Sawyer County Jail

Search the name on Sawyer County Inmate Search. If it shows the person, you can see the charge and any bail. If it does not, call the Sheriff's Office at 715-634-4858 and ask whether the booking is still being processed or the person is being held for another agency.

Keep the full legal name and birth date at hand.

The Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail, is at 15880 E 5th Street, Hayward, WI 54843 (mail goes to PO Box 567). The Clerk of Circuit Court is at 10610 Main Street, Suite 244, and the pretrial office is in the same building, Suite 116. Custody is a Sheriff's matter. Court dates and bond papers are the clerk's.

Wisconsin law lets an officer accept bail only at a sheriff's office or police station, and allows the clerk to accept payment too. Phone the clerk at 715-634-4887 for daytime payment and the Sheriff's Office at 715-634-4858 for other hours, and ask which payment types are taken.

Have photo ID, the case number, and the exact dollars ready. Collect a receipt.

A nonprofit called JusticePoint screens people booked into the Sawyer County Jail who are waiting for a bail hearing. Staff assess the person and give the results to the judge, who uses them to decide on release terms. Those results help the judge decide the bond.

When a judge orders supervision as a condition of bail, JusticePoint monitors the court-ordered conditions and reports on compliance to the court. The office is at 10610 Main Street, Suite 116, Hayward, and the phone is 715-638-3227. Call it if you have questions about check-ins after release.

No bondsman may work here, because Wisconsin bans paid sureties. An aunt or neighbor can sign without pay if the judge accepts the person. A surety must be a real person who lives in Wisconsin, and the judge decides what proof of finances is needed, often a sworn statement that the surety can cover the bond. Nobody may pay the surety for signing (Wis. Stat. 969.12).

The county's Criminal Justice Program, at 10610 Main Street, Suite 101, Hayward, runs a post-charge diversion and deferred prosecution program for defendants charged with drug offenses or offenses tied to substance use. Call the diversion coordinator at 715-804-0109 to ask whether a charge fits. Ask about it in addition to the bail hearing.

Ask a lawyer to petition the judge to change it (Wis. Stat. 969.08). Judges may consider ability to pay, the seriousness of the charge, past record, and the policy against needless pretrial detention (969.01(4)). If he is still held 72 hours after the first appearance, he can ask for a review. Pretrial supervision can be offered in place of a cash amount.

The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Police Department is at 13394W Trepania Road, Hayward, 715-634-8350. If its officers made the arrest, ask them which agency took the person and which court has the case. Then run the name through Sawyer County Inmate Search to see whether the county jail booked him.

Yes. A judge may release a person on a signed bond that creates a debt only if the terms are broken, or on non-money conditions such as no contact, travel limits, or a return to custody at set hours (Wis. Stat. 969.02 and 969.03).

Yes. Misdemeanor bail may not exceed the maximum fine for the offense (Wis. Stat. 969.02(8)). The state's uniform misdemeanor schedule also tells officers to release most misdemeanor arrests without cash unless a listed concern applies.

An officer who makes a required domestic abuse arrest cannot release the person until bail is posted or a judge sees the case. For 72 hours after the arrest, the person must stay away from the alleged victim's home and avoid contact (Wis. Stat. 968.075).

Only for charges on the narrow list in Wis. Stat. 969.035, or a violent charge with a prior violent conviction, after a hearing the prosecutor requests. The state must prove the case by clear and convincing evidence, and any denial ends after 60 days from the hearing.

The deposit comes back to the payer when the charge is dismissed or the defendant is found not guilty. If there is a conviction, the court pays bond costs, then restitution, then the judgment. If the court orders forfeiture, the payer gets mailed notice.

The State Public Defender office at 514 Service Road, Suite A, Spooner, WI 54801 covers Sawyer County. The phone is 715-390-4560. A family without money can ask for an appointed lawyer when the case first comes before a judge.

Contact the juvenile clerk at 715-634-7519. The clerk can give the hearing date and tell you which facility, if any, has the youth. Because juvenile cases are private, a child will not show in the adult search.

The court can forfeit the bond, issue a warrant, and the prosecutor can charge bail jumping under Wis. Stat. 946.49. Tell the clerk at 715-634-4887 in writing within 48 hours if the address changes.

Real payment goes to the clerk or the Sheriff's Office. If someone asks for gift cards or an app transfer, hang up and call 715-634-4858.

