Eastern Shore Regional Jail

At the Eastern Shore Regional Jail, 5211 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, phone 757-678-1362.

Near the jail at 5245 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, 757-678-1364. Hearings are mostly by video.

Use the Northampton County inmate search.

The Northampton General District Court, 5229 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, 757-678-0466, and the Circuit Court, 5229 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, 757-678-0465.

The magistrate office on The Hornes near Eastville sits beside the regional jail and works mostly by video. Bail is usually set within a few hours (Va. Code § 19.2-80).

Bonds are posted at the Eastern Shore Regional Jail on The Hornes. Cash and land pledges work, and DCJS-licensed bondsmen post too (Va. Code § 9.1-185) for up to 15% (Va. Code § 9.1-185.8). Bonds can be posted at night (Va. Code § 19.2-48.1).

The district court at 5229 The Hornes, next to the jail, reviews bail at the next court day (Va. Code § 19.2-158) and asks about counsel (Va. Code § 19.2-159). Appeals go to Northampton Circuit Court at the same address (Va. Code § 19.2-124).

Misdemeanors are tried at The Hornes, with 10 days to appeal (Va. Code § 16.1-132). Felonies get a preliminary hearing (Va. Code § 19.2-218). JDR is on the second floor (757-678-1269) (Va. Code § 16.1-241). Cape Charles and Exmore police cases go there too.

Yes. Eastern Shore defendants facing jail can ask; a sworn money form decides it (Va. Code § 19.2-159).

Curfews, alcohol bans and no-contact orders (Va. Code § 19.2-123). Domestic arrests bring a short protective order (Va. Code § 16.1-253.4). Maryland is a short drive north, and its warrants can keep someone at the Eastville jail (Va. Code § 19.2-102) (Va. Code § 19.2-85).

An Eastville judge may order an arrest and keep what was posted. Failure to appear is also a crime (Va. Code § 19.2-128).

Drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to Norfolk; the Eastern District of Virginia sits there (18 U.S.C. § 3142). A Shore co-signer is liable after a missed date (Va. Code § 19.2-143) unless the person is returned to the jail first (Va. Code § 19.2-149).

Jail: 757-678-1362. Magistrate: 757-678-1364. District court: 757-678-0466.

Northampton County fills the southern end of the Delmarva Peninsula, between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic, and Eastville is its county seat. Its criminal docket is split among three courts that share one building on The Hornes in Eastville: the Northampton General District Court, the Northampton Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and the Northampton Circuit Court. The Circuit Court is part of the 2nd Judicial Circuit, and the district courts form District 2A together with Accomack County's. Prosecutions are handled by the county's own elected Commonwealth's Attorney, and people held after arrest go to the Eastern Shore Regional Jail, which the Northampton County Sheriff runs next to the courthouse.

• Northampton Circuit Court and Circuit Court Clerk, 5229 The Hornes (P.O. Box 36), Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-0465
• Northampton General District Court (criminal and traffic), 5229 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-0466
• Northampton Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, 5229 The Hornes, 2nd Floor (P.O. Box 125), Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-1269
• Northampton Magistrate's Office (Magisterial District 32), 5245 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-1364
• 2A District Court Service Unit (juvenile intake; Eastville branch of the Accomac office), main line (757) 787-5860
• Northampton County Commonwealth's Attorney, 5229 The Hornes (P.O. Box 690), Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-0455
• Court-appointed lawyers: Northampton has no Virginia Indigent Defense Commission public defender office; ask the magistrate or judge for appointed counsel, or call the General District Court clerk at (757) 678-0466
• Northampton County Sheriff's Office, 5211 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-0460; dispatch (757) 678-0458
• Cape Charles Police Department and Exmore Police Department, town police; non-emergency calls through county dispatch, (757) 678-0458; the Exmore department, 3305 Main Street, Exmore, also answers at (757) 442-3114, ext. 1007
• Eastern Shore Regional Jail, 5211 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, through the Sheriff's Office at (757) 678-0460

