Criminal Court Cases in Tyler County
Tyler County criminal cases split between two local courts. Magistrate Court handles misdemeanors, criminal complaints, bonds, warrants, and preliminary examinations in felony matters. Circuit Court is the felony trial court and also has jurisdiction over certain misdemeanors and appeals. Tyler County belongs to the Second Judicial Circuit with Marshall and Wetzel counties. Judges Jeffrey D. Cramer and C. Richard Wilson hear Tyler matters, while Magistrates Lynnsie Cline and Brian Weigle serve the local Magistrate Court.
The clerk for each court keeps a different case file. Patty Garuccio's Magistrate Court counter is at 228 Main Street in Middlebourne and can be reached at 304-758-2137. Circuit Clerk Amy B. Adams keeps felony, appeal, and related trial-court files. A current county notice places that physical counter at 230 Main Street, while the court directory still uses P.O. Box 8 and an older Main Street reference for mail. Call 304-758-4811 before visiting.
The official Tyler County court directory identifies both court levels and their contacts.
That directory helps a reader route a Tyler County case to the clerk who can verify the docket and supply available copies.
Tyler County Court Charging Split
A felony may appear in both court systems without being two separate prosecutions. The complaint, initial appearance, bond decision, and probable-cause work begin in Tyler County Magistrate Court. If the charge proceeds as a felony, the later indictment, arraignment, motions, plea or trial, judgment, and sentence belong in Tyler County Circuit Court. A misdemeanor will generally remain with Magistrate Court through disposition.
Municipal ordinance matters form a third route where a city court is active. No online municipal docket was verified for the county's cities, so the relevant city must identify its own citation channel. West Virginia also does not use a general felony class ladder. The offense statute and filed charge, not an imported “Class A” or “Class B” label, determine the case level and possible penalty. This split makes the court name and case number as important as the party name.
Note: A Tyler County Magistrate entry may be the first stage of a felony that later receives a new Circuit Court file.
Tyler County Case Record Searches
The free Magistrate Case Record Search covers statewide magistrate matters and works on mobile devices. It is not a statewide Circuit Court database. The public entry screen supports first name, last name, or case number and requires a visual CAPTCHA. Results are capped at 30 and provide docket data rather than document images. Start broad enough to catch a spelling variant, but use the case number when it is known.
- Open Magistrate Case Record Search and complete the CAPTCHA to enter the public system.
- Search by first and last name, or use the case number as the more precise key.
- Check the case location, filing date, agency, and case type before treating a result as the right Tyler County matter.
- Read the charges, plea, disposition, bond, hearing schedule, parties, and docket entries. The portal does not supply the filed documents.
- Call the Magistrate Clerk for that file, or the Circuit Clerk after felony transfer or indictment, to verify status and request available copies.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Unspecified | One of the search keys named by the Judiciary. |
| Last Name | Text | Unspecified | A practical name key when no case number is known. |
| Case Number | Text | Unspecified | An alternative and more exact key. |
| CAPTCHA | Visual challenge | Yes | Must be accepted before entering the search. |
The Judiciary's Magistrate search instructions explain the public tool and its limits.
The screen confirms why an online Tyler County case result is an index for further checking, not a downloadable certified court record.
Tyler County Circuit Case Counter
No comparable open statewide Circuit Court search was verified. For a felony indictment, motion, order, judgment, sentence, appeal filing, or expungement case, contact the Tyler County Circuit Clerk. The county reports weekday counter hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The current physical address is 230 Main Street in Middlebourne; mailing remains P.O. Box 8. Because current relocation notices and the judiciary directory differ, call 304-758-4811 before travel or mail.
Published Circuit Clerk charges are $1 per page for a plain copy, $2 per faxed page, and $3 plus copy cost for an exemplified copy. Cash, money order, and credit card are accepted; personal checks are not. Card payments carry a four-percent service fee. Ask which form of authentication fits the intended record use before ordering, since an exemplified copy and an ordinary copy are not the same product.
| Tyler County case product | Published charge or rule |
|---|---|
| Plain Circuit Court copy | $1 per page |
| Faxed Circuit Court copy | $2 per page |
| Exemplified copy | $3 plus copy cost |
| Card payment | Four-percent service fee |
| Personal check | Not accepted |
The Tyler County Circuit Clerk page publishes the counter duties, fees, and payment rules.
Those details matter when a searcher needs the actual felony case file rather than the earlier Magistrate Court trail.
