No. Each District Court in Oklahoma holds power over "all justiciable matters," so one court handles both levels of state crime (Okla. Const. art. VII § 7). Here that court serves Judicial District 23, shared with Lincoln County.

• Felony: the serious level, where prison is a possible sentence. It is filed in District Court.
• State misdemeanor: a lower crime, such as a first DUI or possessing drugs for personal use. It goes to District Court as well, and the penalty can include county jail.
• Town ordinance case: a city ticket, often for traffic, heard by that town's municipal court. Those courts may only take criminal and traffic matters (Okla. Const. art. VII § 1).

Voters elect the district and associate district judges, and the district judges appoint special judges (Okla. Const. art. VII § 8). Criminal appeals from it are heard by the state's Court of Criminal Appeals.

Three offices a family may need sit within a short walk on North Broadway in downtown Shawnee:

• District Court Clerk, 325 N. Broadway, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-273-3624, open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Files, bonds and hearing dates are kept here.
• District Attorney, in the courthouse at 400 N. Broadway Ave, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-275-6800.
• Appointed defense office, 318 N. Broadway Ave, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-273-6510.

Phone the clerk the day before. Ask which courtroom and what time, and carry a photo ID.

City police tickets for breaking a local ordinance stay in that town's court. Town courts with known offices:

• Shawnee Municipal Court, in the City Hall lobby at 16 West 9th Street (mailing: P.O. Box 1448, Shawnee, OK 74802-1448), 405-878-1624. Hours run 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. Friday.
• Tecumseh Municipal Court, 114 N. Broadway, Tecumseh, OK 74873, 405-598-4315, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Adults are arraigned at 4:30 p.m. on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wednesdays.
• McLoud Municipal Court, clerk at 402 E. Broadway, McLoud, OK 74851, 405-988-2789. Court sits at 4:00 p.m. on scheduled Tuesdays, with trials the 3rd Tuesday, in City Hall, 408 W. Broadway, McLoud, OK 74851.
• Maud also keeps a municipal court. City Hall, 208 W. Main, Maud, OK 74854, 405-374-2717, can give its schedule.

Got a ticket from Asher, Bethel Acres, Brooksville, Earlsboro, Johnson, Macomb, Pink, St. Louis, Tribbey or Wanette? The District Court Clerk at 405-273-3624 can tell you where it went. The slice of Oklahoma City inside the county uses that city's bond window at 701 Couch Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-297-2781.

Three tribal governments hold court inside the county. All three take criminal matters, plus civil, family and youth cases:

• Absentee Shawnee Tribal Court, 2025 S. Gordon Cooper Drive, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-481-8575. The office keeps 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays with a noon hour off. Its District Court calls cases at 10:00 a.m. on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays.
• Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tribal Court, through the Nation's headquarters, 1601 Gordon Cooper Dr., Shawnee, OK 74801. Reach the court clerk at 405-878-4844.
• Kickapoo Tribal Court: Building C, 105365 S. Hwy 102, McLoud, OK 74851, 405-964-4227, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Its claimed area lies between the Canadian and Deep Fork rivers, east of Indian Meridian Road and west of Kickapoo Street. Fees there take a money order or cashier's check only.

The courts have not placed this county inside one of the reservations recognized after McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020). Even so, trust land here may count as Indian country. The right court may hinge on the exact location and on whether the accused or the victim is a tribal citizen, so lean on a defense lawyer.

Soon after booking, the person comes before a judge. If the person is held outside the county where the case is filed, SB 1711 lets that arraignment take place by video. Expect three things at this first setting:

• the charges are read or explained
• bond or release terms are set or looked at again
• a reminder that counsel is a right, and that the state pays when the person can't

The Oklahoma Constitution guarantees a jury trial that is quick, open to the public and held where the crime happened (Okla. Const. art. II § 20). A 2024 law also has courts review slow cases: Nine months after the first appearance is the mark for someone held only on that case. For someone free, it is 18 months (SB 325). For the date and time, phone the Court Clerk at 405-273-3624.

Lots of misdemeanors on this docket exist because of State Question 780, in force since July 1, 2017. Possession for personal use dropped to misdemeanor level, and a theft or similar property crime must top $1,000, not $500, to count as a felony.

1. A prosecutor files the charge. That is the District Attorney for state cases, or a city attorney for an ordinance ticket.
2. The arraignment is where the person pleads, most often not guilty at first.
3. The case is resolved by agreement or set for trial.
4. A misdemeanor jury in District Court is six people.
5. A conviction may mean county jail time and a fine, plus court costs.

The state's top criminal court ruled in 2025 that a misdemeanor that could bring jail time comes with the right to counsel (Spybuck v. State). DUI repeat cases are stricter, because only a judge may set their bail.

A felony usually passes these points at the Broadway courthouse:

1. Charge filed. The District Attorney puts the accusation in writing.
2. First setting. A judge reviews the charge and bond.
3. Preliminary hearing. This hearing does not decide guilt. The state's job is narrow: probable cause that the crime occurred in this county and that the accused is the one who did it.
4. Arraignment and pretrial settings. The two sides swap evidence, and a plea offer may come.
5. Trial. A jury of 12 decides a felony.
6. Sentence. Punishment is set by the judge once guilt is found or admitted.

Letter grades now apply to felonies committed since the start of 2026 (HB 1792, HB 2104, HB 2105). The worst crimes rank as Class Y or A1. The mildest are D2 or D3. Judgments now name the class, along with the shortest stay the person must serve.