Which court hears your case. In Northampton, the General District Court decides misdemeanor and traffic cases, such as a speeding charge near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel or a petit larceny in Exmore. A judge, not a jury, hears those trials, and the defendant can appeal a conviction to the Northampton Circuit Court within 10 days for a brand-new trial before a jury if desired. Domestic assaults and other offenses against family or household members, along with all charges against children, belong to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court upstairs. Felony charges get a preliminary hearing in General District Court (in JDR court when the victim is a family member) and, after a grand jury indictment, are tried or resolved in the Circuit Court.

Where pretrial inmates are held. The Eastern Shore Regional Jail holds about 248 people and is operated by the Northampton County Sheriff's Office; it houses inmates mainly from Northampton and Accomack counties. Visits are non-contact and scheduled by housing unit, with video visits offered through a vendor. Money for an inmate's commissary can be left at the lobby kiosk on weekdays. The Sheriff's Office at (757) 678-0460 can confirm whether someone is in custody and explain how to post bail.

One courthouse address, 5229 The Hornes, covers all three Northampton trial courts. Because Virginia does not have municipal, town or mayor's courts, a charge brought by the Cape Charles or Exmore police, or arising in Cheriton, Eastville, Nassawadox or the Northampton portion of Belle Haven, is filed in these county courts rather than in any town court.

Courts

• Northampton Circuit Court (2nd Judicial Circuit, shared with Accomack County and the City of Virginia Beach; felonies, jury trials, appeals), 5229 The Hornes, P.O. Box 36, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-0465
• Northampton General District Court (District 2A; misdemeanors, traffic, felony preliminary hearings), 5229 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-0466
• Northampton Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (District 2A), 5229 The Hornes, 2nd Floor, P.O. Box 125, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-1269

Other Eastville offices involved after a Northampton County arrest

• Magistrate, 5245 The Hornes, Eastville, VA 23347, (757) 678-1364. Hearings here are mostly conducted by video, and the magistrate decides on bond around the clock.
• 2A District Court Service Unit, which has an Eastville branch; main office in Accomac, (757) 787-5860
• Commonwealth's Attorney for Northampton County, 5229 The Hornes, Eastville, (757) 678-0455
• Defense counsel: with no public defender on the Eastern Shore, judges appoint private attorneys who are certified for indigent defense work
• Northampton County Sheriff's Office, 5211 The Hornes, (757) 678-0460; dispatch (757) 678-0458
• Cape Charles Police Department and Exmore Police Department, through county dispatch at (757) 678-0458 for non-emergencies (Exmore's own line is (757) 442-3114, ext. 1007)
• Virginia State Police, (800) 582-8350

The way a Northampton misdemeanor unfolds depends mostly on whether the officer issues a summons or makes an arrest. A summons simply sets a date in the General District Court. An arrest leads to the following sequence.

1. Before the magistrate. The arresting officer presents the facts, usually over a video link from the jail, and the magistrate decides whether to issue a warrant.
2. Release terms. The magistrate may release the person on recognizance, on an unsecured bond, or on a secured bond that must be posted in cash or through a licensed bail bondsman. Release may come with conditions, including pretrial supervision or an order to stay away from the complaining witness.
3. If held. A person who cannot post the bond remains at the Eastern Shore Regional Jail and can ask a district court judge to lower it at a bond hearing; the Circuit Court can review the ruling.
4. Advisement. At the first appearance, generally on the next court day, the judge explains the charge and the right to a lawyer. If jail is possible and the defendant is indigent, the court appoints a private attorney after the defendant completes a financial eligibility statement, which the clerk's office at (757) 678-0466 provides.
5. Trial or plea. The judge hears the evidence and rules; many cases settle by agreement with the prosecutor beforehand.

