Two tiers of state court share each criminal case:

• Magisterial district courts decide summary offenses, the lowest charge level, like many traffic tickets and disorderly conduct. For misdemeanors and felonies they run the opening hearings and set bail. Pennsylvania counts more than 550 of these local courts.
• The Court of Common Pleas takes over misdemeanor and felony cases after the MDJ rules there is enough evidence. It also retries summary cases on appeal. Locally that is the 48th Judicial District, whose territory is this one county.

Upper-court criminal files belong to the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts, reachable at 814-887-3270.

Common Pleas judges hold court at 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749. Dial 814-887-5571 for the building, which opens Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Court Administration builds the schedule: 814-887-3323.
• Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts accepts filings and performs criminal record searches: 814-887-3270.
• Calendar. The county shares a 2026 court calendar online.

Arrive with photo ID and the court notice in hand. Anyone needing an interpreter should warn Court Administration early, because the courts follow a language access plan.

Where the arrest or citation happened decides which of three offices gets it:

• Magisterial District Court 48-1-01, 22 Davis Street, Bradford, PA 16701, 814-368-4075. Area: Bradford city, Bradford Township and Foster Township.
• Magisterial District Court 48-3-02, 625 East Water Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-5743. Area: the boroughs of Smethport, Port Allegany and Eldred, plus Annin, Ceres, Eldred, Keating, Liberty, Norwich and Otto Townships.
• Magisterial District Court 48-3-04, 116 Fraley Street, Kane, PA 16735, 814-837-7131. Area: the boroughs of Kane, Lewis Run and Mt. Jewett, plus Corydon, Hamilton, Hamlin, Lafayette, Sergeant and Wetmore Townships.

A local booking rule also mentions a "Central Court." For its address and days, phone Court Administration at 814-887-3323 or the Clerk of Courts at 814-887-3270.

Every arrest case begins with a preliminary arraignment, which a state guide says usually comes within roughly six hours. Arrests made overnight, on weekends or on holidays get it by video at a booking center:

• The county jail, 17013 Route 6, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-2333, which books people and houses anyone not released
• Bradford City Police Department, 18 Kennedy Street, Bradford, PA 16701, 814-368-6133, which books, fingerprints and photographs people and connects them to a judge by video

During those few minutes the MDJ hands over the complaint, reads the charges, mentions the right to counsel, fixes bail and books a preliminary hearing (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540). Anyone held for a next-morning arraignment spends the night at the jail.

Misdemeanor cases travel the same path as felonies at first. The district judge holds a preliminary hearing within 14 days of arraignment when the accused is locked up, or 21 days when they are out (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540). Enough evidence sends it up to Common Pleas.

Top penalties by misdemeanor grade (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1104):

• M1: 5 years, $10,000
• M2: 2 years, $5,000
• M3: 1 year, $2,500

Most first and second DUIs count as misdemeanors, and the grade climbs with earlier offenses, refusals and high test levels (75 Pa.C.S. § 3803). Retail theft and similar small citations may be summary offenses that stay with the district judge, carrying no more than 90 days and $300.

A first-timer might be offered ARD, a diversion program that the District Attorney offers and a judge signs off on. Finishing the classes, supervision and payments gets the charge dismissed, and it can later be expunged. ARD questions go to the District Attorney's Office at 814-887-3312.

1. Preliminary arraignment. Bail gets set, often over video.
2. Preliminary hearing. Held within 14 days for anyone jailed. Prosecutors must make a prima facie showing: proof of an offense plus enough to tie this defendant to it.
3. Information and formal arraignment. The District Attorney files the final charging paper, called the information, in Common Pleas.
4. Pretrial conference. Many plea bargains take shape at this step.
5. Trial. Twelve jurors decide unanimously, unless the defendant picks a judge instead.
6. Sentencing. A presentence report from probation comes before the sentence.

Felony ceilings are F1, 20 years and $25,000; F2, 10 years and $25,000; F3, 7 years and $15,000 (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103). Adult Probation, which prepares presentence reports, answers at 814-887-3305.

Yes, at nearly every turn:

• Bail. Refusal is possible when the charge could mean death or life imprisonment, or where no condition protects the public. Prosecutors must prove it at a hearing (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14; Commonwealth v. Talley, 2021).
• Murder penalties. Life in prison for second degree, and life or death for first degree (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102).
• Victim input. Victims of violent crimes may weigh in on bail, plea bargains and sentencing.
• Teens charged as adults. A murder count, or some violent counts involving a weapon, means youths aged 15 to 17 begin their case before an adult judge.

