Clark County Jail

Open Clark County Inmate Search and enter his name. A new booking can take a little while to post. If nothing comes up after a couple of hours, call the Sheriff's Office at 937-521-2050.

Start with the search, then the phone, before you drive to the jail.

The Sheriff's Office and the jail are at 120 N. Fountain Avenue, Springfield, Ohio. Use that address on mail and legal papers. The phone for the office is 937-521-2050.

A misdemeanor charge goes to the Clark County Municipal Court at 50 E. Columbia Street, Springfield. The main clerk line is 937-328-3715, the criminal and traffic desk is 937-328-3726, and the toll-free number is 800-544-1694. A felony charge goes to the Clark County Court of Common Pleas, and the Clerk of Courts there can be reached at 937-521-1680.

Ohio law sets the first bail hearing no later than the second court day after arrest. A defendant who has no lawyer and is still held gets a second hearing two court days after that.

Sometimes. Every Ohio court has to keep a bail schedule for misdemeanors so a person can be released before the first appearance. That schedule has one purpose, early release. It does not stop the judge from changing the amount or adding conditions at the hearing.

Call the criminal and traffic desk at 937-328-3726 and give the case number or the person's full name. Ask whether a schedule amount applies to the charge.

Ohio requires each municipal and county court to adopt a rule that allows bail by credit card. Ask the clerk at 937-328-3715 what the Springfield court accepts besides a card, and whether a fee is added.

Keep your receipt. Write down the case number on it.

Ohio law names these choices: an unsecured bond, a deposit of ten percent of the bond amount, or, at the defendant's option, a surety bond, a bond secured by real estate or securities, or a cash deposit. With the ten percent option the court returns 90 percent of the deposit once every condition is met.

A bail agent is the surety option. The fee you pay an agent is not returned.

Only agents licensed by the Ohio Department of Insurance may sign bonds. The agent must charge the rate approved by the state and tell you about any extra expense fee. Ask for every cost in writing.

An agent may not require you to give up the deed to your home as a condition of the bond, and may not hand out cards or pitch families at the jail. Anyone doing that is breaking an Ohio rule.

Ohio allows a bond backed by real estate. The owner signs a sworn statement that describes the property, the mortgages and liens, and other bonds the owner has backed. The court has to be satisfied that the owner can cover at least the entire bond. Lawyers may not act as sureties.

Clerk of Courts staff at 937-521-1680 can explain how a property bond is filed in a felony case, and the Municipal Court clerk at 937-328-3715 can explain it for a misdemeanor.

Only in narrow cases. The Ohio Constitution lets a court deny bail for a capital offense with strong proof, or a felony with strong proof where the person poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm. The prosecutor must ask for a hearing, and the judge needs clear and convincing evidence. The defendant has a right to a lawyer at that hearing.

The Clark County Public Defender is at 50 E. Columbia Street, Suite 101, Springfield, and the office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The phone is 937-521-1725. You can also ask the judge for appointed counsel at the first hearing.

Clark County has its own juvenile detention center. Juvenile cases are private, so a minor will not appear on the adult search. The Clerk of Courts at 937-521-1680 can direct you to the juvenile court for the hearing date.

Release can come with rules, such as no contact with a named person, a limit on where the person lives or travels, treatment for drugs or alcohol, house arrest or electronic monitoring. Under R.C. 2937.011 the judge picks the least restrictive mix that still reasonably protects the public and brings the person back.

A lawyer can file a motion to change conditions at any time, and the court holds a hearing promptly if the sides do not agree.

Judges look at the charge, the strength of the evidence, family ties, work, how long the person has lived in Springfield and Clark County, past court appearances and the criminal record. Give the public defender at 937-521-1725 a list of those facts, plus a name and number for someone who will take the person to every hearing.

The judge may issue a warrant and move to forfeit the bail. A surety can end its responsibility by turning the defendant in before the court date, or by asking for a warrant so the Sheriff holds him. Call his lawyer or the agent at once.

When a friend or relative posted the money, the court may not apply it to the defendant's fines and costs unless that person agrees to it.

Cash and deposit money is returned after the case ends when every court date was kept. The court keeps the 10 percent on a deposit bond and any state fees. Ask the clerk at 937-328-3715 how to ask for a refund.

Real clerks and jail officers do not ask for gift cards or payment apps. Do not wire money to a person who phones you. Use Clark County Inmate Search and the numbers on this page to check, then call back yourself.