What the charges carry

Virginia sorts misdemeanors into four classes. Class 1, the most serious, allows a sentence of up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine; Class 2 tops out at six months and $1,000; Classes 3 and 4 are fine-only, with maximums of $500 and $250. Petit larceny of goods valued under $1,000, assault and battery, and trespass are each Class 1 offenses. A family-member assault is heard in the JDR court, where a first offender may receive a deferred disposition, but a third conviction for that offense can become a felony.

For a first DUI, also Class 1, the minimum fine is $250. A blood alcohol reading from 0.15 to 0.20 brings a mandatory 5 days in jail, and a reading over 0.20 brings 10. The court revokes the driver's license for a year but may allow a restricted license with an ignition interlock, and the defendant is referred to VASAP, the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program. A separate 7-day administrative suspension begins at the arrest.

Outcomes range from dismissal or a first-offender deferral to fines, probation with a suspended sentence, or time in jail. An appeal noted within 10 days gives the defendant a new trial in the Northampton Circuit Court. Most misdemeanors wrap up in one to three months. Virginia's record-sealing law may later allow some records to be sealed.

The first days

After a felony arrest in Northampton, the magistrate sets the terms of release by looking at the risk that the person will flee and the danger to others; a 2021 change in the law removed the old presumption against bail for specific offenses. A defendant who stays locked up at the Eastern Shore Regional Jail is brought before the General District Court for advisement, where an appointed lawyer is named if the defendant qualifies, and can request a bond hearing there.

From district court to Circuit Court

The General District Court holds a preliminary hearing to test whether probable cause exists. When the judge finds it does, the case is sent on to the grand jury; the Commonwealth's Attorney can also bypass the preliminary hearing by going directly to the grand jury. Once an indictment is returned, the Northampton Circuit Court arraigns the defendant. Plea agreements settle most felonies. A defendant who goes to trial is entitled to a unanimous 12-member jury, and since July 2021 the judge sets the sentence unless the defendant asks the jury to do it. Code section 19.2-243 sets speedy-trial limits of five months after the probable cause finding for a defendant in custody and nine months for one on release, subject to exceptions.

Punishment ranges

• A grand larceny charge applies when the value reaches $1,000; it is punishable by 1 to 20 years, or by a jail term of up to 12 months.
• Nighttime burglary of a home is Class 3 (5 to 20 years) and becomes Class 2 when the burglar is armed. Other statutory burglaries carry as much as 20 years.
• Possessing a Schedule I or II drug is a Class 5 felony with a range of 1 to 10 years or up to a year in jail. Distribution or possession with intent to distribute carries 5 to 40 years on a first conviction, plus mandatory minimums for large amounts. Possession of up to an ounce of marijuana is lawful for adults 21 or older; sales are not.
• Malicious wounding is a Class 3 felony; the lesser charge of unlawful wounding is Class 6, which allows 1 to 5 years or a jail sentence of up to 12 months.

Virginia's sentencing guidelines are advisory. For crimes committed since January 1, 1995, there is no parole, but earned sentence credits may reduce the time actually served, and any sentence over a year is served in the Virginia Department of Corrections. Count on four to twelve months for a typical Northampton felony.

When a homicide, sexual assault or armed robbery is charged in Northampton, the Sheriff's Office typically handles the investigation with help from the Virginia State Police and the state forensic laboratory. Release on bond is far harder to obtain for these charges, so defendants often remain in the Eastern Shore Regional Jail while the case is pending.

The penalties are severe. Aggravated murder, which used to be called capital murder, is a Class 1 felony; with the death penalty abolished in Virginia in 2021, life imprisonment is the maximum. A conviction for first-degree murder brings 20 years to life, and second-degree murder brings 5 to 40 years. Rape and robbery each carry from 5 years up to life in prison, and aggravated malicious wounding is punished as a Class 2 felony.

