The District Court hears both. Its reach is unlimited under Okla. Const. art. VII, § 7, so felonies and state misdemeanors share one courthouse. This county and Logan County form Judicial District 9.

• Felony: a charge carrying possible time in a state prison.
• Misdemeanor: a lesser charge; the punishment is local jail, money or both.
• City ordinance case: heard in a municipal court, which is limited to criminal and traffic matters (Okla. Const. art. VII, § 1).

State Question 780 (in force since July 1, 2017) lowered simple drug possession to a misdemeanor. A property crime now needs $1,000 or more at stake to be a felony. Tribal land rules can also matter: when a tribal citizen is accused on land a court treats as a reservation, tribal court or federal court may take over (McGirt v. Oklahoma). Ask the defense lawyer to check that question early.

One building holds the state court and its clerk. Felony, misdemeanor, traffic, search warrant and extradition files all run through the criminal counter.

• District Court and Court Clerk: county courthouse, 606 S. Husband Street, Room 206, Stillwater, OK 74074, 405-372-4774. Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., including the lunch hour. Closed weekends and holidays. Help is first come, first served.
• Stillwater Municipal Court (city charges): 723 S. Lewis St., Stillwater, OK 74074, 405-742-8253.
• Cushing Municipal Court (Cushing charges): City Hall, 100 Judy Adams Blvd., Cushing, OK 74023, 918-306-4152.
• Federal court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000.

Two cities run their own courts, and a third collects fines at city hall.

• Stillwater Municipal Court: 723 S. Lewis St., Stillwater, OK 74074, 405-742-8253. Mail goes to P.O. Box 1725, Stillwater, OK 74076. The city lists office hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday. Dockets meet twice a month: arraignments Wednesday at 1 p.m., trials Tuesday at 1 p.m., general review Wednesday at 9 a.m., cost hearings Tuesday at 10 a.m. and a juvenile docket Tuesday at 3 p.m.
• Cushing Municipal Court: City Hall, 100 Judy Adams Blvd., Cushing, OK 74023, 918-306-4152. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 311, Cushing, OK 74023.
• Drumright (mostly in Creek County): city court fines are paid at City Hall, 424 East Broadway, Drumright, OK 74030, 918-352-2631.

Perkins, Yale, Glencoe, Ripley, and the parts of Mulhall and Orlando inside this county may handle tickets their own way. For any of those, phone the town office, or check with the Court Clerk at 405-372-4774 where a local ticket belongs.

Shortly after booking comes a first look by a judge, face to face or over video. When the jail holding the person is in another county, SB 1711 (2024) permits arraignment by video. At that early hearing the judge usually:

• reads out the charges,
• sets or reviews bond,
• checks on a lawyer, hired or appointed, and
• sets the next date.

Felony defendants enter no plea at their first District Court arraignment. A preliminary hearing comes later. It is not a trial. Prosecutors need only show probable cause: that a crime occurred inside the county and the accused likely committed it.

Slow cases get a check-in. SB 325 counts from that first court date. The mark is 9 months if this charge alone keeps the person jailed. It is a year and a half if they are out.

State misdemeanors are charged by the DA in District Court, and they move in fewer steps:

1. Arraignment, where bond is set and the person answers the charge.
2. Bargaining between prosecutor and defense; many cases close with a plea.
3. Trial for the rest, in front of six jurors.
4. A sentence, which can mean county jail, a fine, probation or a mix.

The same act can land in a city court instead. A Stillwater officer may write public drunkenness or a small theft as a city charge, with a bond from the city schedule. Under a 2026 law (SB 1775), a city fine set higher than state law allows is reduced to that maximum.

A second or later DUI can't be bonded out by an officer at all; a judge must grant bail (HB 1222).

Felonies take longer and pass through more hearings:

1. First appearance before a judge, with bond and the lawyer question settled.
2. Preliminary hearing, a check on whether the state's proof supports moving ahead.
3. District Court arraignment on the formal charge.
4. Motions and plea talks.
5. Jury trial with twelve jurors, unless a plea deal settles it first.
6. Sentencing.

Felonies committed from January 1, 2026 on get a letter grade. HB 1792 built that system, and HB 2104 plus HB 2105 adjusted it. The scale tops out at Y and A1 and bottoms out at D2 and D3. Judgments list the grade and the minimum stay. Credit for county jail days before sentencing is almost always given.

Yes, three of them. First, bail can be denied for violent crimes, for crimes that carry life, and for big drug cases, after a hearing (Okla. Const. art. II, § 8). Under HB 3782, picking up a second violent charge during bond on the first flips the starting point toward detention.

Second, many violent crimes fall under Oklahoma's 85% rule (21 O.S. § 13.1). A conviction on one means 85% of the prison sentence must pass before any parole review. Covered crimes include both degrees of murder, first-degree rape, and armed robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Third, the new felony classes put violent crimes in groups Y, A and B, which keep the long ranges they had before. Expect a slower case with more hearings.

