One court takes both: the District Court. Oklahoma's Constitution hands each district court "unlimited original jurisdiction of all justiciable matters," which is why a shoplifting charge and a burglary charge from this county share a courthouse (Okla. Const. art. VII § 7). Three kinds of judges serve there: district, associate district and special (art. VII § 8).

• Felony. Prison is possible. If the crime took place January 1, 2026, or later, it carries a letter class, ranked from Y and A1 down to D2 and D3 (HB 1792, HB 2104, HB 2105).
• Misdemeanor. A smaller crime. Any jail time is served locally, not in state prison.
• Town ordinance charge. Goes to a town court. Oklahoma limits such courts to criminal and traffic matters (art. VII § 1).

Anyone who loses in District Court may ask the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to review the case. Locally, the county belongs to Judicial District 1 and the Northwest-Panhandle administrative district (20 O.S. § 22). The tribal court questions raised by McGirt v. Oklahoma mostly involve reservations in eastern Oklahoma, far from here.

Look for 111 Second Street, Beaver, OK 73932. The Court Clerk works there. That office keeps every kind of District Court file: crime, civil, wills, youth, family and small claims.

• Court Clerk: 580-625-3191. Mailing address P.O. Box 237, Beaver, OK 73932. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the counter stays staffed through the noon hour.
• Clerk services: court costs, payments on traffic tickets, protective order paperwork and jury duty check-in.
• Local prosecutor's office: District Attorney, 111 W. 2nd Street, Beaver, OK 73932, 580-625-3388.

A federal charge is heard far away, at the U.S. District Court, 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000.

Only the Town of Beaver shows a Municipal Court, which takes town ordinance charges and tickets. It names no courtroom address of its own, so reach it through the town office at 316 Douglas Avenue, Beaver, OK 73932, 580-625-3331.

• Court meets about once a month. The dates left in 2026 are November 18 and December 16.
• The town's police page says tickets can be paid by phone at 800-444-1187 or at trafficpayment.com.
• A 2026 law says a town fine set higher than the maximum allowed is void and is cut back to that maximum automatically (SB 1775).
• Skipping a town court date lets the judge forfeit the bond the same day (11 O.S. § 27-118).

Forgan, Gate and Knowles are tiny towns. To learn where a case from one of them is heard, ring the Court Clerk at 580-625-3191.

Expect a brief hearing. A judge tells your family member what the charge is, looks at the bond and makes sure they know about the right to a lawyer. In 2025, the state's highest criminal court said this right covers any case where jail is possible. The case name is Spybuck v. State, 2025 OK CR 7.

• Lawyer form. Some judges pass the court-appointed counsel form to jailed defendants around now. If that doesn't happen, request one from jail staff.
• Felonies: no plea yet. A District Court felony arraignment is not where the accused says guilty or not guilty.
• Screens instead of a trip. Starting November 1, 2024, a judge may handle arraignment by video when the accused is locked up in a different county (SB 1711).
• The speed clock. From that same date, a case still short of trial gets a court review. That review comes 9 months after the first appearance when the only thing holding the accused is this charge, or 18 months when the accused is free on bond (SB 325).

For the hearing day and time, ring the Court Clerk at 580-625-3191.

A misdemeanor may be dropped, settled with a plea bargain, or tried. When a jury hears one in District Court, six jurors sit. The sentence can be a fine, local jail time or a mix, but never a state prison term.

• Drug possession. Ever since July 1, 2017, holding drugs for personal use has counted as a misdemeanor (State Question 780).
• Theft. That same ballot measure moved the felony cutoff for property crimes from $500 up to $1,000.
• DUI. Bail on a repeat DUI is set by a judge in writing, not by the jail (HB 1222). Starting with the third felony DUI, the judge may deny bail entirely (SB 981).

When jail is possible, so is a free lawyer for those who qualify. Penalties turn on the exact charge and past record. To learn what was filed, ask the defense lawyer or ring the District Attorney's office at 580-625-3388.

A felony moves through more stops than a misdemeanor. The usual path:

1. Arrest and booking at the jail on Avenue E, then a bond decision.
2. Charges filed by the District Attorney's office.
3. Felony arraignment. The judge reads out the charge and sets or reviews the bond. Nobody pleads yet.
4. Preliminary hearing. Think of it as a test, short of a trial. Prosecutors must prove three things: a crime took place, there is probable cause your family member committed it, and it occurred inside this county.
5. Plea talks or trial. Oklahoma felony juries seat twelve.
6. Sentencing. Once the offense date is January 1, 2026, or later, the written judgment must list which felony class applies and how much of the term must be served at minimum (HB 2105). New ranges and time-served rules cover the C and D classes, while the higher classes keep the ranges they had.

Jail days before sentencing are nearly always credited against the term. Calendar questions go to the Court Clerk at 580-625-3191.

Yes, at nearly every stage.

• Bail can be denied. Violent crimes appear on the constitution's list where release can be refused. The judge must first find the proof evident and decide no conditions could protect the public or any person (Okla. Const. art. II § 8).
• A second violent case while on bond. The law then presumes the accused should stay in custody, though the defense can argue against it (HB 3782).
• Highest classes. Violent offenses sit in the Y, A and B tiers of the new system. A 2026 law files domestic abuse done while a child is present as Class B5 (SB 1238).
• The 85% rule. For a set list of crimes, among them first degree murder, rape in the first degree and first degree arson, people must serve at least 85% of the prison term before a parole review (21 O.S. § 13.1). Juries hear about this rule in their instructions.
• Victims. Marsy's Law gives them a voice whenever release, a plea deal or the sentence is being decided (Okla. Const. art. II § 34).