Which court hears your case. Ordinance citations and a first-offense OWI are civil matters in Wisconsin, unless the OWI driver had a child under 16 aboard, and in Sawyer County they are generally decided by the Sawyer County Circuit Court, because no municipal court here appears in the state's directory; still, if the citation names a different court, follow it. Every misdemeanor and criminal traffic case, from retail theft to a second OWI, is filed in the Sawyer County Circuit Court, whose two judges share the criminal and traffic calendar. Felony cases stay in that court for the initial appearance, the preliminary hearing, arraignment and trial. Offenses by tribal members on Lac Courte Oreilles land can also be taken up in the tribe's own court, which operates alongside the state system.

Where pretrial inmates are held. The Sheriff's jail on East Fifth Street is Sawyer County's only adult jail. People picked up by Hayward city police, the Town of Hayward police, Lac Courte Oreilles tribal officers, deputies or State Patrol troopers on Highways 27, 63 and 70 are all booked there. Inmates serving county jail sentences may qualify for Huber release to work. The jail and Sheriff's Office answer at (715) 634-4858.

• Sawyer County Circuit Court (Branches 1 and 2), Sawyer County Courthouse, 10610 Main Street, Suite 244, Hayward, WI 54843; Clerk of Circuit Court (715) 634-4887
• Sawyer County District Attorney, Courthouse, 10610 Main Street, Suite 105, Hayward, WI 54843, (715) 634-4097
• Sawyer County Sheriff's Office, 15880 East Fifth Street, P.O. Box 567, Hayward, WI 54843, (715) 634-4858
• Sawyer County Jail, 15880 East Fifth Street, Hayward, WI 54843, (715) 634-4858
• Wisconsin State Public Defender, Spooner office (assigned to Sawyer, Washburn and Burnett counties), 514 Service Road, Suite A, Spooner, WI 54801, (715) 390-4560
• Sawyer County Department of Health and Human Services (juvenile intake), Courthouse, 10610 Main Street, Suite 224, Hayward, WI 54843, (715) 634-4806
• Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (tribal government and tribal court), Hayward, (715) 634-4797

The Sawyer County Courthouse in Hayward is where state charges from anywhere in the county are decided, whether they arise in Hayward, Winter, Radisson, Couderay, Exeland or the lake towns. Neither the 2021 state municipal court directory nor the state law library's list of municipal courts shows a court for Hayward or any other Sawyer County community, so ordinance tickets generally go to circuit court unless a municipality has its own court; the citation identifies the court. Where a municipal court does exist, it decides only ordinance cases, which carry forfeitures, and it may use jail only to enforce a forfeiture that has gone unpaid. A defendant can in some situations shift a municipal case to the circuit court, for example by making a timely jury demand.

Courts

• Sawyer County Circuit Court, 10610 Main Street, Hayward, WI 54843. Branch 1 and Branch 2; Clerk of Circuit Court (criminal, traffic, forfeiture and juvenile filings), Suite 244, (715) 634-4887.
• Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Court, Hayward: the tribe's court, which handles cases under the band's own laws. Reach it through the tribal government at (715) 634-4797.

Other offices

• Sawyer County District Attorney, Suite 105 of the courthouse, (715) 634-4097
• State Public Defender, Spooner office, 514 Service Road, Suite A, Spooner, about 30 miles west, (715) 390-4560
• Sawyer County Sheriff's Office, keeper of the Sawyer County Jail, 15880 East Fifth Street, Hayward, (715) 634-4858
• Hayward Police Department (city of Hayward), 15889 West Third Street, Hayward, WI 54843, (715) 634-8961
• Town of Hayward Police Department, 15460 West Highway 77, Hayward, WI 54843; after hours, contact it through Sheriff's dispatch at (715) 634-4858
• Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Police, patrolling the reservation; contact through the tribal government at (715) 634-4797
• Juvenile intake: Sawyer County Health and Human Services, Suite 224 of the courthouse, (715) 634-4806; after hours, calls go to the Sheriff's Office

Sawyer County's population swells with cabin owners, anglers and visitors to the Birkebeiner ski race and summer events, and the Hayward court's misdemeanor calendar reflects it: drunk driving, boating and snowmobile violations that become criminal, bar disturbances, domestic cases and thefts.

Booking and release

Some people get a citation and a court date at the scene. A person brought to the Sawyer County Jail may be released on a signature bond, meaning a signed promise to appear, sometimes with an amount that becomes due only if the person does not show up. Where the court sets cash, the full amount is paid at the jail or at the clerk's office by the defendant or someone acting for them; Wisconsin forbids commercial bondsmen. If the arrest was for domestic abuse, the arrested person may not contact the alleged victim or go to that residence for 72 hours unless the victim waives the restriction in writing. Someone kept in custody usually sees a circuit judge or a court commissioner within about 48 hours, often by video from the jail.

