 3rd St., Suite 109, Paintsville, KY 41240, answers at 606-297-9567 about missed dates.

Suite 109 accepts cash, money orders, cashier's checks and cards for an extra fee, and ePay handles fines online. Personal checks need the writer's address, two phone numbers and license number printed or written on them. Can't pay in full? Ask the judge for installments at sentencing. Our bail page deals with bond.

1. Arrest and booking at Big Sandy on 3rd Street.
2. Pretrial interview and a release ruling (bail guide).
3. Arraignment before the District judge in Paintsville.
4. For felonies, a preliminary hearing within 10 days if jailed, 20 if free.
5. Grand jury review, then Circuit Court following indictment.

Paintsville runs its own police force. The sheriff (606-789-3411) covers the rest of the county, along with Kentucky State Police Post 9 out of Pikeville. Arrestees are taken to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. Contact numbers appear in our inmate guide.

Misdemeanor and youth cases, plus the first filings in felonies, come from the county attorney on Court Street (225 Court Street, Paintsville, KY 41240 (606-789-8232)). The Commonwealth's Attorney on Broadway (704 Broadway, Suite B, Paintsville, KY 41240 (606-788-7085)) handles indicted felonies across Johnson, Lawrence and Martin. Victims should reach the county office early in a case and the Broadway office once an indictment issues.

The circuit clerk in Paintsville (606-297-9567) can identify a charge's class. A Paintsville judge sentencing a Class A misdemeanor may go to 12 months and $500, but no further than 90 days and $250 on a Class B (KRS 532.090). Violations bring a fine alone, $250 or less, and an indigent person may have it waived (KRS 534.040). Felons face 1-5 years on a Class D, 5-10 on a C, 10-20 on a B, and 20-50 years or life on an A (KRS 532.060).

Open case data appears on KYeCourts guest search. For certified copies, use the records request page or contact the clerk at 606-297-9567. Juvenile files and sealed cases stay confidential. If you think there may be a warrant, talk with the sheriff (606-789-3411) or hire a defense lawyer to look into it before you show up at the courthouse.

Tell the judge at arraignment that you need a lawyer. After you sign a sworn statement of income and expenses, a qualifying defendant receives the Prestonsburg Trial Office of the Department of Public Advocacy (123 East Court Street, Prestonsburg, KY 41653; 833-895-0579). Then call Prestonsburg, give the case number, and set up a meeting with the assigned attorney well ahead of the next court date.

At the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, 904 3rd Street, Paintsville, KY 41240, phone 606-297-5245. Our guides cover calls, mail, visiting, email, money and commissary. The office there, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., can confirm custody status, booked charges and release paperwork for a named person.

Big Sandy (606-297-5245) can tell relatives whether a person is in on a federal charge, and any prosecution brought by U.S. attorneys lands in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 1405 Greenup Avenue, Ashland, KY 41101, 606-329-2465. Federal defendants in eastern Kentucky first face a detention hearing, where a magistrate decides on custody pending trial. Afterward the U.S. Marshals keep federal defendants in local jails that have agreements with them. People serving federal sentences can be found through the BOP locator.

Yes. Certain guilty pleas can lead to deportation or wreck a green card application. An immigration attorney should look over any proposed deal with the defense lawyer before it's accepted. Through a detainer under 8 CFR 287.7(d), ICE asks Big Sandy to hold a Johnson defendant up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. The ICE locator shows who's in ICE custody.

Victims can call the county attorney at 225 Court Street, Paintsville, KY 41240 (606-789-8232) or the Commonwealth's Attorney at 704 Broadway, Suite B, Paintsville, KY 41240 (606-788-7085), depending on which office holds the case, for the court calendar and help preparing a statement for the judge. VINELink provides free custody notifications. Save receipts, estimates and medical bills so the court can consider restitution.

The KOOL search reports which prison, or county jail with state inmates, currently holds someone. Our Kentucky prison directory gives phone numbers for every facility. Recent transfers sometimes take several days to update, so repeat the search if nothing turns up.