The procedure is the same felony route through the General District Court, the grand jury and the Northampton Circuit Court, but expect more hearings on evidence and experts and a longer wait, usually one to two years. Victims have rights under Virginia's Crime Victim and Witness Rights Act, including notice of hearings and a chance to be heard at sentencing, and the Commonwealth's Attorney's victim/witness staff can explain them.

Young people charged in Northampton are handled by the Northampton Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, on the second floor at 5229 The Hornes, (757) 678-1269.

Intake. Juvenile complaints go first to the 2A District Court Service Unit of the Department of Juvenile Justice, which covers both Eastern Shore counties from Accomac and an Eastville branch; the main number is (757) 787-5860. The intake officer can divert a minor case, file a petition with the court, or authorize detention when the youth poses a risk. The Northampton Commonwealth's Attorney prosecutes the petitions.

Detention. No juvenile detention center operates on the Eastern Shore. A Northampton youth who must be held is typically transported to a center on the other side of the Bay, such as the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Center, 1260 Security Lane, Norfolk, VA 23502, (757) 441-5667. A detention hearing before the JDR judge must take place within 72 hours, usually on the next day court is held, and the child has the right to a lawyer, appointed if needed.

Results. Many cases end with diversion or a dismissal. Others lead to probation through the Court Service Unit, with requirements like counseling, curfew, restitution or community programs. Commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice, at Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center or a community placement, is reserved for serious cases.

Adult prosecution. A juvenile 14 or older accused of certain serious felonies can be transferred to the Northampton Circuit Court after a transfer hearing. For the most serious offenses, such as murder or aggravated malicious wounding, the Commonwealth's Attorney may generally certify a 16- or 17-year-old for adult trial following a preliminary hearing. In most cases, juvenile court records stay confidential.

Federal charges arising in Northampton County are filed in the Norfolk Division of the federal trial court for eastern Virginia, formally the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, which hears Eastern Shore cases in downtown Norfolk.

• Clerk, U.S. District Court (Norfolk), Walter E. Hoffman U.S. Courthouse, 600 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510, (757) 222-7202
• U.S. Attorney's Office, 101 West Main Street, Suite 8000, Norfolk, VA 23510, (757) 441-6331
• Office of the Federal Public Defender, 500 East Main Street, Norfolk, along with private CJA panel attorneys for cases the office cannot take

Typical federal matters. Drug distribution networks that reach the Eastern Shore, illegal firearm possession by people with felony convictions, bank robbery, child pornography and fraud are the charges most likely to be brought in federal court. Federal land in the county includes the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge near the Bridge-Tunnel; minor offenses on federal property, such as citations from Fish and Wildlife officers, are heard by a magistrate judge on the Norfolk petty-offense docket, while serious crimes there can be indicted like any other federal case.

Process. The initial appearance takes place in front of a federal magistrate judge in Norfolk, who also names a lawyer for a defendant without one. If the prosecution asks for detention, the hearing is usually within three court days. Money bail through a bondsman plays no role; the Bail Reform Act calls for either release on conditions, with U.S. Pretrial Services supervising, or detention. If the case began with a complaint, prosecutors have 30 days to obtain an indictment, and the Speedy Trial Act sets a 70-day trial clock with many allowable exclusions. Judges in the Eastern District run what lawyers call the "rocket docket," and cases there move quickly compared with most federal courts.

Plea, trial and sentence. Nearly all defendants plead guilty, often under a plea agreement; a federal jury has 12 members and its verdict must be unanimous. Probation officers prepare a presentence report, and the judge applies the advisory Sentencing Guidelines along with any mandatory minimum. With no federal parole, a prisoner serves about 85 percent of the term in the Bureau of Prisons before supervised release. Appeals go to the Fourth Circuit.

Finding someone. Families can search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator by name or by register number. Pretrial federal detainees are sometimes boarded in local or regional jails that contract with the Marshals Service, and in that case the jail's own roster can show them too. Juveniles are rarely charged federally.