Pontotoc County Adult Detention Center

A phone or a laptop works fine. Follow these steps.

1. Go to the online jail search page.
2. Begin with the surname. A crowded result list gets shorter once a first name is typed in.
3. Still nothing? Test nicknames, alternate spellings and former surnames.
4. If a record opens, jot down its contents and any booking or ID digits.
5. Then ring the jail at 662-489-3915 to hear about the charge and any bond.

The search tells you where a person is. It cannot tell you how to get them out. Release itself runs through the jail, a court or a licensed bondsman.

An empty result is not good news or bad news. It just means the record is not on screen. These are the common causes.

• Not entered yet. Intake paperwork can run for hours before a record goes online.
• City police have them first. Officers from a town may hold a person before sending them to the county jail.
• Already out. Someone could have paid bond already, or the judge may have ordered the person freed.
• Another place. They might also sit in the cells of another county, or be in state or federal hands.
• Spelling. One wrong letter hides a record.

Call the jail at 662-489-3915 and ask if the person is inside, went home, or was sent somewhere. If you are told they are elsewhere, ask where and for a phone number.

The county jail is the Pontotoc County Adult Detention Center, 490 Highway 6-West, Pontotoc, MS 38863, 662-489-3915. It holds adults arrested by deputies of the Sheriff and by city police in the county. The Sheriff's Office runs it.

Across Mississippi, some counties pay a neighbor to house their prisoners, and others use a regional facility. Someone arrested in another county would be held by that county instead. Use the number above to ask if the person was sent anywhere else. We have no other adult lockup on file for this county, so ask about work crews or separate housing when you call.

People under 18 are not kept here. See the question on youth below.

The online search may or may not show mugshots. Run a name through the jail search and see whether a picture appears.

Under the state's Public Records Act, the incident report that police write after an arrest is a public paper. It names everyone arrested and charged. Copies may cost money. Nothing we read in state law forces an agency to hand over a booking photo.

Relatives and reporters may request a mugshot from the department that made the arrest. That department makes the call. For a Sheriff's arrest, ask through the jail line, 662-489-3915. For a city arrest, ask that city's police department.

• If ICE took the photo, send a request through ICE's records page.
• Mugshots from federal agencies are usually kept private. The U.S. Marshals Service is the exception when it is hunting for a wanted person.

Alerts cost nothing. The state's VINE program, run as SAVIN, contacts you if an offender in a county or state system changes status. Examples are a transfer, a freeing, a break-out or a recapture. Should the person reach a state prison later, you keep getting notices.

• Search and register at VINELink.
• Or call 888-967-7284. The line never closes, and callers can use English or Spanish.

MDOC does not say which county jails use VINE. Treat it as one tool, never the only one. Also check the jail search and call 662-489-3915 now and then.

Anyone held after an arrest has to be brought before a judge quickly. The outer limit is two days. When deputies make the arrest in the county, that is often a Justice Court judge. For arrests inside a city, it is often that city's Municipal Court. The judge explains the charge, talks about a lawyer, and sets the terms for release.

Under state rules, the first options are a written promise to come back to court, or a bond. The judge can add rules, such as no contact or a curfew. The amount follows the court's rules, not a jailer's say-so. Typical ways to get out:

• Cash deposit bond. A tenth of the bond, or $250 if that is larger, goes to the court clerk. Only certain people qualify.
• Property bond. It rests on land or a home in Mississippi.
• Bondsman. The fee is usually 10 percent of the bail, or $100 if that is more, plus a $50 processing fee. It is not refunded. Check any license with the Mississippi Insurance Department at 601-359-3582.

Someone arrested for domestic violence cannot get bail until a judge has seen them. Our bail page has the local steps. For the statewide rules, see our page on Mississippi bail laws.

Ask the jail first. Dial 662-489-3915, give the legal name and the birthday, and ask what the charge, bond and court are.

When prosecutors file a case, its papers go to a court clerk. Felony cases are kept by the Circuit Clerk at 11 East Washington Street, Pontotoc, MS 38863, 662-489-3908. For a misdemeanor, ask for the Justice Court clerk through the courthouse operator at 662-489-3904. Some courts also post dockets in the state's Mississippi Electronic Courts system. Some courts may be missing from it, which makes a phone call the sure route.

You can also ask for the police report from the agency that made the arrest.

A defense lawyer is a right, not a luxury. At the opening hearing the judge weighs the person's income and rules on a free lawyer. The state rules call for that decision at the first appearance or before. If money is tight, say so out loud.

Only the judge makes that appointment, so the court is the place to ask. Phone the courthouse at 662-489-3904 or the Circuit Clerk at 662-489-3908 to learn who was named.

A family can hire a private lawyer too, whenever they like during the case. For felony appeals and capital cases, the usual route is a state defender's office in Jackson. Its phone is 601-576-4290.

Until a lawyer is in place, tell the person to stay calm and say little about the case on jail phones.

The jail makes the rules for visits, and they can change. Before you drive over, call 662-489-3915. Ask these things:

• Is the person allowed visits right now?
• Which days and hours are open?
• Do visits happen in person or by video?
• What ID and dress rules apply?
• Can children come?

Plan to bring a photo ID and leave bags and phones in the car. Our visiting guide covers what most jails ask of guests.

Money on a jail account buys snacks, soap, writing paper and often phone time. Call 662-489-3915 and ask how deposits are made and who handles them. Pay only through the way the jail names, and keep the receipt.

Never mail cash. Never send money to someone who calls and says they are a deputy. Our money guide covers ways to deposit. Our commissary guide covers what can be bought.