What a Criminal Case File Contains
A Tyler County criminal case file records the judicial path, not merely the arrest. A Magistrate Court detail may include the filing date, case location, case type, agency, charge citation, offense date, plea, disposition, sentence, bond, hearing schedule, parties, and coded docket entries. The Circuit Court file can add an indictment, pretrial motions, hearing orders, a plea agreement or trial record, judgment, sentence, and appeal papers. Some information may appear online while the filed writing remains at the clerk's counter.
| Case Number and Court | Identifies the Tyler County court level and the file used by that clerk. |
|---|---|
| Charging Document | Shows the complaint, citation, or indictment and the statutes alleged. |
| Docket Entries | Chronological filings and actions, often shown through a short code and description. |
| Hearings | Event type, date, time, location, judicial officer, and closure reason when posted. |
| Plea and Disposition | Records the plea and how each filed count ended. |
| Bond and Sentence | May show bond type, amount, status, judgment, confinement, or other court conditions. |
Read each count separately. One count may be dismissed while another ends in a plea or judgment. A disposition also may be missing from a statewide criminal-history cycle even though the Tyler County court file contains it.
Tyler County Case Calendar Terms
Tyler County has three annual Circuit Court terms. The first begins on the second Tuesday in February, the second on the second Tuesday in June, and the third on the second Tuesday in October. The grand jury convenes at the start of each term. These dates explain why a felony complaint and a later indictment can appear on different schedules, but they do not establish a deadline for any specific case.
A specialty route also exists. The 2026 West Virginia Judiciary map lists the Marshall-Wetzel-Tyler Adult Drug Court as active. It is a treatment court spanning three counties, not a separate public criminal-case database. Its existence does not replace the Magistrate or Circuit Clerk file for the Tyler County prosecution. Searchers should follow the ordinary docket and ask the clerk how a treatment-court order is recorded in that case.
Criminal Case Stages in Tyler County
The court file changes as the matter advances. A complaint and prompt initial appearance come first, along with bond and probable-cause work. A misdemeanor may proceed to plea or trial in Magistrate Court. A felony can move from preliminary proceedings to a grand-jury indictment, then to arraignment and pretrial motions in Circuit Court. A plea or trial leads to disposition, followed by judgment and sentence. An appeal may add another layer of filings.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
Online entries and paper records may reflect different points on that line. The filed charge can change, and the latest docket event may not state the final result in plain language. The clerk can confirm whether an order has been entered and whether a later proceeding belongs under the same Tyler County case number.
Tyler County Case Office Roles
The Circuit Clerk preserves the court record but does not prosecute or defend the case. The Tyler County Prosecuting Attorney represents the state in county criminal matters from an office at 225½ Main Street, in the Old Tyler County Bank Building. That office's filing position or proposed agreement becomes part of the judicial record only when submitted in the case. The clerk remains the source for the filed docket and entered orders. The official Tyler County Prosecuting Attorney page describes the office's duties and contact route.
That separation helps readers ask the correct office for a Tyler County case file instead of requesting court copies from a party to the case.
For the defense channel, West Virginia Public Defender Services is the official statewide starting point when no standalone Tyler office is listed.
Counsel is determined through the court case; the public-defense site is not a Tyler County docket search or substitute for the clerk's record.
Tyler County Docket Verification
A search result is not a certified Tyler County court record. MCR Search warns that it is not a comprehensive criminal history, limits the result set, and supplies no images of complaints or orders. A name match also can point to the wrong person. Compare the case location, agency, filing date, statutory charge, and case number, then ask the appropriate clerk to validate the record.
The West Virginia Trial Court Rules address inspection of clerk-retained writings and public access to nonsealed electronic docket material.
The rules support access to public Tyler County case material while preserving restrictions that apply to a particular file or field.
Note: Use the clerk's copy when the exact charge, entered order, disposition, or sentence matters; a portal summary may omit the controlling document.
Access Rules for Case Records
West Virginia Trial Court Rule 10.04 generally treats writings kept by a clerk as public unless a law, rule, or court order restricts them. Rule 15A.26 provides public access through the Circuit Clerk to electronic dockets and nonsealed, nonconfidential e-filed pleadings. The West Virginia Freedom of Information Act inspection provision also governs access to nonexempt public records. These rules do not make every fact in every Tyler County criminal case open online.
Juvenile-identifying information, sealed or expunged matters, protected victim data, and personal identifiers may be hidden, redacted, or withheld. The FOIA exemptions also protect qualifying law-enforcement and private material. If a case does not appear, give the clerk the court level, case number if known, filing period, and charge information, and ask whether the record is restricted, held only at the counter, or filed in the other court.
The broader distinction between arrest and court outcome is covered in the Tyler County arrest search. The criminal case file remains the source for what was formally filed and decided.