W. W. Moore, Jr. Detention Home

At the Henry County Adult Detention Center, 800 DuPont Road, Martinsville, VA 24112, phone 276-618-7158.

At the courthouse, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, #F, Martinsville, VA 24112, 276-634-4810.

Use the Henry County inmate search.

The Henry General District Court, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite A, Martinsville, VA 24112, 276-634-4815, and the Circuit Court, Suite B, 3160 Kings Mountain Rd., Martinsville, VA 24112, 276-634-4880.

The jail, magistrate and courts all sit along Kings Mountain Road north of Martinsville. Bail is usually decided within a few hours of booking (Va. Code § 19.2-80).

Cash at the Kings Mountain Road jail, Virginia property, or a DCJS-licensed bondsman (Va. Code § 9.1-185). Bondsmen charge 10% to 15% (Va. Code § 9.1-185.8). Magistrates answer around the clock (Va. Code § 19.2-48.1).

For someone still in the Kings Mountain Road jail, a district judge in Suite A hears bail at the first session (Va. Code § 19.2-158) and asks about appointed counsel (Va. Code § 19.2-159). Circuit Court in Suite B hears appeals (Va. Code § 19.2-124).

Suite A handles misdemeanor trials, and a defendant has 10 days to appeal (Va. Code § 16.1-132). Felonies get a preliminary hearing (Va. Code § 19.2-218). JDR is upstairs at 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite C, 2nd Floor, Martinsville, VA 24112, 276-634-4830 (Va. Code § 16.1-241).

Yes. If jail is possible, a Henry judge reviews the person's sworn statement of money and may appoint counsel (Va. Code § 19.2-159).

Stay-away orders, curfews and alcohol bans (Va. Code § 19.2-123). A household arrest brings a short emergency protective order (Va. Code § 16.1-253.4). Ridgeway and the NC line are minutes away; a North Carolina warrant can hold someone after the Henry bond (Va. Code § 19.2-102) (Va. Code § 19.2-85).

The Kings Mountain Road court may order the person picked up and take the bond, and skipping court may be charged (Va. Code § 19.2-128).

In Danville, about 40 minutes east, at the Western District of Virginia (18 U.S.C. § 3142).

Henry co-signers answer for the bond if the defendant disappears (Va. Code § 19.2-143), unless they return the person to the jail first (Va. Code § 19.2-149). Posted cash goes back after the case when the defendant kept every date. Henry County and the City of Martinsville are separate, so make sure you call the right court.

Jail: 276-618-7158. Magistrate: 276-634-4810. District court: 276-634-4815.

Henry County is a Southside Virginia county on the North Carolina line that wraps around the independent City of Martinsville, its county seat; the county's only incorporated town is Ridgeway. Criminal charges from the county are heard at the Henry County Courthouse on Kings Mountain Road in the Henry General District Court, the Henry Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and the Henry Circuit Court, all part of Virginia's 21st Judicial Circuit, which also covers Patrick County and Martinsville. The elected Henry County Commonwealth's Attorney prosecutes, and the Martinsville Public Defender represents eligible defendants. Adults who are not released after arrest are held in the Sheriff's own jail, the Henry County Adult Detention Center, next door to the courthouse.

• Henry Circuit Court and Circuit Court Clerk, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite B, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4880
• Henry General District Court (criminal and traffic), 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite A, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4815
• Henry Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite C, 2nd Floor, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4830
• Magistrate's office (21st District), 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite F, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4810
• Henry County Commonwealth's Attorney, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite D, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4500; Victim/Witness program (276) 634-4511
• Martinsville Public Defender (serves Henry County, Patrick County and Martinsville), 10 East Main Street, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 666-2206
• Henry County Sheriff's Office, 3250 Kings Mountain Road, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 656-4200
• Henry County Adult Detention Center, 800 DuPont Road, Martinsville, VA 24112; inmate questions through the Sheriff's Office, (276) 656-4200

Which court hears your case. A misdemeanor or traffic charge from Henry County, such as shoplifting, a first DUI or reckless driving, is tried in the Henry General District Court, where a judge decides the case without a jury; a person convicted there has 10 days to appeal to the Henry Circuit Court and get a completely new trial, with a jury if requested. The Henry Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court handles any charge against a person under 18 and adult charges in which the alleged victim is a family or household member, such as domestic assault and battery or a protective order violation. A felony starts with a preliminary hearing in the General District Court (or in the JDR court when the complaining witness is a relative or household member) and, once a grand jury returns an indictment, is tried in the Henry Circuit Court.

