Alleghany Regional Jail

To the Alleghany Regional Jail at 268 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426. Call 540-965-1776 for custody questions.

The magistrate in Covington, at 268 W. Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, sets the first terms; the phone is 540-965-1778. That office also has a video site in Clifton Forge.

Look in the Alleghany County jail lookup, or call the jail. Bond amounts can change after a judge reviews them.

The combined General District and Juvenile court is at 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, 540-965-1720. Felony trials are in the Circuit Court at 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, 540-965-1730. A person still in jail sees a judge on the first day the district court sits (Va. Code § 19.2-158).

Usually within hours. After booking at the regional jail near Covington, a magistrate reviews the charge without unreasonable delay (Va. Code § 19.2-80) and decides whether a signature is enough, whether to name a sum owed only on a no-show, or whether money must be posted (Va. Code § 19.2-123).

Pay in cash, pledge Virginia property with enough equity, or use a DCJS-licensed bondsman (Va. Code § 9.1-185) whose fee is 10% to 15% (Va. Code § 9.1-185.8). Magistrate service is available around the clock (Va. Code § 19.2-48.1), sometimes by video link.

Yes. Anyone still at the regional jail gets a video hearing with a Covington judge the next court day (Va. Code § 19.2-158), who also talks about counsel (Va. Code § 19.2-159). A later motion or a Circuit Court appeal (Va. Code § 19.2-124) is also possible.

The combined district court in Covington, 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, 540-965-1720, hears misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings (Va. Code § 19.2-218) and juvenile and family matters (Va. Code § 16.1-241). Misdemeanor appeals are due in 10 days (Va. Code § 16.1-132).

Yes, when the charge carries possible jail and the defendant is low on money. A sworn income form decides it (Va. Code § 19.2-159).

A capias can be issued and the bond forfeited. A separate charge for failure to appear may follow (Va. Code § 19.2-128).

Staying away from a victim, a curfew or no alcohol are common (Va. Code § 19.2-123). After a family arrest, expect an emergency protective order (Va. Code § 16.1-253.4). Holds from other states may keep a person in jail despite bond (Va. Code § 19.2-102) (Va. Code § 19.2-85).

By the Western District of Virginia, at its Roanoke courthouse, under federal release law (18 U.S.C. § 3142).

Cash put up for the bond is returned when the case finishes and nothing was missed. Signing for someone in Covington means you could pay if they disappear (Va. Code § 19.2-143), unless you hand them back first (Va. Code § 19.2-149). Call the regional jail about visits and deposits.

Call the regional jail at 540-965-1776 first. For release terms, the magistrate is at 540-965-1778. For dates, the district court clerk is at 540-965-1720.

Alleghany County sits in the Alleghany Highlands along Interstate 64, and its government offices are in Covington, an independent city that the county surrounds and that also serves as the county seat. The county and the City of Covington share one set of courts in the courthouse at 266 West Main Street: the Alleghany Circuit Court and the Alleghany General and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Combined Court, both part of the 25th Judicial Circuit. A single elected Commonwealth's Attorney prosecutes crimes from both the county and the city, and a single sheriff serves both. Adults who are not released after arrest are held at the Alleghany County Regional Jail, run by the Sheriff's Office next to the courthouse.

The City of Covington. Covington is a separate locality with its own city council and its own police force, the Covington Division of Police, but for criminal cases it is joined to Alleghany County at almost every step. Arrests by Covington officers go to the same magistrate, the same combined district court, the same Circuit Court, the same Commonwealth's Attorney and the same jail as arrests made by deputies in the county. The Sheriff's office title reflects this: voters in both localities elect one Sheriff for Alleghany County and Covington.

