How to Search Criminal Dockets
Two official search routes cover Braxton County. The Magistrate Case Record Search, called MCR, handles misdemeanor trials, felony preliminary proceedings, and many citation cases. After its verification screen, type a first name, last name, or case number. You get up to 30 records. The West Virginia Public Access Search System, called WVPASS, holds public Circuit Court criminal case records. Registration costs nothing, and neither does searching. Document downloads run 25 cents per page plus a card-processing charge.
Begin with the court named on the complaint, notice, or bond paper. Copy the defendant's name exactly. A Braxton County criminal case can open in MCR. It may pick up a Circuit Court number after transfer. When the magistrate docket shows that move, search both systems.
- Open MCR for a magistrate matter or WVPASS for a Circuit Court matter.
- Enter the full case number when known. Otherwise, search the exact name and confirm Braxton County.
- Match the court, filing date, case type, and charge before opening a result.
- Read the event schedule and docket entries from oldest to newest.
- Call the proper clerk for a current setting, missing paper, or certified copy.
Braxton Magistrate-to-Circuit Transfer
A felony complaint usually starts before a magistrate. That stage covers the first appearance, counsel, bond, and probable cause. It is not the trial. Circuit Court holds general criminal jurisdiction. It takes the case once probable cause is found or waived.
Watch the MCR docket for MGTCC. That entry means “Transfer to Circuit Ct.” A bond-transfer entry may appear too. Once it posts, shift the search to WVPASS and call the Circuit Clerk. The old MCR history still preserves the complaint and early hearings.
The official Braxton Circuit Clerk page names the office that keeps the later record.
That county page points a transferred criminal docket to Susan Lemon's office for Circuit pleadings, orders, judgments, and copies.
What a Criminal Docket Shows
The Braxton MCR detail format breaks into blocks. Basic case information identifies the case and its court. A charge area lists each numbered charge. Each one carries its statute or citation, alleged date, and description. Bond fields capture the type, amount set, amount posted, status, dates, payor, and receipt. The Case Event Schedule gives event type, date and time, room, location, judge, and reason closed. Parties and Docket Entry tables then identify each role and every filed event.
| Case identifier | An MCR number may follow a pattern such as 24-M15F-00113. Keep the full value. |
|---|---|
| Charge | Charge number, statute or citation, alleged date, and offense description. |
| Bond | Amount and type set, reductions, posting status, receipt, and transfer or release entries. |
| Case Event Schedule | Event, date and time, room, location, judge, and reason an event closed. |
| Docket Entry | Record number, filing date, local code, description, and filer. |
MCR posts no complaint, order, or bond document image online. Its public result is only an index to activity. Ask the Magistrate Court Clerk for the named paper.
Braxton Criminal Bond Entries
Bond status follows its own sequence of codes. MBOND marks bond or bail set, MBONI records bond posted, MBTCC reflects transfer to Circuit Court, and MBBRI flags a printed bond release. None of them decides guilt. Each one describes release security and how it moved through the case.
- Bond set
- The court states the amount or release type.
- Bond posted
- Security has been accepted, subject to recorded terms.
- Bond transferred
- The bond follows a case moving to Circuit Court.
- Bond released
- A release paper was produced. Read the order for its effect.
A bond amount can change after a modification or revocation hearing. Read the newest entry and its order, not just the first figure on the screen.
Stages on a Criminal Docket
Dockets run in order, but no two cases follow the same path. A magistrate record may open with a felony complaint. Look also for an initial appearance and rights sheet, counsel affidavit, bond order, and preliminary-hearing notice. A waiver can replace that hearing. The transfer entry then sends the reader to Circuit Court. A misdemeanor may stay put for plea or trial in Magistrate Court.
Docket flow: Filing → Arraignment → Pretrial → Plea or Trial → Disposition → Sentencing
A setting proves nothing happened. MGNCH is a Notice of Hearing. MGMCT is a motion asking for a continuance. MGHCT says a hearing was continued, and MGHCC closes an event record. A signed judgment carries far more weight.
Note: Confirm the latest hearing date with the clerk, since an older notice may have been replaced.
Braxton Criminal Docket Codes
Braxton's official sample compresses long filing descriptions into codes. Read each one with its date and full label. MMWPH is a waiver of preliminary hearing, MMOJO is an Order-Criminal Judgment, and MMCDR denotes Court Disposition Reporting. Those three do different jobs. A waiver advances the process, a judgment records a court order, and disposition reporting communicates the result.