Requesting a lawyer

The court reviews the right to counsel at the first appearance. Sawyer County is served by the State Public Defender's Spooner office ((715) 390-4560), and applications can be started at the jail. The SPD's income and asset limits are strict, so a defendant who is turned down but still cannot pay a private attorney can ask the Hayward court to appoint counsel at county expense.

Penalties under Wisconsin law, applied in Hayward

• Theft of $2,500 or less: a Class A misdemeanor, which can mean up to 9 months in the Sawyer County Jail and up to $10,000 in fines.
• Battery: Class A. If it is charged as domestic abuse, a conviction adds a surcharge and bars the person from possessing firearms under federal law.
• Disorderly conduct: Class B, which tops out at 90 days behind bars and a $1,000 fine.
• A second OWI within 10 years: a criminal case carrying a mandatory 5 days to 6 months in jail, a fine, revocation and an ignition interlock. The first offense is handled as a $150 to $300 forfeiture plus costs, a revocation of 6 to 9 months and an alcohol or drug assessment; a 0.15 test result or a refusal also brings an interlock order.
• Class C offenses, the lowest misdemeanors, allow up to 30 days and $500.

Six jurors hear a misdemeanor trial in Sawyer County, though most defendants resolve their cases by plea, deferred prosecution or dismissal instead. Probation, fines and county jail with Huber work privileges are typical outcomes. Most misdemeanors are finished within two to six months, and a speedy trial demand generally requires a trial within 60 days.

Burglaries of seasonal homes and resorts, opioid and methamphetamine distribution, thefts of boats, trailers and equipment, and repeat OWI cases (a fourth offense is generally a felony) are among the felonies Sawyer County prosecutors charge most.

Felony procedure in the Hayward courthouse

• Initial appearance. The District Attorney files a criminal complaint; the court decides whether it establishes probable cause and sets bail, either a signature bond or cash, often with conditions such as no alcohol, no contact or a curfew. Since voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2023, a judge setting terms for a defendant accused of a violent crime may weigh the danger of serious harm to the community.
• Preliminary hearing. Within 10 days for a defendant held on cash they cannot post, within 20 days for everyone else. It is often waived.
• Information and arraignment. Once the court finds enough evidence for trial, the DA files an information and the defendant answers it with a plea.
• Plea or trial. Plea agreements resolve most felony cases. Trials use a 12-person jury that must agree unanimously, and a speedy trial demand generally starts a 90-day clock.

Felony classes for the example crimes

• Burglary: Class F, so a Sawyer County conviction can bring as much as 12 years and 6 months in prison and a $25,000 fine.
• Felony theft: over $2,500 it is Class I, a 3.5-year maximum; over $5,000, Class H (6 years); over $10,000, Class G (10 years).
• Possession with intent to deliver: graded by drug type and weight, with the most serious amounts reaching Class C.
• Substantial battery: a Class I felony, up to 3.5 years; aggravated battery is Class H or Class E depending on intent.

Truth in sentencing divides a Wisconsin prison term into initial confinement and extended supervision, with no parole for offenses committed after 1999. A sentence of a year or less is served in the Sawyer County Jail, and longer ones in the state prison system. Eligible inmates may earn early release through the Challenge Incarceration Program or the Substance Abuse Program. Felonies in Hayward generally take six to twelve months, with many defendants represented through the State Public Defender.

Sawyer County records few homicides or armed robberies, and serious investigations frequently involve the state Division of Criminal Investigation, and on the reservation the tribal police as well. Defendants usually remain in the Sawyer County Jail unless they can raise the cash bail the court sets, which tends to be substantial.

Sentences the court can impose

• First-degree intentional homicide: Class A, life imprisonment by law; the judge either sets a date for extended supervision eligibility or orders life without it.
• Second-degree intentional homicide (Class B) and first-degree reckless homicide (also Class B) carry up to 60 years.
• First-degree sexual assault: Class B, with mandatory minimum prison terms for certain offenses against young children.
• Armed robbery: Class C, up to 40 years; ordinary robbery is Class E.

Capital punishment has been off the table in Wisconsin since 1853.

Length of the case and victims' rights

One to two years is common for a Sawyer County homicide or sexual assault case, because of forensic work, expert witnesses and pretrial litigation, and pretrial publicity in a small community can lead to requests for an outside jury. Eligible defendants receive experienced counsel through the State Public Defender. Marsy's Law, written into the state constitution in 2020, entitles victims to notice of proceedings and the right to attend and be heard; the District Attorney's victim/witness staff answer at (715) 634-4097.