Where pretrial inmates are held. Henry County does not belong to a regional jail authority. The Sheriff operates the Henry County Adult Detention Center at 800 DuPont Road in Martinsville, and it holds adults arrested in the county, including Ridgeway, while their cases are pending. The City of Martinsville keeps a separate city jail for its own arrests. For custody status, visiting rules or how to post bond, call the Henry County Sheriff's Office at (276) 656-4200.

Virginia does not have municipal, town or mayor's courts, so every criminal charge filed in Henry County lands in one of three state courts that share the courthouse at 3160 Kings Mountain Road. Charges brought in the Town of Ridgeway, where the Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement, go to the same Henry County courts as charges from Collinsville, Bassett, Axton or any other part of the county. Arrests made inside the City of Martinsville are a different matter: they belong to the Martinsville courts on West Church Street, even though the city sits in the middle of the county.

The three courts

• Henry General District Court (misdemeanors, traffic, felony preliminary hearings, bond reviews), Suite A, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4815; clerk's office 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Henry Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Suite C, 2nd Floor, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4830
• Henry Circuit Court and Clerk (felony trials, grand jury, misdemeanor appeals), Suite B, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4880; regular terms open in January, March, May, July, September and November

Offices people deal with after an arrest

• Magistrate, Suite F at the courthouse, (276) 634-4810; magistrates issue warrants and set bail at all hours, often by video from the jail
• 21st District Court Service Unit (juvenile intake and probation), Henry County Courthouse, 3160 Kings Mountain Road, Suite 3, Martinsville, VA 24112, (276) 634-4856
• Commonwealth's Attorney, Suite D, (276) 634-4500
• Martinsville Public Defender, 10 East Main Street, Martinsville, VA 24112 (mail: P.O. Drawer 31, Martinsville, VA 24114), (276) 666-2206
• Henry County Sheriff's Office (the county's law enforcement agency and jailer; Henry County has no separate county police department), 3250 Kings Mountain Road, (276) 656-4200

A lawyer is appointed only for someone who cannot afford one and is charged with an offense that could bring jail time. The usual route is to tell the magistrate, or the judge at the first court date, that you want a court-appointed lawyer and then sign the financial statement; the General District Court clerk at (276) 634-4815 can say where a request stands.

Plenty of Henry County misdemeanors start with a summons handed over at the scene, with no trip to jail. An officer who makes a custodial arrest instead takes the person to the magistrate on Kings Mountain Road. The magistrate decides whether there is probable cause for the charge and then chooses among release on recognizance (a written promise to appear), an unsecured bond owed only if the person misses court, or a secured bond paid in cash or posted through a licensed bondsman. A person who cannot post the amount stays at the Henry County Adult Detention Center and may ask a General District Court judge for a bond hearing, with a further appeal to the Circuit Court.

First court date and the lawyer question

For a jailed defendant, the advisement or arraignment usually happens the next day the General District Court is in session. The judge reads the charge, asks about a lawyer and sets a trial date. Anyone facing possible jail time who cannot afford an attorney can request one; in Henry County the appointed lawyer is typically from the Martinsville Public Defender, (276) 666-2206, unless a conflict requires a private attorney from the court's list. Family-related assaults follow the same steps in the JDR court instead.

Penalties for common charges

• Petit larceny (taking goods valued under $1,000): a Class 1 misdemeanor, up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
• First DUI: Class 1, with a mandatory minimum $250 fine, 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 the time of arrest. A blood alcohol level of 0.15 to 0.20 adds 5 mandatory days in jail, and over 0.20 adds 10.
• Assault and battery: Class 1. When the alleged victim is a family or household member, the JDR court hears it, a first offender may qualify for a deferred disposition, and a third such conviction can be charged as a felony.
• Trespassing after being told to stay off property: Class 1.