• Alleghany Circuit Court (felonies, jury trials and misdemeanor appeals for Alleghany County and the City of Covington), Courthouse, 266 West Main Street, P.O. Box 670, Covington, VA 24426; Clerk (540) 965-1730
• Alleghany General and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Combined Court (misdemeanors, traffic, preliminary hearings, juvenile and family cases), 266 West Main Street, P.O. Box 139, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1720
• Magistrate, Alleghany office (serves the county and Covington), 268 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1778
• Commonwealth's Attorney for Alleghany County and the City of Covington, 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1740
• Alleghany County–Covington Sheriff's Office, 268 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1770
• Covington Division of Police, 333 West Locust Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-6333
• Clifton Forge Police Department, Main Street, Clifton Forge, VA 24422, (540) 863-2513 (weekday office line; after hours, Sheriff's dispatch at (540) 965-1770)
• 25th District Court Service Unit, Covington office (juvenile intake), Courthouse, 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1710
• Alleghany County Regional Jail, 268 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, through the Sheriff's Office at (540) 965-1770
• Court-appointed counsel: no state public defender office covers Alleghany County or Covington; the judge appoints a private lawyer from the court's list. Ask the district court clerk at (540) 965-1720.

Which court hears your case. A misdemeanor or traffic charge from the county, Clifton Forge, Iron Gate or the City of Covington is tried on the general district side of the Alleghany Combined Court, where a judge decides the case without a jury; a person found guilty has 10 days to appeal to the Alleghany Circuit Court and get a completely new trial, this time with the option of a jury. When the person accused of assault or another offense is a family or household member of the alleged victim, or when a juvenile is involved, the case belongs to the juvenile and domestic relations side of the same combined court. Felonies start with a preliminary hearing in the combined court (on the JDR side if the victim is a family member) and, once a grand jury returns an indictment, are tried in the Alleghany Circuit Court.

Where pretrial inmates are held. The Sheriff operates the Alleghany County Regional Jail at 268 West Main Street in downtown Covington, a short walk from the courtrooms. It houses adults arrested anywhere in Alleghany County, including the towns of Clifton Forge and Iron Gate, and in the City of Covington, whether they are waiting for a bond to be posted, waiting for trial, or serving a local sentence. For custody questions, call the Sheriff's Office at (540) 965-1770.

Virginia does not have municipal, town or mayor's courts, so no town in the Highlands runs a court of its own. Charges brought by the police in the towns of Clifton Forge and Iron Gate, by deputies anywhere in the county, and by Covington police officers inside the city all go to the courts listed below, which sit together in the Covington courthouse.

Courts and clerks

• Alleghany Circuit Court, 266 West Main Street, P.O. Box 670, Covington, VA 24426; Clerk of Court (540) 965-1730; judges' chambers (540) 965-1738. The clerk's office keeps hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Alleghany General and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Combined Court, 266 West Main Street, P.O. Box 139, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1720. One clerk's office, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., handles criminal, traffic and juvenile matters for both the county and Covington.

Magistrate and juvenile intake

• Magistrate, Alleghany office, 268 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1778. Magistrates of the 25th District issue warrants and make the first bail decision at any hour, in person or by video.
• 25th District Court Service Unit, Covington office, 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1710

Prosecutor, defense and law enforcement

• Commonwealth's Attorney for Alleghany County and the City of Covington, 266 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1740
• Court-appointed lawyers: the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission runs no public defender office for this area, so the combined court or the Circuit Court appoints private attorneys; financial forms are kept by the clerk at (540) 965-1720.
• Alleghany County–Covington Sheriff's Office (county patrol, courthouse security, the jail), 268 West Main Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-1770
• Covington Division of Police, 333 West Locust Street, Covington, VA 24426, (540) 965-6333
• Clifton Forge Police Department, Main Street, Clifton Forge, VA 24422, (540) 863-2513
• Iron Gate: calls from the town go through the Sheriff's dispatch center at (540) 965-1770.

Clifton Forge was an independent city until 2001, when it gave up city status and became a town inside Alleghany County, which is why older records may refer to a separate Clifton Forge court. Today all of its cases are filed in Covington.

Many misdemeanors in the Highlands begin with a summons that the officer hands over at the scene, with no trip to jail at all. A custodial arrest, which is common in DUI and domestic cases, follows a set routine.

Arrest, the magistrate and release

The officer brings the person before the magistrate at 268 West Main Street, who decides whether there is probable cause, issues the warrant, and chooses among release on recognizance, an unsecured bond, or a secured bond paid in cash or posted through a licensed bondsman. A person who cannot meet the terms is booked into the Alleghany County Regional Jail next door. Since 2021 there is no presumption against release for any offense, so the magistrate looks at flight risk and danger. A judge of the combined court can review the magistrate's decision at a bond hearing, and that ruling can be appealed to the Circuit Court.