• Prosecutor: the elected District 9 District Attorney, whose district pairs Logan with this county. Local office: 606 S. Husband, Room 111, Stillwater, OK 74074, 405-372-4883.
• Defense for people who can't pay: the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, through contract lawyers at P.O. Box 2024, Stillwater, OK 74076, 405-533-1220.
• Defense headquarters: 111 N. Peters Ave, Suite 500, Norman, OK 73069, 405-801-2601.

The appointed-lawyer application is filed at the Court Clerk's office; jail staff can supply the form to someone locked up. A judge rules on it using the money form (22 O.S. § 1355A). A $40 court fund fee applies, and deferring it to the case's close may be requested. Only the judge on the case can appoint the defense office, so phoning OIDS directly does not start one.

For free dockets, the Court Clerk points to the Oklahoma State Courts Network. The Sheriff's resource list adds Oklahoma District Court Records. Type the surname, then the first name.

• At the counter, 606 S. Husband Street, Room 206, Stillwater, OK 74074, 405-372-4774, staff can look up dates.
• Copies cost $1.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each page after. A certified copy adds $0.50.
• Mailed record requests take about 1 to 2 weeks. Files more than 10 years old may be kept in another place.
• Juvenile, mental health and adoption files stay closed to the public.

Court staff can give dates and file copies, but they cannot give legal advice.

County warrants go out with Sheriff's deputies; call 405-372-4522 and ask for warrants. Check the Payne County Most Wanted list, the Attorney General's Oklahoma 10 Most Wanted plus the Marshals' 15 Most Wanted. Searching a name on OSCN, or a question at the clerk's window, shows warrants tied to filed cases. Clearing it starts with a lawyer. Next, surrender to whichever court issued it, or ring that court for a bond amount or fresh date. Court Clerk: 606 S. Husband Street, Room 206, Stillwater, OK 74074, 405-372-4774.

A federal indictment from here is handled in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000. The clerk is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Federal prosecutors: U.S. Attorney's Office, 210 Park Avenue, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-553-8700.
• A detention hearing under 18 U.S.C. 3142 settles pretrial release.
• Defense for those who can't pay: Federal Public Defender, 215 Dean A. McGee Avenue, Room 109, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5930.
• The U.S. Marshals Service keeps people before trial: 200 NW 4th Street, Room 2022, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-231-4206.
• After sentencing, find them with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Nothing about a detainer drops the state charge. Its effect shows up on release day.

1. The jail receives ICE's Form I-247A.
2. That paper lets the county keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE takes custody. The Dallas Field Office covers Oklahoma, and its Oklahoma office is at 1220 Sovereign Row, Oklahoma City, OK 73108, 405-219-3199.
4. The Cimarron Correctional Facility is one ICE site in this county: 3200 S. Kings Hwy., Cushing, OK 74023, 918-225-3336, or elsewhere.
5. Find them with the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Talk about immigration with the defense lawyer before any plea. One more point: a federal judge has blocked the state's own immigration crime (HB 4156, 21 O.S. § 1795) while the state appeals.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections takes over after a prison sentence. DOC puts the normal wait for that transfer at 6 to 9 months.

• DOC staff first assess the person and assign a custody level.
• A matching prison is chosen next.
• Once DOC has the person, its DOC Offender Lookup lists the current facility.
• Our guide to Oklahoma prisons lists every facility.

After arrival, family questions go to the prison case manager assigned to the person.

Juvenile cases are filed with the same Court Clerk, and those files stay private. The state Office of Juvenile Affairs handles intake and probation for this county from its District 4 office, 2319 W 7th Place, Stillwater, OK 74074, 405-743-1545.

• Processing at a police or sheriff's station is capped at 6 hours for a youth.
• Once locked in detention, a youth gets a hearing before a judge, normally within one judicial day.
• The Youthful Offender Act can reach a teenager (15, 16 or 17) charged with something grave, for example first-degree arson or a robbery using a gun. Through certification, a judge may also send a case to adult court.
• Stillwater's city court runs a juvenile docket Tuesdays at 3 p.m. for city citations.

Youth who must be held go to a regional juvenile detention center outside the county, never the adult jail.

Marsy's Law is part of Oklahoma's Constitution (Okla. Const. art. II, § 34). It promises victims courteous handling by officials, a turn to speak when bond, any plea bargain and the punishment come up in court, to full restitution, and to a prompt end to the case.

• Want notice of each step? Put it in writing to the DA's office: defendant's name, case number, county, plus a mailing address and phone for you.
• Sign up with Oklahoma VINE for custody alerts, or call 877-654-8463.
• The Crime Victims Compensation Program can cover costs like medical care, therapy, missed wages or a funeral: 405-264-5006.
• Ask the Court Clerk's office about a victim protective order. SB 623 makes serving an order on a jailed respondent a priority, with a first try inside 24 hours.