A Class 2 misdemeanor is capped at six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, while Class 3 and Class 4 offenses bring fines only (up to $500 and $250). Results range from dismissal or a deferred first-offender disposition to a fine, a suspended sentence with probation, or active jail time. Expect a case to take one to three months, longer if it is appealed to the Henry Circuit Court for a new trial. Some charges and convictions may later qualify for sealing under Virginia law.

A felony charge in Henry County moves through two courts in the same building: it begins in the General District Court and, if it survives the preliminary hearing or is directly indicted, finishes in the Henry Circuit Court. The Commonwealth's Attorney's office at (276) 634-4500 handles the prosecution from start to finish.

1. Magistrate. After the arrest the magistrate issues the warrant and decides on bail, weighing whether the person is likely to flee or poses a danger. If held, the person goes to the Henry County Adult Detention Center and can seek a bond hearing before a judge.
2. Advisement. At the first appearance the General District Court judge confirms the charge and appoints counsel when the person qualifies, usually the Martinsville Public Defender.
3. Preliminary hearing. A judge hears enough evidence to decide whether probable cause exists. A finding of probable cause sends, or "certifies," the charge to the grand jury, and the prosecutor may also skip this step by seeking a direct indictment.
4. Grand jury and arraignment. A Henry Circuit Court grand jury returns the indictment, and the defendant is arraigned and enters a plea.
5. Plea or trial. Most cases are resolved by plea agreement. A trial can be before the judge or a unanimous 12-person jury; since July 2021 the judge pronounces sentence unless the defendant asks the jury to do it. Virginia's voluntary sentencing guidelines are calculated before sentencing.

What the charges carry

• Grand larceny ($1,000 or more): a prison term of one to twenty years, though the judge or jury may choose a jail sentence of a year or less instead.
• Burglary: breaking into a dwelling at night is a Class 3 felony (5 to 20 years), Class 2 if the person was armed; most other statutory burglary charges have a 20-year ceiling.
• Possession of a Schedule I or II drug, such as methamphetamine, cocaine or fentanyl: a Class 5 felony punishable by one to ten years in prison or, at the court's discretion, a jail term of no more than a year. Distribution or possession with intent: a first conviction carries 5 to 40 years, and large quantities trigger mandatory minimum terms. Adults 21 and over may legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana, but selling it remains a crime.
• Malicious wounding: Class 3 (5 to 20 years); unlawful wounding, a Class 6 felony, carries one to five years, or as much as a year in jail.

Virginia's speedy-trial statute generally requires trial within 5 months of the probable-cause finding for a jailed defendant and 9 months for one on release, subject to exceptions such as continuances the defense requests. No one convicted of a felony committed since January 1, 1995 can be paroled, although earned sentence credits may reduce the time actually spent inside; a sentence of more than a year is served in a Virginia Department of Corrections prison. Most Henry County felonies take four months to a year.

Violent felonies follow the felony track described above, but release before trial is much harder to get. Virginia's 2021 reform removed the old presumption against bail for certain offenses, yet magistrates and judges still deny release when they find a serious risk to public safety, so many defendants charged with these crimes remain at the Henry County Adult Detention Center until trial. Investigations are often joint efforts between the Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police, and forensic work goes to the state's Department of Forensic Science.

• Aggravated murder (formerly capital murder): Class 1, punishable by life imprisonment. Virginia abolished the death penalty in 2021.
• First-degree murder: a Class 2 felony, punishable in the Henry Circuit Court by 20 years to life. Second-degree murder: 5 to 40 years.
• Rape: 5 years to life, followed by sex offender registration.
• Robbery: 5 years to life.
• Aggravated malicious wounding: Class 2, exposing a Henry County defendant to 20 years to life.

Victims and their families have rights under Virginia's Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act, including notice of court dates, the chance to submit a victim impact statement, and help with restitution. The Henry County Commonwealth's Attorney's Victim/Witness program, (276) 634-4511, provides those services. Defendants who qualify are represented by the Martinsville Public Defender or by an appointed private lawyer qualified for serious cases. Because of expert testing, motions and crowded trial calendars, these prosecutions commonly run one to two years.

