Felony

The Clerk's Office receives the initial paperwork from the Jefferson County Jail after a felony arrest. The Felony Department prepares the official court file, including the original arrest document and any release form. This information is also forwarded to the Office of the State Attorney. The State Attorney then reviews the case and determines whether to file or not file formal charges.

If you have bonded out of jail or have been released by a Judge at first appearance, you received notice at that time. If not, when formal charges are filed with the Clerk's Office you will be notified by mail of an arraignment date. If you bonded out of jail, your bondsman will be notified as well. All notices will be sent to the address that was given at the time of arrest.

If you move, it is your responsibility to notify the Clerk's Office in writing at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Circle, Monticello, Florida (32344).

An arraignment is a hearing where a defendant is advised of the formal charges filed by the State Attorney and is allowed to enter a plea to the charges. At the arraignment, a pre-trial date and possibly a trial date will be set.

The Felony Department of the Clerk's Office cannot change your court date. Please contact your attorney to help you with this problem.

Information is available online. Click here to be connected to the Public Court Search. Limited information is also available by dialing (850) 342-0218 ext. 233. To view your file, you may visit the Felony Department at Jefferson County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Circle, Monticello, Florida (32344).

Failure to appear may result in serious consequences. A felony judge may issue a warrant for your arrest. You may forfeit any bond that you have posted, thus losing money or collateral. If you are arrested for failure to appear you may be held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.

All felony sessions are public unless certain proceedings are specifically closed by a judge.

Upon disposition of a felony case file, the cash bond may be released to the depositor ONLY. Under s. 903.286 the court may direct all or a portion of the cash bond to be used for outstanding fines, court costs or restitution. If the depositor is due a refund, they may obtain a Cash Bond Release Notice from the Felony Department for delivery to Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

There are strict criteria for sealing or expunging court records. Some of the requirements are:

1. You have been charged but not convicted of a misdemeanor or felony offense because adjudication was withheld.
2. The State Attorney declined to prosecute.
3. You have not had any other court record sealed or expunged in the State of Florida.
You may be eligible to have court records about your case sealed or expunged. By Florida law, certain charges cannot be sealed or expunged regardless of whether or not adjudication was withheld.

There are significant differences between a sealed record and a record that has been expunged.

A sealed record could be opened for inspection by a Judge, you, your attorney, a criminal justice agency, and in special situations, a prospective employer. The Clerk must receive a motion and order (signed by the Judge) to unseal the record for this to occur.

An expunged record would no longer exist since the file and any references to that file are destroyed. However, as per Florida Rule 3.692, the record of arrest must have been sealed for at least 10 years; or an indictment or information was not filed against the defendant for the criminal transaction, or an indictment or information filed against the defendant was dismissed by the prosecutor of the court.

A packet with instructions on how to seal/expunge your case may be obtained from the Clerk by appearing in person at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Circle, Monticello, Florida (32344), or by visiting FDLE's Seal and Expunge Process page. Click here to visit the forms page.