For serious crimes, the rules tighten at each stage:

• Release. Violent charges are on the constitution's no-bail list, after a hearing (Okla. Const. art. II § 8). HB 3782 flips the usual starting point when a second violent arrest comes during a pending violent case: the judge begins by assuming jail.
• The 85% rule. Some crimes carry this rule. First-degree murder, first-degree rape and child abuse are on the list. After conviction, 85% of the prison term has to pass before any parole hearing (21 O.S. § 13.1).
• Children present. SB 1238 makes abuse of a partner, done while a child watches, a Class B5 felony.
• Orders of protection. If the person named in the order is in the county jail, service gets priority, and someone must try to serve it within the first 24 hours (SB 623).

Prosecution belongs to the District 23 District Attorney, whose district joins this county with Lincoln County. Its local office: 400 N. Broadway Ave, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-275-6800.

If the family can't afford a defense lawyer, the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System provides one through a contract firm at 318 N. Broadway Ave, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-273-6510.

• File the application with the Court Clerk, 325 N. Broadway, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-273-3624. Jail staff hand out the form to people inside.
• Eligibility is a judge's call. The defense office itself can't hand out a lawyer by phone.
• Filing costs $40. That charge can be held off until the case is over, if the person asks.

Headquarters of the defense system: 111 N. Peters Ave, Suite 500, Norman, OK 73069, 405-801-2601.

Oklahoma's court records sit on two statewide sites. Agencies in this county link to each one, so try both with a last and first name:

• Oklahoma State Courts Network docket search (linked by the District Attorney)
• Oklahoma District Court Records (linked by the Absentee Shawnee Tribal Police)

No luck online? Phone the Court Clerk at 405-273-3624 and give the name and date of birth. Town tickets are tracked by the court that wrote them, for example Tecumseh's at 405-598-4315. Keep the case number handy for every later call.

County deputies serve warrants, so ask the Sheriff's Dispatch, 405-273-1727. For a city warrant, Shawnee's court answers at 405-878-1624. Court filings can be searched on OSCN or ODCR. Government wanted lists: U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted nationwide, Oklahoma's Attorney General's 10 Most Wanted list, DOC Orange Alerts when a prisoner walks off, and the Absentee Shawnee tribal warrant table. With a lawyer's help, surrender at 14209 Highway 177, Shawnee, OK 74804, or have the issuing court give a fresh date. Clerk: 325 N. Broadway, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-273-3624.

Federal crimes here belong to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Shawnee appears in federal law among its meeting towns, while the clerk's counter is at 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000.

• Charging choices rest with the U.S. Attorney's Office at 210 Park Avenue, Suite 400, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-553-8700.
• A detention hearing decides whether the person goes home before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• For that hearing, a pretrial services officer checks the person's history. U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services: 215 Dean A. McGee Avenue, Room 201, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5800.
• Prisoners awaiting a federal trial are in U.S. Marshals Service custody. Office: 200 NW 4th Street, Room 2022, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-231-4206.
• Court filings sit on PACER, and sentenced prisoners show on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

The charges stay on track. The detainer only changes what happens at release:

1. Form I-247A, the ICE detainer, is lodged.
2. With it, the jail may hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE officers take over custody. In Oklahoma they report to the Dallas Field Office, 8101 N. Stemmons Frwy, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
4. A detainee may be housed at Cimarron Correctional Facility, 3200 S. Kings Hwy., Cushing, OK 74023, 918-225-3336, or pass through the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City.
5. Track them with the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

A 2024 Oklahoma law created a state crime for living in the state without legal permission (21 O.S. § 1795). Enforcement is frozen by a federal court while Oklahoma appeals. Ask the defense lawyer how any plea could affect immigration status.

State prison terms are run by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-425-2500.

• DOC usually collects people from the county jail within 6 to 9 months of sentencing.
• A state assessment and reception center sets the person's custody level.
• That level points to the prison where they will live.
• Every state lockup gets a profile in our Oklahoma state prisons guide, while the DOC Offender Lookup finds the person by name.

Once the person arrives, their case manager is the contact. When you don't have that name, a prison's records officer can help.

Youth cases here fall under the Office of Juvenile Affairs. The district office is at 500 N. Pennsylvania Ave, Shawnee, OK 74801, 405-275-3219, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A held youth goes to the county's own juvenile detention center, never the adult jail.

• Officers get no more than 6 hours to process a youth at a station or the Sheriff's Office.
• A youth kept in detention must go before a judge by the next judicial day, or two days with good cause.
• Ages 15 to 17 facing grave charges can be filed as youthful offenders. A judge may also certify the case up to adult court, or reverse that move.
• Some youth tickets stay in city court. Tecumseh arraigns juveniles the 1st Monday at 4:00 p.m.; McLoud's juvenile docket is the 4th Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

Marsy's Law is Oklahoma's Victims Bill of Rights (Okla. Const. art. II § 34). Victims are owed fair treatment that guards their safety and privacy. In court, their voice counts at bond hearings, at plea talks before the judge and at sentencing. They also have a right to full restitution.

• Want notices about the case? The District Attorney needs a letter giving the defendant's name, case number, county, and where you get mail, plus a phone number. Questions: 405-275-6800.
• A victim advocate works weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Sheriff's Office, 14101 Acme Road, Shawnee, OK 74804, 405-275-2526.
• Register for OK VINE release and transfer notices through VINELink or by phone at 877-654-8463.
• Crime Victims Compensation can help pay for medical care, counseling, missed work or a funeral: 405-264-5006 or 800-745-6098.