• Jail: Clark County Jail, 120 N. Fountain Avenue, Springfield, OH
• Sheriff's Office: 937-521-2050
• Custody lookup: Clark County Inmate Search
• Municipal Court: 50 E. Columbia Street, Springfield, OH; clerk 937-328-3715; criminal and traffic 937-328-3726; toll-free 800-544-1694
• Common Pleas clerk: 937-521-1680
• Public Defender: 50 E. Columbia Street, Suite 101, Springfield, OH; Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; 937-521-1725
• Bond help: Clark County bail and bond pages
• Youth: Clark County juvenile detention center; ask the Clerk of Courts for the juvenile court

Phone lines, hours and fees change, and each judge can set conditions that differ from any schedule. Confirm details with the Municipal Court clerk or the Sheriff's Office before paying. This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice.

Springfield, the county seat, is where Clark County's criminal courts are concentrated, a few blocks apart downtown. Misdemeanors, OVI cases and felony first appearances go to the Clark County Municipal Court at 50 E. Columbia Street, and indicted felonies are tried in the Clark County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, at the courthouse on North Limestone Street. The elected Clark County Prosecuting Attorney handles felonies and juvenile delinquency cases, while municipal prosecutors try misdemeanors. Adults held after arrest are booked into the Clark County Jail, run by the Sheriff on North Fountain Avenue.

• Clark County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, Clark County Courthouse, 101 N. Limestone Street, Springfield, OH 45502, (937) 521-1680
• Clark County Municipal Court, 50 E. Columbia Street, Springfield, OH 45502, criminal and traffic (937) 328-3726
• Clark County Juvenile Court (Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division), 101 E. Columbia Street, Springfield, OH 45502, (937) 521-1600
• Clark County Prosecuting Attorney, 50 E. Columbia Street, Springfield, OH 45502
• Clark County Public Defender, 50 E. Columbia Street, Suite 101, Springfield, OH 45502, (937) 521-1725
• Clark County Sheriff's Office and Clark County Jail, 120 N. Fountain Avenue, Springfield, OH 45502, (937) 521-2050

Which court hears your case. The Clark County Municipal Court has territory over the whole county, so state misdemeanors, OVI and traffic charges from Springfield, New Carlisle, Enon, South Charleston and every township are filed there. Six villages and the city of New Carlisle also keep mayor's courts (listed below) for local ordinance and traffic violations; those courts cannot hold jury trials, and a defendant can have the case moved to the Municipal Court. Felonies open in the Municipal Court with an initial appearance and, unless the case is indicted first, a preliminary hearing. After a Clark County grand jury indicts, or the defendant waives indictment in favor of a bill of information, the case is assigned to a judge of the Common Pleas General Division. The Second District Court of Appeals reviews appeals.

Where pretrial detainees are held. The Clark County Sheriff's Office books arrests from Springfield police, deputies, village departments and the Highway Patrol into the Clark County Jail at 120 N. Fountain Avenue, across from the downtown courts. A detainee who cannot make bail remains on Fountain Avenue for the life of the case unless a judge changes the release terms; when the main building is crowded, the Sheriff may house some inmates at another facility. For booking, bond or visitation, call (937) 521-2050.

Clark County's lower-court system pairs one countywide municipal court with a cluster of small mayor's courts in the villages ringing Springfield. Mayor's courts usually meet only a few times a month, so check the session date printed on your ticket.

Municipal court

• Clark County Municipal Court — 50 E. Columbia Street, Springfield, OH 45502, criminal/traffic (937) 328-3726, civil (937) 328-3715. Territory: all of Clark County, including Springfield, New Carlisle and every village and township.

County court

There is no county court in Clark County; the Municipal Court's jurisdiction reaches every corner of the county.

Mayor's courts

• Catawba Mayor's Court — 115 S. Persimmon Street, Catawba, OH 43010, (937) 828-1345
• Donnelsville Mayor's Court — 15 S. Hampton Street, Donnelsville, OH 45319, (937) 882-1375
• Enon Mayor's Court — 363 E. Main Street, Enon, OH 45323, (937) 864-7870
• New Carlisle Mayor's Court — New Carlisle City Hall, 331 S. Church Street, New Carlisle, OH 45344, clerk of court (937) 207-6180
• North Hampton Mayor's Court — 75 Church Street, North Hampton, OH 45349, (937) 964-9804
• South Charleston Mayor's Court — 35 S. Chillicothe Street, South Charleston, OH 45368, (937) 462-8822
• Tremont City Mayor's Court — 26 E. Main Street, Tremont City, OH 45372, (937) 969-8281

Each of these seven sends regular case counts to Columbus. North Hampton, Donnelsville and Tremont City handle the most cases of the group, mostly traffic citations. Paying a mayor's court ticket generally means accepting a conviction, so anyone who wants to contest a charge or request a jury can ask to transfer the case to the Municipal Court.

