Adams County Jail

Adams County contracts with other counties for jail beds. The Benton County Jail in Kennewick and the Franklin County Jail in Pasco have both housed Adams County prisoners. The Sheriff's Office, 210 West Broadway Avenue in Ritzville, knows the current location. Its office line is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Use Adams County Inmate Search first. If the name is missing, the booking may sit with the holding jail instead. Call 509-659-1122 and ask for the facility name, the booking number and the court date. Then call that jail directly, because its visiting, money and release rules are its own.

An Adams County judge sets the amount, but the money goes where the person is held. The Benton County Jail, for example, takes bail at the court with the case in business hours, and at its after-hours entrance in cash, exact amount, when the courts are closed. For any other jail, ask its front desk. Do not mail cash.

After a warrantless arrest, a judge must decide within 48 hours whether there was probable cause, and weekends and holidays count. The first appearance happens as soon as practical and no later than the close of the next court day. Because the jail may be far away, hearings can run by video, and the court treats a video hearing as held in open court.

Felonies go to Superior Court at 210 West Broadway, 509-659-3271, open 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Misdemeanors are heard by Ritzville District Court, 509-659-1002, and by Othello District Court, 425 East Main Street, Suite 300, 509-488-3935. Ritzville's city cases go to the Ritzville court.

Othello city cases are heard by Othello Municipal Court, 500 East Main Street, 509-331-2743. The court sets the date, but the person is still held in a contract jail unless released. Ask the court for the hearing time and whether the person will appear by video.

Judges in Washington begin with release on a written promise to appear. If that will not do, they add conditions like check-ins, no contact, or monitoring. Money bail is meant to be the least restrictive tool that works, and the judge has to weigh what the person can afford. Ask the lawyer to raise your job and housing at the hearing.

Yes, in narrow cases. The state constitution allows it for capital offenses and for offenses that can bring life in prison after a hearing, and the Supreme Court has said every class A felony qualifies. The judge must find, by clear and convincing evidence, a propensity for violence that creates a substantial likelihood of danger, and that no conditions can protect people.

The jail holds a person arrested for domestic violence until a judge sees them, which must be within one judicial day. A DUI arrest with a prior offense in the last ten years is held until a judge releases the person. During that window, a bond at a window will not free anyone.

A licensed agent has to be able to post at the jail that holds the person, so ask before you pay anything. Agents hold a Department of Licensing license, and agents who write surety bonds also hold an insurance producer license. Verify the license at 360-664-6611 and get the fee and collateral terms in writing.

Property bonds exist in Washington, and agents who write them must list the courts that approved their property bonds. For a case in Adams County, call the Superior Court clerk at 509-659-3257 to ask whether the court accepts your property and what papers it needs before you pledge anything.

The judge must provide a lawyer at the first appearance for anyone who qualifies. Ask the court that has the case: Ritzville District Court at 509-659-1002 or the Superior Court clerk at 509-659-3257. Do not wait for a letter. Tell the judge at the first hearing that you need appointed counsel.

Gather the full legal name, birth date, arresting agency, arrest date and any case number. With those, the Sheriff's Office, the district court clerk and the holding jail can each find the file quickly. Write down who you spoke with and when, since three different offices may touch one case.

Visits, mail and account deposits follow the rules of the jail that holds the person, not Adams County's. Ask that jail before you travel. Money put on a commissary account buys phone time and store items. It is never bail and will not release anyone.

The Adams County Juvenile Court is at 425 East Main Street, Suite 100, Othello, 509-488-5646. Detained youth are housed under contract at Martin Hall in Medical Lake, 509-565-8118, or at the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center in Kennewick, 509-783-2151. Call the juvenile court for the youth's location and the detention hearing time.

The judge can issue a warrant and declare any bond forfeited. A surety must receive written notice of the unexplained failure to appear within 30 days of the court date, or the forfeiture is void. Phone the lawyer and the bond agent the same day.

The court that took the bail refunds it, not the jail. Ritzville District Court handles bail refunds for district court cases, at 509-659-1002. Keep every receipt with the case number.

Real bail is paid to a court, a jail, or a licensed bail agent. A caller who wants gift cards, wire transfers or app payments is running a scam. Hang up and call the Sheriff's Office at 509-659-1122 to verify.