First appearance and the lawyer question

At the advisement, held the next day the court sits for a person in custody, the judge explains the charge and asks whether the defendant will hire a lawyer, wants one appointed, or will proceed alone. Because no public defender serves Alleghany County or Covington, the judge appoints a private attorney from the court's list for a defendant who qualifies and faces possible jail. The clerk at (540) 965-1720 has the financial statement form. The Commonwealth's Attorney prosecutes the case.

Penalties for the example charges

• Petit larceny (property worth less than $1,000): Class 1 misdemeanor, with up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
• First DUI: Class 1, with a mandatory $250 minimum fine, mandatory jail of 5 days for a BAC from 0.15 to 0.20 and 10 days above 0.20, a one-year license revocation (a restricted license with an ignition interlock may be allowed), enrollment in VASAP, and a 7-day administrative suspension at arrest.
• Assault and battery: Class 1. Against a family or household member it is heard on the JDR side, a first offender may qualify for a deferred disposition, and a third family-assault conviction can be charged as a felony.
• Trespass: Class 1. Lesser misdemeanors are Class 2 (up to 6 months and $1,000), Class 3 (fine up to $500) and Class 4 (fine up to $250).

The judge alone decides guilt in district court. Outcomes include dismissal, a deferred disposition for first offenders, a fine, a suspended sentence with probation, or active jail time. The 10-day appeal to the Circuit Court brings a fresh trial. Most cases wrap up within one to three months, and an appeal adds several more. Some charges and convictions can later be sealed under Virginia law.

Felony arrests in the Highlands frequently involve drugs carried along Interstate 64, thefts from homes and camps, and break-ins in Clifton Forge and Covington. The same Commonwealth's Attorney handles them whether the arrest was made in the city or the county.

Step by step

1. Magistrate. Felony warrants and the first bail decision come from the Alleghany magistrate's office. If release is denied or the bond cannot be posted, the person stays at the Alleghany County Regional Jail.
2. Advisement. The combined district court tells the defendant the charge and appoints counsel from its list when the person cannot afford a lawyer.
3. Preliminary hearing. A district court judge decides whether there is probable cause; a finding of probable cause sends, or certifies, the charge to the grand jury. The prosecutor may also skip this step by asking the grand jury for a direct indictment.
4. Grand jury and arraignment. An indictment moves the case into the Alleghany Circuit Court, where the defendant is arraigned and a trial date is set.
5. Plea or trial. Most felonies end with a plea agreement. At trial, 12 jurors must agree unanimously; the judge imposes sentence unless the defendant asks for the jury to do it, and Virginia's voluntary sentencing guidelines are consulted.

What the example charges carry

• Grand larceny ($1,000 or more): a prison range of 1 to 20 years, though the judge or jury may instead impose a jail term of 12 months or less.
• Burglary: breaking into a dwelling at night is a Class 3 felony (5 to 20 years) and a Class 2 felony if armed; other statutory burglaries reach up to 20 years.
• Drug possession of a Schedule I or II substance: Class 5, which allows 1 to 10 years in prison or a jail term of no more than 12 months. Distribution or possession with intent: 5 to 40 years on a first offense, with mandatory minimums for large quantities. Adults 21 and older may possess up to an ounce of marijuana, but selling it is still a crime.
• Malicious wounding: Class 3. Unlawful wounding, without malice, is Class 6 (1 to 5 years, or up to 12 months in jail).

Under Code §19.2-243, trial must generally begin within 5 months of the probable cause finding for a jailed defendant and within 9 months for one who is free, with exceptions. Parole does not apply to felonies committed since January 1, 1995, though earned sentence credits can reduce the time served. Prison terms longer than 12 months are served in the Virginia Department of Corrections. A typical Alleghany felony takes four months to a year.

Serious violent cases are uncommon in Alleghany County and Covington, and investigations often bring in the Virginia State Police alongside the Sheriff's Office or city police. Release before trial is harder to get in these cases: the magistrate or judge weighs danger to the community and the risk of flight, and a defendant who is refused bond can wait months at the Alleghany County Regional Jail before trial.

