Metro Moore County Jail

Yes. The Metro Moore County Jail in Lynchburg keeps them. The Sheriff's Office, at 58 Elm Street, runs it. You do not need to look in Lincoln, Franklin, or any neighboring county.

Look at Moore County Inmate Search. A listing tells you the charge and the bond. Do not drive to Lynchburg until you know there is a bond and have a way to pay it. If the listing is missing, check again later and then phone the Circuit Court Clerk at 931-759-7208.

The Circuit Court Clerk, 931-759-7208, keeps the court records. The County Clerk, 931-759-7346, handles county records. The General Sessions judge's office can be reached at 931-455-5407. Mail to the county goes to P.O. Box 206, Lynchburg, TN 37352.

A judicial officer reviews each arrest and sets a bond for that person alone. A General Sessions judge can hear a request to lower it. The Sheriff's Office has no power to cut a bond and may release a person only once one exists.

Time lived in the county, current employment, close family, a history of showing up for court, a charge that does not involve violence, and no history of fleeing. A trusted person can vouch, though no voucher may speak for more than two defendants.

Yes, if the judge finds a promise to appear is enough. The law tells the court to start with release on recognizance or an unsecured bond and to choose the mildest conditions that will work. Money bail follows only if those fail.

All $10,000. Cash bail has no discount. The court holds the money, and the clerk returns it after the case when the defendant is discharged, once fines and costs are subtracted.

About ten percent of the bond for a Tennessee resident, which would be $1,000 on a $10,000 bond. The premium is not refunded. Up to $25 for initiation and a $12 tax may be added, and nonresidents may be charged ten to fifteen percent.

Ask for the license from the Board of Professional Bondsmen and for proof that the court in the 17th Judicial District has approved the company. A bondsman needs good cause to surrender your relative.

Tennessee real estate qualifies as security. So does a written promise by two sufficient sureties who are neither bondsmen nor lawyers. Call the Circuit Court Clerk at 931-759-7208 and ask what the court needs before you gather deeds.

Often a second hold or a waiting period. Stalking, child abuse, abuse of an older or vulnerable adult, and domestic cases with serious injury or a deadly weapon call for 12 hours unless the official finds no threat. The hold can reach 24 hours for aggravated assault with strangulation or a weapon.

A written order with no contact, a stay-away rule, no weapons, no alcohol or drugs, and perhaps GPS monitoring that the defendant pays for. The defendant gets a copy at release and may request a prompt hearing.

Capital charges are the only exception in the Tennessee Constitution. Everyone else may be released on sufficient sureties, although judges can attach firm conditions.

The judge may order an ignition interlock device and require proof of installation within 10 days. Third and later alcohol offenses can bring transdermal monitoring at the defendant's expense.

The person must be brought before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. On a felony, a preliminary hearing is set within 14 days for a jailed defendant and within 30 days for one on bond. Extensions require good cause.

The court can forfeit the bond and issue an arrest order. A surety owes no fines, costs, or restitution unless the bond says so and the surety agreed. Call the clerk that day.

The 17th Judicial District Public Defender serves Moore County at 931-270-2266. Raise the need for appointed counsel the first time you see the judge. That lawyer can press for release without cash or a lower bond.

A minor's case runs separately, and the name is protected from public view. Call the Circuit Court Clerk at 931-759-7208 to learn the hearing time and where a detained young person is held.

Yes. A judge can review the amount and the conditions at a later hearing, usually after a lawyer files a request or raises it in court. Bring proof of steady work, a local address, and family ties, because those facts are what a judge weighs when deciding whether a lower amount will still bring your relative back.

Carry a government photo ID, the full legal name and birth date of the person in jail, and the case or booking details from Moore County Inmate Search. If you plan to pledge land, bring the deed and a recent tax record. Call 931-759-7208 first to learn how the clerk wants the papers.

No. Commissary and phone money has nothing to do with bail. If someone calls and demands gift cards or a wire, hang up and call the clerk at 931-759-7208.