• Sheriff's Office: 210 West Broadway Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169; 509-659-1122; weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Adams County Jail: Adams County Jail, Ritzville; adults are held in contract jails in other counties
• Custody lookup: Adams County Inmate Search
• Bail guide: Adams County bail and bond pages
• Superior Court and clerk: 210 West Broadway Avenue, Ritzville; 509-659-3257
• District Courts: Ritzville 509-659-1002; Othello, 425 East Main Street, Suite 300, 509-488-3935
• Othello Municipal Court: 500 East Main Street, Othello; 509-331-2743
• Juvenile: Juvenile Court, 425 East Main Street, Suite 100, Othello; 509-488-5646

Contract-jail locations, hours and numbers can shift, and the judge sets each amount individually. Call the Sheriff's Office or the holding jail before you travel or hand over money. This page gives general help, not legal advice.

Adams County's seat is Ritzville, but most of its people live around Othello at the south end, so the county runs court in both towns. Felonies go to Adams County Superior Court in Ritzville; misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors and traffic cases go to Adams County District Court, which sits in Ritzville and Othello, and Othello also has a municipal court. The Adams County Prosecuting Attorney charges felonies and county-level misdemeanors. The old Adams County Jail in Ritzville has been listed as closed by the state public defense office, and people arrested here are reported to be housed in other counties' jails under contract, which matters for visits, bail and court transport.

• Adams County Superior Court, 210 W Broadway Ave, Ritzville, WA 99169, (509) 659-3271
• Adams County Clerk (Superior Court files), 210 W Broadway Ave, Ritzville, (509) 659-3257
• Adams County District Court, Ritzville, 210 W Broadway Ave, Ritzville, (509) 659-1002
• Adams County District Court, Othello, 425 E Main St, Suite 300, Othello, WA 99344, (509) 488-3935
• Othello Municipal Court, 500 E Main St, Othello, WA 99344, (509) 331-2743
• Adams County Juvenile Court, 425 E Main St, Suite 100, Othello, (509) 488-5646
• Adams County Prosecuting Attorney, Ritzville, (509) 659-3219
• Adams County Sheriff's Office (custody questions), Ritzville, (509) 659-1122
• Public defense: appointed through the court where the case is filed; ask the Superior Court clerk or the District Court office handling the case

Which court hears your case. A ticket or a misdemeanor written by a deputy or the State Patrol lands in District Court, either in Ritzville (north county, Lind, Washtucna, Ritzville) or in Othello (south county). An arrest by Othello police on a city charge goes to Othello Municipal Court, which shares a judge and staff with the Othello District Court. Ritzville does not keep a separate city court; the state court directory routes Ritzville's city cases to the Ritzville District Court. Felonies, wherever they happen in Adams County, are filed in Superior Court in Ritzville. Youth cases are heard by the Juvenile Court, a division of Superior Court with its office in Othello. In every court, a person who cannot afford a lawyer can ask for public defense at the first hearing.

Where pretrial inmates are held. Adams County no longer houses people in its own building in any normal way. A December 2024 news report found the Ritzville jail empty, with every inmate held in other counties' jails after a 2022 fight inside the facility, and a February 2026 report again described the building as decaying. State maps prepared in 2025 list it as closed. The county has housing agreements with other jails; one 2025 interlocal on file with the City of Sunnyside covers inmate housing, and earlier reporting pointed to jails in the Benton and Franklin area such as the Benton County Jail. Booking may begin locally and then the person is driven to whichever contract jail has space. Because the location changes, call the Adams County Sheriff's Office and ask where the person is held before driving anywhere. City arrests in Othello follow the same contract arrangements.

Adams is a two-courthouse county. The Ritzville courthouse on West Broadway holds Superior Court, the clerk and one District Court courtroom; the Othello county building on East Main holds the second District Court courtroom and the juvenile office. Know which town your hearing is in before you set out, because the drive between them is about an hour.