• Aggravated murder (formerly capital murder): Class 1, punished by life imprisonment, because Virginia ended the death penalty in 2021. Specially qualified defense counsel is assigned in these cases.
• First-degree murder: Class 2, 20 years to life. Second-degree murder: 5 to 40 years.
• Rape: 5 years to life.
• Robbery: 5 years to life, depending on the facts and any weapon.
• Aggravated malicious wounding: Class 2, 20 years to life.

These cases follow the same felony path, from preliminary hearing through indictment to a Circuit Court jury, but they involve more forensic evidence, expert witnesses and motions, so one to two years from arrest to verdict is common. The Commonwealth's Attorney's victim/witness program keeps victims informed under the Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act, including notice of hearings and a chance to speak before sentencing. A defendant who cannot afford a lawyer receives a court-appointed one, as with any other charge.

When a child under 18 is accused of a crime in Alleghany County or the City of Covington, the case goes to the juvenile and domestic relations side of the Alleghany Combined Court at 266 West Main Street, (540) 965-1720.

Intake

The 25th District Court Service Unit, whose Covington office is in the courthouse ((540) 965-1710), screens each complaint. The intake officer can divert a minor first offense to a community program, file a petition that starts a court case, or approve detention when the youth is considered a danger or a flight risk. The Commonwealth's Attorney prosecutes juvenile cases in court.

Detention

Youths from the Highlands who must be held are taken to the Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center, 300 Technology Drive, Staunton, VA 24401, (540) 886-0729, roughly 70 miles east. A detention hearing must take place within 72 hours, or on the next day the court sits, and the judge can release the child to a parent with conditions. A child is entitled to a lawyer, and the court appoints one when the family has not hired counsel.

Possible outcomes

• Diversion, dismissal, or probation with conditions such as school attendance, counseling, community service or restitution.
• Commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice for serious or repeated offenses, served at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center or in a community placement.
• Trial as an adult: a child 14 or older charged with certain serious felonies may be transferred to the Alleghany Circuit Court after a transfer hearing. For the gravest charges, such as murder or aggravated malicious wounding, the Commonwealth's Attorney may be able to certify a 16- or 17-year-old for adult trial following a preliminary hearing.

In most cases, juvenile court records are kept confidential.

Alleghany County and the City of Covington belong to the Roanoke Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. Federal charges from the Highlands are heard in the Richard H. Poff Federal Building in Roanoke, about an hour's drive southeast on Interstate 64 and Interstate 81.

• U.S. District Court Clerk, Roanoke Division, 210 Franklin Road SW, Room 540, Roanoke, VA 24011, (540) 857-5100
• U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia (main office in Roanoke), P.O. Box 1709, Roanoke, VA 24008, (540) 857-2250
• Federal Public Defender, Roanoke office, 210 First Street SW, Suite 400, Roanoke, VA 24011, (540) 777-0880; private attorneys on the Criminal Justice Act panel take conflict cases

When a case becomes federal

Federal prosecutors in Roanoke typically take Highlands cases involving methamphetamine or opioid trafficking, guns possessed by people with felony convictions, bank robbery, online child exploitation, and fraud. Large parts of the county lie in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, and Gathright Dam at Lake Moomaw is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project, so crimes on that federal land can also be charged in federal court. The FBI, DEA, ATF and the Forest Service are among the investigating agencies.

How the case moves

After arrest, the defendant appears before a U.S. magistrate judge, is told the charges, and has counsel appointed if eligible. Unlike state court, there is no money bond posted through a bondsman; under the Bail Reform Act the judge either releases the person on conditions monitored by U.S. Pretrial Services or orders detention, usually after a hearing held within three court days. A defendant charged by complaint must be indicted by a grand jury within 30 days, and the Speedy Trial Act sets a 70-day clock for trial, though continuances are common. Most defendants plead guilty. A trial uses a 12-person jury whose verdict must be unanimous.

Sentencing follows a presentence report and the advisory federal Sentencing Guidelines, along with any mandatory minimum. There is no federal parole, so prisoners serve about 85 percent of the sentence in the Bureau of Prisons before a period of supervised release. Appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond.

Locating a federal prisoner

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator by name or register number. A defendant held before trial in a local or regional jail under a U.S. Marshals contract can turn up on that facility's inmate list as well. Federal charges against juveniles are rare, and almost all youth cases from the county stay in state court.