The state's lawyer is the elected District Attorney for District 1, a four-county district covering Beaver, Cimarron, Harper and Texas counties. The local office is at 111 W. 2nd Street, Beaver, OK 73932, 580-625-3388. Its mail goes to P.O. Box 849, Beaver, OK 73932. Staff are in from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., away from noon to 1:00 p.m.

Free defense is provided by the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System (OIDS) office at 1001 N Main St, Guymon, OK 73942, 580-290-6875, for anyone the judge finds unable to pay.

• The Court Clerk has the form. If your family member is behind bars, a jailer can hand them one.
• A judge, not OIDS, decides who qualifies after looking at income, debts and property (22 O.S. § 1355A).
• A $40 fee comes with the application and is deposited in the Court Fund. Payment may wait until the case ends.

Hiring a private defense attorney instead is allowed at any stage.

The county's own court page points to Oklahoma District Court Records (ODCR) for online case records. You can also try the statewide Oklahoma State Courts Network (OSCN) for court records.

1. Open ODCR and choose this county's records.
2. Type in your family member's name. A case number works too, when you know it.
3. Click into the case for the charge list, the filings so far and upcoming hearings.
4. Write down the case number. Clerks and lawyers use it to find a file fast.

Dates can change, and a fresh filing may take time to show. To confirm a court date, call the Court Clerk at 580-625-3191.

Deputies serve District Court warrants here, so ask the Sheriff's Office about one at 580-625-4549. Searching the name on ODCR or asking the Court Clerk also works. Official statewide wanted pages: the Attorney General's Oklahoma 10 Most Wanted, the Corrections Orange Alert escape page and the federal Marshals 15 Most Wanted. Clearing one starts with a lawyer. Next, turn yourself in to the issuing court, or phone it about posting bond or getting a new date. The Court Clerk sits at 111 Second Street, Beaver, OK 73932, 580-625-3191.

This county is part of the Western District of Oklahoma. Woodward is listed in federal law as a place where that court may meet, yet the clerk's offices with staff are in Oklahoma City and Lawton.

• Court: U.S. District Court clerk, 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Prosecutor: U.S. Attorney's Office, 210 Park Avenue, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-553-8700.
• Detention hearing: a federal judge decides if your family member stays in custody until trial or goes home under conditions (18 U.S.C. 3142). U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, 215 Dean A. McGee Avenue, Room 201, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5800, is the federal pretrial office for this district.
• Custody: the U.S. Marshals Service, 200 Northwest 4th Street, Room 2022, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-231-4206, keeps federal defendants until trial. Ask there which jail has the bed.
• After sentence: look them up in the BOP inmate locator.

The state charge keeps going in District Court either way. What a detainer changes is the day your family member would walk out:

1. ICE sends Form I-247A to the jailers, naming your family member.
2. That form lets the lockup stretch custody to up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE agents take custody. The ICE Dallas Field Office, 8101 N. Stemmons Frwy, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200, covers Oklahoma.
4. ICE sometimes sends its detainees to Cimarron Correctional Facility, 3200 S. Kings Hwy., Cushing, OK 74023, 918-225-3336.
5. To trace someone ICE holds, enter a name and birth country in the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Oklahoma's own immigration crime, HB 4156 (21 O.S. § 1795), cannot be enforced for now, because a federal judge blocked it and the appeal is still going. Another state statute deals with how jails verify the citizenship of the people they hold (22 O.S. § 171.2). Before taking any plea, raise immigration concerns with the defense attorney.

A prison term moves your family member from the county jail into the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC). The wait is often half a year to nine months, DOC says, though people with very short terms may leave sooner. DOC first sends new arrivals to an assessment and reception center, scores their custody level, then assigns a prison.

• Find them with the DOC Offender Lookup. Mail to a prison must show both their name and their ODOC number.
• Each Oklahoma prison is listed on our state prisons page.
• For questions once they arrive, DOC says to contact the inmate's case manager.

DOC's main office is at 4345 North Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-425-2500.

Youth cases go to the District Court's juvenile docket, and the Court Clerk keeps those files. The Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) handles intake and probation in this county. A teen who is picked up is placed in a youth detention center rather than with adult inmates.

• A youth held in detention sees a judge by the next court day, or two court days with good cause. A youth may be held up to five court days while a petition is filed.
• After a petition is filed, a judge must look again at whether the youth stays locked up at least once every 10 days.
• Teens 15 to 17 charged with crimes such as robbery with a firearm or first degree rape can be handled as youthful offenders. At 13 or 14, only first degree murder qualifies.
• A judge can move a case to adult court (certification) or back to juvenile court (reverse certification).

To learn which center holds a teen, call the Sheriff's Office at 580-625-4549. OJA is at 2501 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 500, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-530-2800.

Oklahoma put victims' rights in its constitution. People call that part Marsy's Law (Okla. Const. art. II § 34). Victims must be treated fairly and with respect. They may speak when release, a plea or a sentence is up for a ruling. They are owed full repayment for losses, and the case should not drag on for no good reason.

• Getting notices. Write to the District Attorney's office, 111 W. 2nd Street, Beaver, OK 73932, 580-625-3388. List who the defendant is, which county, the case number, plus where to mail you and a phone number.
• Custody alerts. Register with Oklahoma VINE or call 877-654-8463.
• Costs of the crime. The state's Crime Victims Compensation Program can cover things like doctor and dental bills, therapy, missed pay and burial costs. The District Attorneys Council runs it from 421 NW 13th, Suite 290, Oklahoma City, OK 73103, 405-264-5006.
• Protective orders. Start at the Court Clerk's window. When the person named in the order sits in county jail, serving it is a priority, and the first attempt must come within 24 hours (SB 623).