McKean County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Bail comes from a magisterial district judge, or MDJ, during the preliminary arraignment, a quick first appearance. Per a state victim guide, most of these hearings begin less than six hours after the arrest. There, the MDJ explains the charges, gives the accused their own copy of the charging papers, decides bail and books the preliminary hearing (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540).

Local Rule 510 covers arrests after hours. Anyone picked up at night, over a weekend or on a holiday is driven to a regional booking center. Booking and a video arraignment happen there, and then the person either leaves on bail or is committed to jail:

• McKean County Jail, 17013 Route 6, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-2333. The county's only jail for adults, and a booking center too. Someone waiting overnight for a morning arraignment sleeps here.
• Bradford City Police Department, 18 Kennedy Street, Bradford, PA 16701, 814-368-6133. A police station that doubles as the second booking center, with fingerprints, photos and video hearings.

That rule also refers to a "Central Court." To learn its location and schedule, ring Court Administration at 814-887-3323 or the Clerk of Courts at 814-887-3270.

Pennsylvania recognizes five forms of release (Pa.R.Crim.P. 524). Four need no money at release:

• Own recognizance (ROR). Only a signed pledge to return is required.
• Nonmonetary conditions. Same pledge, but with added rules: perhaps a curfew, reporting to an officer, or steering clear of a certain person.
• Unsecured bail bond. A dollar figure goes on paper, yet nobody pays unless the defendant fails to appear.
• Nominal bail. Just $1 or so is deposited. A person or agency then signs as surety, vouching that the defendant will return.
• Monetary condition. The only choice that demands cash, land or a bond up front.

Rule 523 lists what the MDJ weighs. That includes the charge, the person's work history, ties to the area, past record and any history of missed court dates. Under Rule 528, any dollar figure has to stay reasonable and take the defendant's finances into account.

Nobody publishes a set price per charge. Each MDJ picks a figure case by case. Still, the charge's grade signals how much is at stake. Pennsylvania caps punishment at these levels (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103-1105):

• Summary offense (minor traffic, disorderly conduct): 90 days, $300
• M3: 1 year, $2,500
• M2: 2 years, $5,000
• M1: 5 years, $10,000
• F3: 7 years, $15,000
• F2: 10 years, $25,000
• F1: 20 years, $25,000
• Murder: a life term, and first-degree murder can also carry death. Bail may be withheld (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102)

Picture a $10,000 bail. Where the court permits a 10 percent deposit, $1,000 might be enough to win release (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528). Learn the true figure from jail staff at 814-887-2333.

The jail stands at 17013 Route 6, Smethport, PA 16749. People processed at the Bradford City Police Department, 18 Kennedy Street, Bradford, PA 16701, are freed there after the video hearing or transported to this jail. Phone first so the trip isn't wasted:

1. Dial 814-887-2333.
2. Read the legal name and birthday to whoever picks up.
3. Write down how much is owed, which kind of bail it is and the case's docket number.
4. Find out which office collects the money right now (jail lobby, Clerk of Courts window or a district court) and its hours.
5. Check which payment types are accepted and which payee a money order needs.
6. Pack government photo ID and the precise sum.
7. Insist on an itemized receipt, which the official accepting the deposit owes you (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535).

When the line stays busy, the Sheriff's Office picks up at 814-887-3454.

Ask whichever office held the arraignment where the money belongs. Each of these can point you to the right window:

• Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts, McKean County Courthouse, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-3270, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Magisterial District Court 48-1-01, 22 Davis Street, Bradford, PA 16701, 814-368-4075
• Magisterial District Court 48-3-02, 625 East Water Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-5743
• Magisterial District Court 48-3-04, 116 Fraley Street, Kane, PA 16735, 814-837-7131
• Bradford City Police Department, 18 Kennedy Street, Bradford, PA 16701, 814-368-6133, the booking center in Bradford

Put three questions to any of them. Are you open at this hour? Which payments do you take? Does the jail let the person go the moment the money clears? Expect to pay face to face.

Rule 528 lets a monetary condition be met with any mix of these:

• Cash covering every dollar, or anything the court treats as cash.
• Ten percent cash, where the MDJ or local rule permits a partial deposit.
• Land or a house located in Pennsylvania whose value, after any mortgage, covers the full figure.
• A bondsman's surety bond.
• Bearer bonds from a government, which few households own.

Signing as depositor carries weight. A no-show can leave the signer owing every dollar of the bail, far beyond the 10 percent handed over. Before leaving home, ask jail staff at 814-887-2333 about cash, money orders and cards. Mailing cash is never safe.

Paying a bondsman is legal in Pennsylvania. In exchange for a fee, the bondsman guarantees the whole bail sum to the court (42 Pa.C.S. §§ 5741-5750).

• A license from the state Insurance Department is required (42 Pa.C.S. § 5742).
• Bondsmen also file paperwork in each county before writing bonds there (42 Pa.C.S. § 5743.1).
• Their business office must sit inside Pennsylvania (42 Pa.C.S. § 5744).
• A legal cap on fees ended in 2015, so demand a written quote first.
• That fee, the premium, is kept by the bondsman, win or lose.
• Charging someone just for a bondsman referral is a crime (42 Pa.C.S. § 5749).

To confirm a bondsman is cleared for cases here, ask the Clerk of Courts at 814-887-3270.

A bail covers one docket. Ask jail staff at 814-887-2333 to read off every hold before money moves. Common ones:

• A warrant from elsewhere. Only the county or state that issued it can lift it.
• Probation or parole detainer. County Adult Probation explains these at 814-887-3305.
• Separate dockets. A second case filed elsewhere may carry a second bail.
• Bench warrant. A judge's pickup order, usually after a skipped hearing. It must be heard inside 72 hours of the person's arrival at the issuing county's jail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 150).
• Federal or immigration detainer. Paying state bail leaves these in place.