• County jail: Metro Moore County Jail, Sheriff's Office, 58 Elm Street, Lynchburg, TN 37352
• Bond guide: Jail bail and bond page
• Custody lookup: Moore County Inmate Search
• Circuit Court Clerk: 931-759-7208
• General Sessions judge's office: 931-455-5407
• County Clerk: 931-759-7346
• Public defender: 17th Judicial District; 931-270-2266

Bond amounts, fees, and hours can change with a court order. Court orders can change amounts, fees, and hours. Verify the details of your own case with the clerk before you pay. Ask a licensed attorney about the details of a particular case.

An arrest in Moore County begins a legal process that can be difficult to follow if you have never dealt with Tennessee courts. The county seat is Lynchburg, but the exact courtroom depends on whether the charge is a city ordinance violation, a misdemeanor, or a felony. The questions below cover court contacts, booking, release, misdemeanors, felonies, public defenders, penalties, juvenile proceedings, and federal cases.

Circuit Court Clerk — court filings and hearing information

Moore County Circuit Court Clerk — Mailing address: P.O. Box 8185, Lynchburg, TN 37352. This is not a physical courthouse address.

Circuit Court Clerk telephone: (931) 759-7208

Circuit clerks handle many criminal and civil filings. Chancery Courts usually address civil and equity matters, while General Sessions Courts handle many initial criminal hearings. Call the applicable clerk for the specific courtroom assignment.

Moore County: the county seat is Lynchburg. Tennessee General Sessions Court ordinarily handles initial criminal appearances, misdemeanor proceedings within its authority, and felony preliminary hearings. Felony jury trials are heard in the Circuit or Criminal Court serving Moore County. The Circuit Court Clerk is responsible for criminal filings and records in courts assigned to that clerk; some Tennessee counties have separate criminal clerks.

Courthouse and court clerk contacts

Call the clerk for the names and phone numbers of any other trial-court branches.

Chancery Court generally hears civil matters such as certain family, property, estate, and business disputes; a Chancery clerk is not a substitute for the criminal clerk. The exact court named on a summons controls where the hearing takes place.

After a custodial arrest in Moore County, the arresting agency arranges booking and detention. The person may be housed in a county facility or another authorized jail under an established custody arrangement.

Booking may include identification, fingerprints, a photograph, a property inventory, and a medical or mental-health screening. The defendant is then brought before the proper judicial officer for a probable-cause and release decision as required by law. A family member should write down the full legal name, booking number if known, charges, and scheduled hearing.

A judge or authorized magistrate decides whether someone charged in Moore County can go home before trial and under what conditions. Release on recognizance means there is no up-front bond payment; other orders may require a cash deposit, surety, supervision, travel restrictions, or no contact with another person. Commercial bonding is permitted in Tennessee, but a bondsman cannot decide the court’s bond amount.

If the order allows payment, first establish whether the court or jail collects the money, the exact amount, and whether another hold prevents release. A paid bond does not erase the charges and missing court can lead to forfeiture and arrest.

Many less serious cases in Lynchburg begin in General Sessions Court. A prosecutor can discuss a plea, dismissal or diversion; not every offense qualifies. A defendant does not receive a full jury trial in General Sessions Court, and a final misdemeanor decision there requires appropriate consent or waiver under Tennessee law. The case may instead proceed in a court with jury-trial authority.

Maximum misdemeanor punishments

• Class A misdemeanor: up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
• Class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $500.
• Class C misdemeanor: up to 30 days and/or a fine up to $50.

These are the usual class limits under Tenn. Code § 40-35-111, not promised outcomes. DUI, domestic assault and other offenses can add required fees, treatment, jail minimums, or enhanced penalties based on earlier convictions.

A felony complaint arising in Moore County may start before a General Sessions judge for the initial appearance and preliminary hearing. That hearing tests whether there is enough evidence to continue; it does not decide guilt. A grand jury may indict and the case then moves to the county’s Circuit or Criminal Court. Tennessee also provides other lawful charging routes and waivers in limited circumstances.