The sample also lists a felony complaint, jail commitment order, rights sheet, counsel affidavit and appointment order. One line rarely tells the whole story. Trace the nearby entries, and request the signed paper when the precise ruling matters.
Do not equate “Hearing/Event Closed” with a closed case. It may describe one event. Look for the latest judgment, dismissal, transfer, or disposition entry.
Which Court Holds Criminal Dockets
Braxton County Magistrate Court hears misdemeanor trials and the opening stages of felony cases. Magistrate Court Clerk Sharon Yost sits at 307 Main Street, Suite 205, Sutton, WV 26601. Her phone is 304-765-7362. MCR gives basic information; her office supplies the actual file documents.
Circuit Court belongs to the 17th Judicial Circuit with Clay, Gilmer, and Webster Counties. Circuit Clerk Susan Lemon keeps criminal pleadings, orders, and judgments at 300 Main Street, Suite 101, Sutton, WV 26601. The phone is 304-765-2837. Search public Circuit records in WVPASS. Municipal court touch local ordinance violations only.
The Circuit Clerk's local public-record FAQ describes public civil and criminal information and how to get copies.
The FAQ backs up the clerk-copy fallback when MCR lacks a document image or WVPASS misses the needed paper.
Braxton E-Filing Is Separate
Attorneys and authorized staff file through CourtPLUS E-File. It is separate from any public criminal docket search. Circuit Court and Family Court filings in Braxton County move through this system. The county joined e-filing on November 1, 2018, and CourtPLUS became statewide on July 15, 2024. Filers get authenticated case-history tools. Public readers use WVPASS. The official West Virginia CourtPLUS E-File application presents its sign-in and registration screen.
The account screen makes the same point. A filing receipt or a “Processed” status is not a public judgment, and it cannot replace a clerk-certified criminal record for a Braxton County case.
Two Braxton Criminal Clerks
Which clerk holds a Braxton County criminal record depends on the stage of the case. Sharon Yost keeps the Magistrate Court records, covering misdemeanor and felony preliminary files. Susan Lemon holds Circuit Court criminal files. A case reaches her once it transfers, or lands there by direct filing. The County Clerk, by contrast, keeps county-government, land, vital, election, and probate records. Criminal dockets are not part of that office's work.
| Record | Search | Document source |
|---|---|---|
| Magistrate criminal | MCR, free basic data | Magistrate Court Clerk |
| Circuit criminal | WVPASS, free search | WVPASS or Circuit Clerk |
| Municipal ordinance | No unified portal found | Issuing town office |
The Braxton Circuit Clerk's official FAQ lists plain copies at $1 and clerk faxes at $2. No certified-copy price is posted, so ask for the current total before ordering.
Public Access and Sealed Criminal Dockets
Ordinary public criminal court records in Braxton County are open for inspection, within set limits. WVPASS leaves out sealed filings and juvenile cases. MCR gives basic case data without images. A missing result can mean the case sits at another level, has not been indexed yet, is municipal, or falls outside WVPASS's stated coverage back to 1999. An empty search does not prove no file exists.
Key Rules:
W. Va. Code §51-4-2 opens court papers to inspection and requires clerk copies unless a special rule applies.
W. Va. Code §49-5-103 generally keeps juvenile proceeding records confidential, with stated exceptions.
W. Va. Code §53-8-17 defines sealing as removal from courthouse and electronic public inspection.
Ask which access rule applies rather than pressing for protected details. Public docket information is not a certified criminal history, so confirm disposition from the latest signed order or a clerk-issued copy.
Requesting a Braxton Criminal File
Requesting a Braxton County criminal file works in person, by mail, or by phone. Give the clerk the full case number, the court level, the filing date if known, and the exact document you want. Name the record type. A complaint, hearing notice, bond order, judgment, or transfer order is easy to pull. Asking for the whole docket slows things down when the register runs long. One specific entry is simpler for staff to route. Court staff can explain record mechanics and copy options. They cannot give legal advice.
Check the MCR record for a transfer. If one appears, note the magistrate case number. The Circuit Clerk uses it to identify the linked Circuit file. Confirm office access before you travel. Susan Lemon's Circuit Clerk office lists weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Braxton County posts no separate magistrate-copy or certified-copy price. Ask about the current fee too. Confirm the accepted payment method, and whether identification or a written request is needed for that record.