Courts

• Superior Court, 210 W Broadway Ave, Ritzville, (509) 659-3271: all felonies, plus juvenile matters.
• District Court, Ritzville, 210 W Broadway Ave, (509) 659-1002: county misdemeanors and infractions from the north half of the county; also hears Ritzville city cases.
• District Court, Othello, 425 E Main St, Suite 300, (509) 488-3935: county misdemeanors and infractions from the south half.
• Othello Municipal Court, 500 E Main St, (509) 331-2743: Othello city ordinance cases, presided over by the same judge who sits in the Othello District Court.
• Smaller towns such as Lind, Washtucna, Hatton and Benge have no court of their own; their cases typically go to the nearer District Court courtroom.

Prosecution, defense and police

• Adams County Prosecuting Attorney, (509) 659-3219: felonies and county misdemeanors. Othello city cases are typically prosecuted by a city-contracted attorney, and news reports say the county took over Ritzville's misdemeanor prosecutions under an agreement starting in 2023.
• Public defense: Adams County typically pays private attorneys under contract to represent people who cannot afford one; the city of Othello contracts separately for municipal court. Ask for counsel at the first appearance.
• Adams County Sheriff's Office, Ritzville, (509) 659-1122, which also tracks where county inmates are housed.
• Othello Police Department and Ritzville Police Department patrol inside city limits; the Washington State Patrol covers I-90 and the state highways.
• Juvenile intake and probation, Adams County Juvenile Court, 425 E Main St, Suite 100, Othello, (509) 488-5646.

Most lower-level arrests in Adams County never involve a long stay in custody. Many people are cited and released at the roadside with a date to appear in Ritzville or Othello District Court. Those who are booked, typically for DUI or domestic violence, are taken to the contract jail used at the time, not to the shuttered Adams County Jail.

The first hearing

• A booked person sees a judge, often by video from the contract jail, by the next court day. The judge reviews probable cause and decides release.
• Washington court rules presume release on personal recognizance. The judge can instead set bail or conditions such as no alcohol, a breath-test device, or a no-contact order. Domestic violence no-contact orders are routine at this stage.
• Money posted for release goes to the jail or court holding the person; families can also hire a state-licensed bail bond agent, who typically charges a nonrefundable premium of about 10%.
• If you cannot afford a lawyer, tell the judge. Appointed public defense counsel then handles the case from arraignment on.

How the case moves

• Arraignment, where the plea is entered, then pretrial hearings. Plea offers are common, such as reduction of a DUI to negligent driving or a deferred sentence for a first theft.
• A six-person jury hears any misdemeanor that goes to trial.
• In Adams County District Court a simple misdemeanor tops out at 90 days and $1,000; a gross misdemeanor, which covers DUI and fourth-degree assault, carries up to 364 days and $5,000.
• A first DUI under .15 carries at least 24 hours in jail (or 15 days of electronic home monitoring) and a $350 minimum fine; refusals and higher readings raise the floor.
• Drug possession is now a gross misdemeanor, capped at 180 days for most people, and prosecutors are encouraged to steer it toward treatment rather than jail.
• Probation is supervised by District Court staff; violations bring the person back before the same judge.

Every Adams County felony is filed in Superior Court in Ritzville, whether the arrest happened in Othello, along I-90 or on a farm road near Lind. The person is booked and held at the contract jail, which can be far from home; ask the Sheriff's Office where, since the Adams County Jail building itself is listed as closed.

From arrest to charge

• When police arrest without a warrant, a judge reviews the basis for the arrest within 48 hours; the first courtroom appearance comes by the close of the next court day.
• At that hearing the judge sets release conditions or bail, and appoints public defense counsel for anyone who qualifies.
• The prosecutor files an information. Someone still in custody must be arraigned within three days after it is filed; someone out of custody within 14 days after the next appearance.
• If no charge is filed within 72 hours (weekends and holidays excluded), a detained person must be released.

After arraignment

• The speedy-trial clock runs 60 days from arraignment when the accused is locked up and 90 days when released, but continuances and excluded periods often stretch Adams County felony cases over several months.
• Most felonies resolve by plea bargain. If not, a 12-person jury decides.
• Sentences come from the state grid, which pairs the crime's seriousness level with the person's offender score. In Adams County Superior Court a Class C felony can bring up to five years, Class B up to ten, and Class A up to life.
• Twelve months or less is served in county custody, which for Adams means a contract jail; longer terms are served in state prison, with community custody after release.
• Adams County judges can also consider a First-Time Offender Waiver, a drug-treatment sentence (DOSA) or the Parenting Sentencing Alternative for those who qualify.