Jail account money does not pay bail. For bail, see the bail answer above.

People in jail usually place calls out. Most cannot take calls in. At 662-489-3915, find out how an inmate calling account gets started, the price per call, and whether texting or video visits exist.

Assume a recording is running. The case is something to discuss with the lawyer alone. Details on phones are in our jail phone page, and details on email and messages are in another page of ours.

If the person is in danger or in a medical crisis, call 911 or tell the jail right away.

Send letters to this address: Pontotoc County Adult Detention Center, PO Box 240, Pontotoc, MS 38863. Start the address block with the person's legal name. Ask the jail at 662-489-3915 whether an inmate number is needed and what the jail will let in.

Write your return address on the envelope. Skip cash, stamps and anything stuck on or taped. Some jails accept only plain paper or postcards. Call first so your letter is not sent back. Our mail guide shows the usual limits.

The jail bags up what the person arrived with and holds it until release day. To bring clothing or ID for a release, call 662-489-3915 before you come to the jail at 490 Highway 6-West, Pontotoc, MS 38863. Ask who is allowed to collect property, which ID is required, and if a signature is needed from the person.

Anything kept as evidence stays with police. A car towed at the arrest is handled by the tow company and the arresting agency, not the jail. Ask the arresting agency where it is.

Call the jail right away at 662-489-3915. Give the person's name, the problem, each medicine and its dose, and a doctor's name if you know one. Ask staff to pass it to the nurse or medical team.

Have the person file a written medical request inside, with a copy kept if possible. If someone could die or hurt themselves, say so clearly. In an emergency, dial 911.

A lawyer can also ask the court for help if care is being denied.

Away from the towns, warrants are served by deputies of the Sheriff. Ask the jail line, 662-489-3915, how to reach the Sheriff's Office about a warrant. No single public warrant lookup covers Mississippi, yet you can browse Mississippi's Most Wanted. The Circuit Clerk keeps felony records at 11 East Washington Street, Pontotoc, MS 38863, 662-489-3908. Ask for the Justice Court clerk for lesser charges. If a warrant exists for you, see a lawyer first, before any other move. Once you have, the court that signed the warrant can explain turning yourself in.

Whichever court holds the file controls the calendar.

• Justice Court takes lesser crimes from outside the towns, plus the first steps of a felony. Call the courthouse at 662-489-3904.
• Municipal Court handles city ordinance cases and city misdemeanors. Ask the city that made the arrest.
• Circuit Court hears a felony only after the grand jury has indicted. Find the Circuit Clerk at 11 East Washington Street, Pontotoc, MS 38863, 662-489-3908.

The state's court list shows only Circuit Court for this county. Offer the clerk a full name and a birth date. A felony trial is supposed to start roughly nine months after arraignment, though delays happen for cause. Our court page walks through the stages.

Oxford is the home of the federal court that covers this area, part of the Northern District. The court is at the Federal Building, 911 Jackson Avenue East, Oxford, MS 38655, 662-234-1971.

1. In federal court, release or jail until trial is settled in a detention hearing run by a judge (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Before trial, the U.S. Marshals Service is in charge of the person. The Oxford office is at 911 Jackson Avenue, Suite 234, Oxford, MS 38655, 662-513-2300.
3. Federal defenders help people who cannot pay. Their Oxford office is at 1200 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 100, Oxford, MS 38655, 662-236-2889.
4. After sentencing, type a name into the federal prison locator to see the assigned prison.

An immigration hold unfolds like this.

1. It starts when ICE sends the jail a detainer, which is a paper known as Form I-247A.
2. The rule at 8 CFR 287.7(d) lets the jail keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, so ICE can pick them up.
3. The agency's New Orleans Field Office covers this state, and a Jackson, MS office is also listed.
4. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator by typing the name together with the nation of birth, or just the A-number if there is one.

If the locator shows nothing, ask the field office, or ask the lawyer to check. A lawyer should handle any immigration question.

A person sentenced to prison is first processed by the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). Which of three reception sites handles it depends on the home county: Parchman for the north, a site near Pearl for the middle, or one near Leakesville for the south. Expect two weeks to 45 days of processing. Visitors are turned away during that time, and calls are restricted. The county's deputies drive the person to the site.

• Search the MDOC inmate search by name or ID number. Remember that it lists state prisoners and leaves out anyone still in a county cell.
• Read our Mississippi state prisons guide.

Only the state's parole board can grant parole.

Youth Court, rather than an adult courtroom, usually takes a minor's case. A judge must sign an order to keep a child longer than a day, and the child needs a detention hearing inside two days. Adult jails are, as a rule, off limits to children.

Some cases go to adult court instead. A teenager aged 13 or over may be tried there for a charge that carries a life or death penalty, or that involved a deadly weapon. Youth Court can also send a case up if a motion asks.

We have no juvenile detention center on file for this county. Call the courthouse at 662-489-3904 and ask for Youth Court. Ask where the child is held. The state defender's youth unit may help with counsel for the child, 601-576-4206.

A child who is committed after a case may go to Oakley Youth Development Center, 2375 Oakley Road, Raymond, MS 39154.

The arrest report names the agency. Here are the offices that work in the county.

• Sheriff's Office. Deputies work the unincorporated land. Reach them through the jail at 490 Highway 6-West, Pontotoc, MS 38863, 662-489-3915.
• City police. Towns such as Pontotoc and Ecru have their own officers. Ask the jail line for the number of the department that made the arrest.
• Mississippi Highway Patrol, Troop F. 1103 Bratton Road, New Albany, MS 38652, 662-486-1995.

Once you know the agency, ask it for the incident report and for the case number.