Release carries duties too. Bail orders here require fingerprints and a booking photo within 10 days for any misdemeanor or felony charge.

Release on bail is the usual result under the state constitution (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14). A refusal fits just two narrow situations:

• A charge that could bring death or a life sentence.
• Cases where only holding the defendant can keep others safe.

The state's top court also made prosecutors carry the load. They must present real evidence at a hearing, since suspicion by itself won't do (Commonwealth v. Talley, 2021).

Bail fights are argued by the District Attorney's Office, McKean County Courthouse, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-3312.

A judge must approve any change, and the defense lawyer files the request (Pa.R.Crim.P. 529). Until the preliminary hearing, the MDJ who issued the bail can take it up. Afterward, the Court of Common Pleas decides.

1. Contact the defense attorney, or call the Public Defender at 814-887-3316.
2. Assemble recent pay stubs, a signed lease or a deed, local relatives' names and a realistic figure the family can raise.
3. Offer conditions that answer the court's concerns, like reporting by phone or staying home at night.

Pretrial jail also has a clock. After 180 days held without a trial, not counting stalls the defense asked for, the lawyer may ask the court for release on nominal bail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 600). Court Administration lists hearing dates at 814-887-3323.

To request a free lawyer, contact the Public Defender's Office in the courthouse, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-3316. Its staff take criminal matters only, never divorce, custody or bankruptcy.

• Phone to book an intake appointment.
• Carry the complaint or summons.
• Show income: four recent pay stubs, last year's tax return, SSI papers, an Access card, or a support letter from whoever covers your bills. Applications lacking proof get turned down.
• From inside the jail, a request slip gets faxed over by staff.

See the office's application instructions. State law requires a sworn money statement from each applicant (16 P.S. § 9960.1), and state dollars have backed county defense since Act 34 of 2023.

Every case opens in a district court, and serious ones climb to the courthouse:

• Court of Common Pleas, 48th Judicial District, McKean County Courthouse, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-5571, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Felonies, misdemeanors and summary appeals land here.
• Magisterial District Court 48-1-01, 22 Davis Street, Bradford, PA 16701, 814-368-4075, serving Bradford city plus Bradford and Foster Townships.
• Magisterial District Court 48-3-02, 625 East Water Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-5743, serving Port Allegany, Eldred, Smethport Borough and the surrounding townships.
• Magisterial District Court 48-3-04, 116 Fraley Street, Kane, PA 16735, 814-837-7131, serving Kane, Mt. Jewett, Lewis Run and townships close by.
• Federal court, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, 17 South Park Row, Erie, PA 16501, 814-464-9600.

Save the receipt. Rule 535 returns the deposit to the named depositor within 20 days of the case's last ruling, once nothing is left pending. The county may first deduct a handling charge, so ask the Clerk of Courts at 814-887-3270 what it is.

• Bail deposited under the defendant's own name may be used to pay fines, costs and restitution.
• Money posted by a relative or friend, in their name, is better protected.
• Skipping court brings a bench warrant, possible new charges and forfeiture, which means the bail is lost.

Separate from bail, Adult Probation collects a $100 booking fee after a conviction or entry into ARD. Dismissed, withdrawn and acquitted cases owe nothing.

Settle personal property and any account balance before the release paperwork ends. Ring 814-887-2333 to hear how leftover funds are refunded and when stored items can be picked up at 17013 Route 6, Smethport, PA 16749.

ID is required. If you're collecting for them, find out whether the jail asks for a signed okay first. For how jail accounts work, read our inmate money guide.

Any federal case arising here is heard at the Erie courthouse of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, 17 South Park Row, Erie, PA 16501, 814-464-9600.

• Custody before trial is decided at an early detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Until that ruling, the U.S. Marshals Service has custody. The district office, 700 Grant Street, Room 2360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3351, knows where each federal prisoner is housed.
• After sentencing, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Don't confuse FCI McKean, 6975 Route 59, Lewis Run, PA 16738, 814-362-8900, with the county lockup. That federal prison belongs to the Bureau of Prisons.

No. Immigration holds run separately from state bail. A typical sequence:

1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may file a detainer, Form I-247A, with the county jail.
2. That form requests a hold of the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. For Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit appeals court has ruled that detainers are requests, not commands. It added that a county holding someone for that reason only may be held to account (Galarza v. Szalczyk, 3d Cir. 2014). Every jail picks its own approach. Jail staff at 814-887-2333 can describe this one's.
4. Custody then passes to the ICE Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
5. Track the person with the ICE Online Detainee Locator using name and birth country.

The longest possible term in the sentence picks the place (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762):

• Top term under 2 years: the sentence stays in the county jail.
• Top term of 2 years to just below 5: most often state prison. The jail, the prosecutor and the court may jointly agree to keep it local.
• Maximum reaching 5 years or beyond: a state prison.

New state inmates spend weeks or even months being evaluated at a reception and classification center before transfer. Search the DOC inmate locator. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections main line is 717-728-2573, and headquarters sits at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050. Details on each site appear in our state prison listings.

Under the Juvenile Act, anyone younger than 18 normally lands in juvenile court (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301). Detained youths are placed in a center for juveniles, away from adult inmates, and their files never reach the public docket portal.

There are exceptions. An adult judge takes the case first for a youth of 15, 16 or 17 who faces a murder count, or an armed violent charge from a list in state law. Defense lawyers can request a move to juvenile court.

Parents should contact Juvenile Probation, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-3365, to learn where their child is, the hearing time and the chances of release.