A child aged 10 through 16 who is accused of a crime in Sawyer County comes before one of the circuit judges acting as juvenile court in Hayward. At 17, Wisconsin law treats a person as an adult for criminal charges.

Intake

Police refer juveniles to intake at Sawyer County Health and Human Services in the courthouse ((715) 634-4806). The intake worker can close the referral, work out a deferred prosecution agreement, or pass it to the District Attorney, who may file a delinquency petition. If the child is held, a judge or court commissioner should conduct a custody hearing within 24 hours of the intake decision, leaving out weekends and legal holidays.

Secure detention

Sawyer County has no juvenile detention center. Youths who need secure custody are typically taken to a center in another county that contracts with Sawyer County, such as the Northwest Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Eau Claire. Families can ask intake staff, or the Sheriff's Office after hours, where a child has been placed.

Tribal youth

Because Wisconsin is a Public Law 280 state, a Lac Courte Oreilles child arrested on or off the reservation can generally be brought into the state juvenile system; the tribe may also become involved through its own court or family services. Parents can ask intake staff whether tribal programs are available.

What can happen

• A deferred prosecution agreement or a consent decree that can conclude with dismissal.
• Supervision at home, with conditions such as treatment, curfew, restitution or community service.
• Placement in foster care, a group home or residential treatment, or a Type 2 placement.
• Type 1 placement at Lincoln Hills School or Copper Lake School, the state's juvenile correctional schools, or the Serious Juvenile Offender program for the gravest offenses.

Moving a case to adult court

The DA may request waiver of a youth 14 or older into adult court for certain offenses, and younger children can be waived for some very serious charges. Original adult court jurisdiction applies at age 10 and up for attempted or completed first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and felony murder, and to some youths with an earlier delinquency adjudication who are accused of particular new crimes. The State Public Defender appoints lawyers for children in delinquency proceedings. Juvenile records are generally confidential.

The Western District of Wisconsin handles federal crimes from Sawyer County. Cases are filed with its clerk in Madison, roughly four hours from Hayward, and heard in the federal courthouse there.

• Federal courthouse and clerk, Western District: 120 North Henry Street, Room 320, Madison, WI 53703, (608) 264-5156
• Office of the U.S. Attorney, Western District of Wisconsin: 222 West Washington Avenue, Suite 700, Madison, WI 53703, (608) 264-5158
• Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin, Madison office: 22 East Mifflin Street, Suite 1000, Madison, (608) 260-9900; when it has a conflict, the court appoints a Criminal Justice Act panel attorney

Federal jurisdiction in Sawyer County

As elsewhere, the federal cases that come out of Sawyer County typically involve drug trafficking, firearms possessed by prohibited persons, bank robbery, child exploitation and fraud. Parts of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest lie in the county, and the Namekagon River, part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, flows through Hayward; crimes committed on federal land such as these may be prosecuted federally, although the state can often charge them too.

The Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation is the major tribal land in Sawyer County. Unlike the Menominee Reservation, where Wisconsin's jurisdiction was returned to the federal government in 1976, Lac Courte Oreilles falls under Public Law 280, so state courts and the Sawyer County District Attorney prosecute most crimes there, by or against tribal members, while the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Court applies tribal law. Federal charges remain possible for offenses that are federal crimes anywhere.

What federal court involves

The case begins with an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge, who also decides whether the defendant qualifies for appointed counsel. Instead of cash bail, the Bail Reform Act governs release: the judge sets conditions supervised by Pretrial Services or orders the person detained, and when the prosecution asks for detention a hearing is normally held within three court days. After a complaint, a grand jury indictment must come within 30 days. Trial is supposed to start within 70 days under the Speedy Trial Act, but that clock is often extended.

Plea agreements account for most federal convictions. Conviction at trial takes the agreement of all 12 jurors. The judge sentences after reviewing a presentence report, the advisory federal Guidelines and any mandatory minimum. With no parole in the federal system, prisoners generally serve 85 percent of their terms in the Bureau of Prisons before supervised release. Appeals are decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Federal prosecution of juveniles is rare. Appointment of a federal defender is decided by the federal court, not by the State Public Defender.

Searching federal custody

To find a federal prisoner, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator with the person's name or register number. People held before a federal trial in a county jail through a U.S. Marshals agreement can also appear on that county jail's roster.