After formal charges, the defense can obtain discovery, seek hearings on contested evidence, negotiate a plea, or request trial. A serious felony trial typically uses a twelve-person jury. Felony cases can take substantially longer than minor citations, so hearing notices and attorney communications matter.

A homicide, robbery, rape, or aggravated-assault accusation in Moore County brings particularly serious release and sentencing questions. Judges examine the actual charge and lawful detention criteria; no family should assume that paying a bond automatically means release if there are warrants or other holds.

For example, Tennessee treats many intentional aggravated assaults involving serious bodily injury or a deadly weapon as Class C felonies, with a statutory class range of 3–15 years. Some forms are Class B or D, and the aggravated-assault statute separately caps the ordinary offense fine at $15,000. Murder and other offenses have special sentencing statutes beyond the ordinary felony chart. Defense counsel should review the exact subsection charged.

For a child under 18 accused of wrongdoing in Moore County, the juvenile-court process is different from an adult prosecution. Police or an intake officer may refer the complaint for informal services or ask the juvenile court to hear it. Detention is a separate decision and does not necessarily mean the child has been found delinquent.

A juvenile judge can consider supervision, treatment, community services, restitution, and placement when legally authorized. In especially serious cases, Tennessee law permits transfer proceedings to adult criminal court after a hearing and required findings. Families should ask promptly about appointed counsel, the detention hearing and any restrictions on release of a minor's records.

The punishment depends on the precise statute, offense date, prior record, and any mandatory or alternative-sentence rules. For crimes governed by ordinary Tennessee classification ranges, the overall imprisonment and usual maximum fines are:

• Class A: 15–60 years; ordinary fine ceiling $50,000.
• Class B: 8–30 years; ordinary fine ceiling $25,000.
• Class C: 3–15 years; ordinary fine ceiling $10,000.
• Class D: 2–12 years; ordinary fine ceiling $5,000.
• Class E: 1–6 years; ordinary fine ceiling $3,000.
• Class A misdemeanor: up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
• Class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $500.
• Class C misdemeanor: up to 30 days and/or a fine up to $50.

A court may impose probation, diversion, restitution, treatment or a suspended sentence when the law permits. Tennessee’s felony offender-range rules narrow the sentence within the broader class range; special laws and prior violent convictions can change release eligibility. County jail and state prison are not interchangeable labels for every sentence.

Someone facing a criminal case in Moore County who cannot afford a private defense attorney may ask the judge for appointed counsel. The court reviews an affidavit or other proof about income, assets and ability to pay. An appointment can be through a district public defender or a conflict lawyer when the public defender cannot handle the case.

At the first hearing, the defendant should clearly say they want a lawyer and cannot afford one. A family member can help gather pay information and court papers but cannot waive the defendant’s rights for them. Tennessee has elected district public defenders, and their service areas can cross county borders.

Police in Lynchburg or another town in Moore County may issue a city citation rather than a county criminal warrant. Some Tennessee municipal courts handle ordinance violations and limited traffic matters; their powers depend on the local charter and state law. Serious criminal charges do not become city-court felonies merely because city police made the arrest.

Check the court name actually printed on the summons. If a charge carries criminal jail exposure, ask a lawyer whether the municipal court has authority over it and whether the case is before a General Sessions or state criminal court instead.

Moore County belongs to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee — Winchester Division. The division’s listed courthouse is in Winchester: 200 South Jefferson Street, Winchester, TN 37398. A federal criminal case might involve interstate fraud, offenses on federal property, federal drug trafficking, some firearms offenses, or violations of federal criminal statutes. A state offense does not automatically become federal because it is serious.

Federal defendants may appear before a U.S. magistrate judge for detention and preliminary proceedings; felony cases usually proceed through indictment or another permitted federal charging process, followed by arraignment and trial or plea. Federal prison sentences are administered by the Bureau of Prisons. People awaiting trial or transfer may be held in a contracted or local detention center rather than a prison operated by BOP. Families can search the official Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator for eligible federal inmate records.

This Moore County guide offers general criminal-court information, not advice for a particular defendant. Law and court operations may change; a lawyer can explain the charge and next steps in the actual case.