Serious violent cases follow the same Ritzville Superior Court track, but with tighter release and much heavier sentences. Expect the prosecutor to argue for high bail or no release, citing danger to the community or to a named victim. Someone denied release stays at the jail Adams County is contracting with, often a long drive from family; the Benton County Jail in Kennewick is one place Adams inmates have been reported to land.

• Victims have rights under article I, section 35 of the Washington Constitution, including notice of hearings and the chance to speak at sentencing.
• Serious violent offenses earn at most 10% off for good behavior, compared with one-third for most other crimes.
• Gun and deadly-weapon findings tack on extra fixed time served back to back with the base sentence.
• Washington no longer has a death penalty. Aggravated first-degree murder means life without release for adults 21 and over; for younger defendants courts must weigh youth.
• Public defense attorneys handling these cases often bring in investigators and experts, paid by the county, and Adams County cases of this weight can take a year or more to reach trial.

Youth cases go to Adams County Juvenile Court, a part of Superior Court, with its intake and probation office at 425 E Main St, Suite 100, Othello, (509) 488-5646.

Detention

Adams County has no youth jail of its own. The state court directory lists the detention manager for Adams youth at Martin Hall Juvenile Facility, 201 S Pine St, Medical Lake, (509) 565-8113, a regional center that is still operating in 2026. Older state lists also name the Grant County Juvenile Detention Facility in Ephrata as a place Adams youth can be held, so ask juvenile court staff which one has your child. Parents or guardians are the only visitors allowed at Martin Hall.

The process

• A charge must be filed within 72 hours of detention, and the detention hearing follows within about 72 hours, not counting weekends and holidays. The judge decides whether the youth goes home with conditions; money bail is rare.
• Every youth has the right to a lawyer; the court appoints public defense counsel at no cost to families who qualify.
• Many first offenses go to diversion: an agreement with the probation office for community service, classes or restitution, with no conviction.
• Charged cases are tried by a judge without a jury. Outcomes range from local sanctions (probation, community service, short detention) to commitment to Juvenile Rehabilitation at places such as Green Hill School or Echo Glen Children's Center.
• Sixteen- and 17-year-olds charged with serious violent offenses start in adult Superior Court automatically; younger teens can be sent there only after a decline hearing.

Adams County is in the Eastern District of Washington. Its federal cases are typically handled at the Thomas S. Foley U.S. Courthouse, 920 W Riverside Ave, Spokane, clerk (509) 458-3400; some cases from the south county may be heard at the federal courthouse in Richland, (509) 943-8170.

When an Adams County arrest becomes federal

• Drug trafficking along the I-90 and Highway 395 corridors, often from traffic stops near Ritzville.
• Firearms offenses by people barred from owning guns, fraud involving farm programs, and immigration crimes.
• There is no reservation, military base or national park in the county, so almost all federal cases here are about the type of crime, not the location.

Who is involved

• U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington: headquarters in the Foley courthouse building, Suite 340, (509) 353-2767; Richland branch, (509) 713-8450.
• Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho, Spokane, (509) 624-7606. When they have a conflict, a private Criminal Justice Act panel lawyer is appointed.

How federal cases work

A magistrate judge holds the initial appearance. There is no bail schedule under the federal Bail Reform Act: the judge releases on conditions or orders detention after a hearing. An indictment must follow within 30 days of arrest, and the Speedy Trial Act sets 70 days to trial, though it is regularly extended. Sentences are guided by the federal Sentencing Guidelines; with no parole, about 85% of the term is served in the Bureau of Prisons, then supervised release. Appeals go to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, which also sits in Seattle. The U.S. Marshals rent beds in county jails across eastern Washington, so a federal detainee may show up on a local jail roster. Once a sentence is imposed, track the person with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

This page gives general information about criminal cases in Adams County, not legal advice, and jail contracts, court staffing and laws change. Talk with a Washington-licensed criminal defense attorney about any specific case. To ask for a public defense lawyer, raise it at the first hearing or call the court where the case is filed, such as Adams County District Court in Othello at (509) 488-3935. To find out where someone is being held, call the Adams County Sheriff's Office at (509) 659-1122.