A Clark County misdemeanor case usually begins one of two ways. The officer either issues a summons or citation with a Municipal Court (or mayor's court) date, or makes a custodial arrest and takes the person to the jail on Fountain Avenue. Arrests for OVI, domestic violence, violating a protection order or an outstanding warrant usually mean custody.

Getting released

Many charges carry a scheduled bond that can be posted at the jail soon after booking. Otherwise, the person is arraigned in the Municipal Court, often the next weekday and frequently by video. The 2022 amendment to Ohio's Constitution tells Springfield's judges to account for public safety, criminal history, offense seriousness and flight risk when choosing a bail amount. Release may come on a recognizance bond, a 10 percent deposit, a cash bond or a commercial surety bond.

Who represents you

The Clark County Public Defender represents eligible defendants facing possible jail time. Fill out the financial affidavit at arraignment or call (937) 521-1725; the county may collect a fee of no more than $25 for the application.

Pretrial and trial

Many cases are resolved at a pretrial conference between the defense lawyer and the prosecutor. A defendant who wants jurors must submit a written jury demand by the court's deadline; the panel is eight people and their verdict must be unanimous. Clark County's misdemeanor speedy-trial limits are 90 days for the two top degrees and 45 for the two lower ones, and a jailed defendant's time runs at triple speed.

Penalties by degree

• Assault and theft under $1,000 are M1 offenses: maximum jail of 180 days, maximum fine of $1,000.
• M2: 90 days and $750 at most.
• M3: 60 days and $500 at most.
• M4, the level for most criminal trespass: 30 days and $250 at most. Aggravated trespass is charged as an M1.
• Minor misdemeanor: fine only, with $150 the ceiling.

First OVI

Clark County drivers convicted of a first OVI face three consecutive days in jail, or a 72-hour driver intervention program as an alternative, and six days if the test was .17 or higher. Clark County judges choose a fine from $375 up to $1,075. A failed or refused chemical test triggers an administrative license suspension on the spot, and the court imposes its own suspension of one to three years after a conviction; the judge may allow limited driving privileges, or unlimited ones with an ignition interlock in some cases.

Results range from dismissal or diversion to intervention in lieu of conviction, reduced charges, fines and costs, community control or jail. Springfield misdemeanor cases usually close within one to four months, and many can be sealed after the waiting period.

Columbia Street first

Felony charges in Clark County are filed by complaint in the Municipal Court at 50 E. Columbia Street. The judge addresses bond and counsel. Criminal Rule 5(B) sets the preliminary hearing within 10 days for a jailed defendant and 15 days for one on bond, but in many Clark County felonies the Prosecuting Attorney presents the case to the grand jury before that date, which makes the hearing unnecessary.

Indictment

The grand jury meets privately and decides whether the evidence supports formal charges. Defendants sometimes waive the grand jury and agree to proceed by bill of information, often as part of an early plea.

Limestone Street next

An indictment sends the defendant to arraignment before a General Division judge in the Limestone Street courthouse. Discovery, motions and pretrial conferences follow. Most cases settle with a plea; those that go to trial are decided by 12 jurors, unanimously. A presentence investigation is ordinarily completed before sentencing.

Ranges by degree

• F5 (theft of $1,000 to $7,500, low-level drug charges): 6 to 12 months, though first-time nonviolent defendants are often presumed to get community control.
• F4 (a theft in the $7,500-to-$150,000 range): 6 to 18 months.
• F3 (some burglaries): usually 9 to 36 months; a handful of listed F3 crimes allow up to five years.
• F2 (felonious assault; burglary where someone is likely present): 2 to 8 years.
• F1 (aggravated burglary): 3 to 11 years.

An F1 or F2 committed after March 21, 2019, is sentenced under the Reagan Tokes Law to an indefinite term: a stated minimum plus a maximum that can reach 50 percent beyond it. Trafficking charges are graded from F5 to F1 by drug type and weight. Proving that a gun was involved adds a separate, mandatory block of prison time ahead of the base term. Intervention in lieu of conviction is available to some defendants whose offense was tied to drug or alcohol dependence.

Timing

The state has 270 days from arrest to try a felony, with jail days counted three for one, and Clark County felonies most often resolve within four to twelve months.

Homicide, rape, aggravated robbery and similar cases in Clark County are usually investigated by Springfield police detectives or the Sheriff's Office, sometimes with help from the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The defendant makes a first appearance in the Municipal Court, where bond may be set very high or denied after the court considers the constitutional bail factors. The Prosecuting Attorney typically takes these cases directly to the grand jury.