Court Administration, 814-887-3323, can share hearing dates for serious cases.

The District Attorney's Office prosecutes for the Commonwealth from the courthouse, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-3312.

The Public Defender's Office shares that address and answers at 814-887-3316. It represents criminal defendants unable to hire private counsel.

• Set up an intake appointment by phone.
• Bring the complaint or summons and income proof, like four recent pay stubs or a tax return.
• Jailed defendants fill out a request slip, which the jail sends by fax.
• Review the application steps beforehand.

Applicants swear to their finances in writing (16 P.S. § 9960.1).

Anyone can use the UJS Web Portal case search for free, without signing up. It covers dockets from the district courts and Common Pleas.

1. Decide whether to search by a person's name or by the docket number.
2. Fill in the person's name and choose the county, then run the search.
3. Click the docket sheet for charges, bail, upcoming dates and the courtroom.

Fresh entries sometimes trail behind the court's own files. Juvenile, sealed and expunged matters remain hidden, and jail location never appears. The Clerk of Courts at 814-887-3270, or the district court handling the matter, can fill gaps.

Bench warrants from Common Pleas go out through the Sheriff's Office, 814-887-3454, while police and constables handle other warrants. Browse the Sheriff's warrant list, the District Attorney's warrant postings and most wanted list, the FBI's fugitive pages, the Pennsylvania State Police Ten Most Wanted, plus the fugitive top 15 kept by the U.S. Marshals. Deputies can also check by phone. To resolve a warrant, talk to a lawyer first. After that, the person goes in person to the issuing court, or calls it to set a new date. For Common Pleas cases, contact the Clerk of Courts, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-3270.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania hears federal cases from this county at its Erie courthouse, 17 South Park Row, Erie, PA 16501, 814-464-9600.

• Soon after arrest, a detention hearing decides if release is possible before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Federal defendants kept in custody before trial remain with the U.S. Marshals Service, 700 Grant Street, Room 2360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3351.
• People who can't afford counsel may be assigned the Federal Public Defender, Erie office, 900 State Street, Suite 206, Erie, PA 16501, 814-455-8089.
• The U.S. Attorney's Erie office is at 17 South Park Row, Room A330, Erie, PA 16501, 814-452-2906.
• Following sentencing, check the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

The state prosecution keeps moving, yet a detainer changes what happens on release day:

1. Form I-247A from ICE asks the jail to hold the defendant up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. The appeals court for Pennsylvania called such forms requests, not orders, and said a county detaining a person on that basis alone bears the blame (Galarza v. Szalczyk, 3d Cir. 2014).
3. As a result, every county jail sets its own detainer policy. Staff at 814-887-2333 can explain it.
4. Pennsylvania falls under ICE's Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
5. Locate a detainee through the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Pennsylvania looks at the maximum term (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762):

• Less than 2 years: stays in the county jail.
• 2 years to just under 5: usually a state prison. To keep it in the county, the jail, the DA and the judge must all agree.
• 5 years or above: state prison.

Before a permanent assignment, each new state inmate is tested and classified, a process lasting weeks or months. Follow their moves with the DOC inmate locator; the state prison system's headquarters is at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573. Our Pennsylvania prison directory profiles each institution.

Juvenile Probation, 500 West Main Street, Smethport, PA 16749, 814-887-3365, guides cases for children under 18 through juvenile court (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301). Children who are detained go to a youth detention center, separate from adult inmates, and those files are kept from the public portal.

Certain teens begin in adult court. This applies at ages 15 to 17 for a murder charge, or for a listed violent offense with a deadly weapon (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302). Defense counsel may petition to move it back. Parents can phone Juvenile Probation to learn the child's location and hearing time.

The Crime Victims Act promises victims notice and a say (18 P.S. § 11.101). They may be alerted when a defendant leaves jail, and they may comment on bail, plea deals and sentencing. A victim-witness coordinator works inside the District Attorney's Office, 814-887-3312.

• PA SAVIN sends free release and transfer notices through VINELink or 866-972-7284 (TTY 866-847-1298).
• The state's victims compensation program can cover medical care, counseling, lost pay and other crime costs. Call 800-233-2339.

Anyone close to the defendant should leave the victim alone, with no calls, visits or notes. Such contact can breach bail conditions and lead to new charges.