Big Sandy Regional Detention Center

Phone the detention center at 606-297-5245, where office staff work weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Have the inmate's full legal name and birthday ready. The inmate roster may show the figure too. A blank entry typically means a judge hasn't ruled yet, which normally comes at the first court appearance.

Bring the money to the clerk in Suite 109 of the judicial center. Cash, cashier's checks, money orders and cards (with a processing fee) are taken, and ePay works online. A personal check must show the writer's current address, two phone numbers and driver's license number. Verify the total at 606-297-9567 first.

Be careful. Big Sandy warns families about scam calls demanding bond payments. The detention center itself never collects bond; only the circuit clerk does, in person or through ePay. Hang up, then confirm any request by phoning 606-297-5245 or 606-297-9567 directly before sending anything.

No. In Paintsville relatives and friends deal with the circuit clerk (606-297-9567) or Big Sandy Regional (606-297-5245) directly, because Kentucky law outlaws commercial bail bonding (KRS 431.510). The court holds the money, and the deposit largely comes back after the case closes as long as every court date was kept.

Soon after booking at Big Sandy on 3rd Street (606-297-5245), a Pretrial Services officer interviews the defendant, verifies residence, work and record, and produces a score estimating flight and new-arrest risk (KRS 431.515). A low score favors release without posting money (KRS 431.066).

The Paintsville clerk (606-297-9567) can tell you which form was ordered. Options open to the judge include a personal promise to return, an unsecured bond, a 10 percent deposit (KRS 431.530), paying the full figure, or pledging land valued at twice that amount (KRS 431.535). Someone close to the defendant can also sign as surety instead of paying (KRS 431.520).

A Paintsville district judge sets the amount, which the clerk (606-297-9567) can read back. Judges must weigh what the accused can actually afford (KRS 431.525), and jailing someone for a mere violation is disfavored (KRS 431.062). For nonviolent misdemeanors, bail tops out at the largest possible fine plus costs. Many Class D felonies follow a uniform schedule (KRS 431.540), while domestic violence cases carry extra safeguards (KRS 431.064). Each jail day before release earns a $100 credit against bail (KRS 431.066).

Once the case is over, the clerk issues the refund. A defendant who made every hearing gets the deposit back less 10 percent, with a $5 minimum. If the case ends in dismissal or a not-guilty verdict, the fee is waived. Unpaid fines and costs are deducted beforehand. Ask 606-297-9567 about timing.

A judge can require staying away from the alleged victim, sobriety with testing, GPS monitoring or weekly reporting to an officer. Missing a hearing or violating a term invites a warrant, and bond may be forfeited 20 days after notice (KRS 431.545). A lawyer can move to adjust terms that turn out impossible to follow.

Misdemeanor prosecutions and the opening phase of felonies rest with the county attorney (225 Court Street, Paintsville, KY 41240 (606-789-8232)). Once a felony is indicted, the 24th Circuit Commonwealth's Attorney (704 Broadway, Suite B, Paintsville, KY 41240 (606-788-7085)) takes over. Defendants who can't afford counsel get the Prestonsburg Trial Office of the Department of Public Advocacy (123 East Court Street, Prestonsburg, KY 41653; 833-895-0579). Our court guide walks through each stage.

No. Federal release decisions come from the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 1405 Greenup Avenue, Ashland, KY 41101, 606-329-2465. If ICE places a detainer, 3rd Street may keep the person as long as 48 hours past state release. Ask 606-297-5245, or search the ICE locator or BOP locator.

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.