What the law allows

• Aggravated murder: death, or a life sentence that either bars parole entirely or allows a parole hearing at 20, 25 or 30 years. Ohio's last execution was in 2018, and reprieves have delayed all later dates.
• Murder: an indefinite 15-years-to-life term.
• Rape: F1, sentenced under Reagan Tokes, with life imprisonment available when the victim was under 13 and force or another enhancing factor is proven.
• Aggravated robbery: F1, commonly with a gun specification.

Representation and victims' rights

The Clark County Public Defender or appointed counsel qualified for major felonies represents defendants who cannot afford an attorney; death-penalty cases require specially certified lawyers. Marsy's Law, approved by Ohio voters in 2017, guarantees victims notice, presence and a voice at key stages. Most of these Clark County prosecutions last a year or more, and two-year timelines are not unusual.

Delinquency cases are heard by the Clark County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division, known locally as the Clark County Juvenile Court, at 101 E. Columbia Street, Springfield, (937) 521-1600. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's juvenile unit files the complaints.

Intake and diversion

Intake officers review each new referral. First-time and low-level cases are often handled unofficially or diverted, with requirements such as counseling, community service or restitution, and are closed without an adjudication when the youth completes them.

Detention

Clark County operates its own juvenile detention center in Springfield, where youths are held when they pose a risk to others or themselves or might not appear. Under Juvenile Rule 7(F), a detained youth gets a detention hearing promptly, within 72 hours of placement or by the next court day at the latest.

Dispositions

A youth adjudicated delinquent might receive probation, treatment, community service, electronic monitoring, or a residential placement. In felony matters, the judge may commit the youth to the Ohio Department of Youth Services.

Bindover and SYO

Ohio's mandatory bindover statute moves certain 16- and 17-year-olds accused of the worst crimes to adult court, and it applies to younger teens, ages 14 and 15, in a narrower band of cases. In other felony cases involving a youth 14 or older, the prosecutor can seek discretionary transfer, and the judge holds an amenability hearing first. A Serious Youthful Offender sentence combines a juvenile disposition with a stayed adult sentence that may be enforced if the youth violates its terms.

Juvenile files are generally confidential, and sealing or expungement is often possible. The Clark County Public Defender, (937) 521-1725, represents eligible young people.

Clark County falls in the Western Division of Ohio's southern federal district, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, which also takes in Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus. Federal criminal cases from Springfield and the rest of the county are generally assigned to the Dayton courthouse, about 25 miles to the southwest.

Federal contacts

• Courthouse: Walter H. Rice Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 200 W. Second Street, Dayton, OH 45402
• Prosecutors: U.S. Attorney's Office, Dayton, Suite 600 of the Rice building, (937) 225-2910
• Defense: Federal Public Defender, 1 South Main Street, Suite 490, Dayton, OH 45402, (937) 225-7687
• Custody: U.S. Marshals Service, Dayton, Suite 108 of the Rice building, (937) 225-2917

When a Clark County case goes federal

In Clark County the trigger is usually a federal agency's investigation, whether by the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations or postal inspectors. Common examples are trafficking that crosses state lines, gun possession by people barred from having firearms, fraud schemes, child exploitation and robberies of banks. Springfield police and Sheriff's detectives sometimes serve on joint task forces, and a case can move from the county courts to federal court when penalties are stronger there.

The federal timeline in brief

The first court date is in front of a magistrate judge. If prosecutors want the defendant held, a detention hearing generally takes place within three court days, and there is no commercial bail: the Bail Reform Act calls for either release on conditions overseen by U.S. Pretrial Services or detention. When the charge is a complaint, an indictment must follow within 30 days, and the Speedy Trial Act aims for trial within 70 days, though judges grant extensions routinely. A large majority of defendants plead guilty. A probation officer's presentence report helps the judge apply the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and any statutory minimum. There is no federal parole; inmates in the Bureau of Prisons generally serve about 85 percent of the sentence and then begin supervised release. Federal juries have 12 members and must be unanimous, and appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Before trial, the Marshals place federal detainees in county jails and contract facilities in the region; Springfield-area households can consult the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator for a Clark County defendant by name or by register number. A Clark County prisoner kept before trial at a contracting jail could also appear in the jail's listing. Juveniles are rarely charged federally, and most such cases are handled by the Clark County Juvenile Court.

This Clark County overview describes the general criminal process and is not a substitute for legal advice. Dates, courtrooms and procedures can change, so check your court notice or call the clerk. For help from a lawyer if you cannot afford one, contact the Clark County Public Defender at (937) 521-1725.