Anyone under 18 accused of a crime in Henry County is handled by the Henry Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, (276) 634-4830. The process opens with the 21st District Court Service Unit, the state Department of Juvenile Justice office that serves Henry County, Patrick County and Martinsville, located in Suite 3 of the courthouse, (276) 634-4856.

Intake and detention

A CSU intake officer reviews each complaint and decides whether to file a petition with the court, divert a minor first offense to an informal plan, or, when the youth poses a danger or might run, approve secure detention. Youths detained from Henry County are generally taken to the W.W. Moore, Jr. Juvenile Detention Center at 603 Colquhoun Street in Danville, (434) 799-5295, which serves the Martinsville and Danville region. A detention hearing must take place within 72 hours, on the next day the court sits, and the judge appoints a lawyer for the child if needed. The Henry County Commonwealth's Attorney prosecutes juvenile petitions.

Possible outcomes

• Diversion or dismissal after the youth completes community service, counseling, restitution or other conditions.
• Probation supervised by the Court Service Unit, often with school, curfew and treatment requirements.
• Local community programs or a short post-dispositional placement.
• Commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice for serious or repeat conduct, with the youth held at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center or placed in a community program.

Trial as an adult

When a youth who was 14 or older is charged with certain serious felonies, the prosecutor can ask for a transfer hearing, and the JDR judge may send the case to the Henry Circuit Court for trial as an adult. For the gravest charges against 16- and 17-year-olds, such as murder or aggravated malicious wounding, Virginia law generally allows the Commonwealth's Attorney to certify the case to Circuit Court after a preliminary hearing finds probable cause. Most juvenile court records are confidential and not open to the public.

Henry County is in the Western District of Virginia. Federal cases from the county used to be heard in Danville, but that courthouse stopped taking new cases in late 2025, and Henry County matters are now assigned to the Roanoke Division, about an hour's drive north.

• U.S. District Court Clerk, Roanoke Division, Richard H. Poff Federal Building, 210 Franklin Road SW, Room 540, Roanoke, VA 24011, (540) 857-5100
• U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia (headquarters), 310 1st Street SW, Room 906, Roanoke, VA 24011, (540) 857-2250
• Federal Public Defender, Western District of Virginia, 210 First Street SW, Suite 400, Roanoke, VA 24011, (540) 777-0880

What makes a case federal

Federal prosecutors in Roanoke pick up cases that cross state lines or involve a federal interest: drug trafficking networks running along U.S. 220 and U.S. 58, firearm possession by people with felony convictions, bank robbery, fraud against federal programs, and child exploitation offenses. Crimes on federal property, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land around Philpott Lake on the county's northwest edge, can also be charged in federal court. A federal case can proceed alongside, or instead of, a state case for the same conduct.

How the case moves

Someone arrested on a federal charge from Henry County is brought before a federal magistrate judge in Roanoke for an initial appearance. Federal court has no commercial bail system. Release decisions fall under the Bail Reform Act, so the judge either sends the defendant home on conditions monitored by federal Pretrial Services officers or orders the person held, usually after a detention hearing within three court days of the government's request. A defendant charged by complaint must be indicted by a grand jury within 30 days, and the Speedy Trial Act sets a 70-day target for trial, though continuances are routine. The Federal Public Defender or a Criminal Justice Act panel lawyer represents those who cannot pay.

Most cases end in a guilty plea, and if a case is tried, all twelve jurors must agree on the verdict. A federal probation officer writes a presentence report, and the sentencing judge weighs the advisory Guidelines range and any mandatory minimum that applies. With no federal parole, prisoners serve roughly 85 percent of the sentence in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, followed by supervised release. Appeals are heard by the Fourth Circuit, the federal appeals court that sits in Richmond. Federal charges against juveniles are rare.

Finding a federal prisoner

To check whether someone is in federal custody, enter a full name or the eight-digit register number in the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. A federal defendant awaiting trial may be housed in a local or regional jail under a U.S. Marshals contract and may appear on that jail's inmate roster too.