Criminal Court Cases in Pecos County
Pecos County splits criminal jurisdiction by charge level. The 83rd and 112th Judicial District Courts hear felony matters, and the District Clerk maintains those files at 400 South Nelson Street in Fort Stockton. The constitutional Pecos County Court handles Class A and Class B misdemeanors, with its files kept by the County Clerk at 200 South Nelson Street, Suite 3. Municipal and justice courts keep their own city-ordinance and other fine-only cases. A district search can therefore be accurate yet still miss a lower-court matter.
The official Pecos County district offices directory identifies both district courts, the clerk, and the prosecutors who work in this local system. The captured directory view below is a useful starting point for confirming which Pecos County court office holds a felony file.
Its separate listings matter because the trial court and the clerk perform different jobs: the court hears the case, while the District Clerk preserves the docket and filed documents.
Two Pecos County District Courts
The 83rd and 112th District Courts share felony jurisdiction in Pecos County. Both sit locally at 400 South Nelson Street, but each has its own judge and contact line. Judge Robert Cadena's 83rd court lists 432-336-3361. Judge Pete Gomez Jr.'s 112th court lists 325-392-5225 for its administrative line. District Clerk Darla Cude, reached at 432-336-3503, is the common file custodian for district criminal cases.
The Texas Judicial Branch local-rules court listing confirms the two judicial districts that serve Pecos County. The saved view gives context for why a case caption can name either district even though the local clerk counter is the same.
Use the full cause number when calling. It is a safer identifier than a name alone and helps the clerk distinguish cases across courts and filing years.
Pecos County Case Record Searches
Begin with the court level, then use re:SearchTX for contributed electronic records. Pecos County uses Tyler Odyssey, but statewide coverage and document access still depend on what the clerk contributes. Registration or document fees may apply. A missing hit is not proof that no case exists, especially for older files or a matter held by the County Clerk, a justice court, or a municipal court.
- Classify the matter as felony, Class A or B misdemeanor, or fine-only before choosing a clerk.
- Search re:SearchTX by cause number when known, or use the party name and a Pecos County filter.
- Narrow broad results by filing date range and case type, then compare the court and status.
- Open the docket and identify the charging instrument, hearing events, disposition, and judgment entries.
- Contact the proper clerk for a docket sheet, document copy, or certified disposition when the online view is thin.
| Field or Control | Type | Required | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location or county | Filter | No | Choose Pecos to narrow contributed records |
| Case number | Text | No | Best unique case identifier |
| Party name | Text | No | Spelling and common names affect matches |
| Date filed or range | Date | No | Narrows results by filing period |
| Case type | Filter | No | Criminal availability varies by clerk |
| Search and results | Controls | Yes | Run, sort, and open available entries |
The captured re:SearchTX entry below shows the official statewide starting point. Its result set is a route to contributed records, not a guarantee of a complete Pecos County criminal docket.
When a needed document is absent, give the clerk the court and cause number instead of asking for an open-ended background search.
Pecos County Misdemeanor Case Files
County Clerk Liz Chapman keeps constitutional County Court misdemeanor files at 200 South Nelson Street, Suite 3, Fort Stockton, TX 79735. The office lists 432-336-7555. Its published search policy says staff will not perform a broad name or background search and asks the customer to supply a specific cause number. Criminal copies cost $1 per page. That local rule makes a portal result, citation, bond paper, or other source for the cause number especially useful.
The official County Clerk page also lists accepted payment types and warns that an e-filed case receives no refund. The image below preserves the clerk's public office and payment context.
Call before paying or traveling. Published material does not establish counter hours, current certified-copy fees, security rules, or how long an archived scan will take.
What a Criminal Case File Contains
A Pecos County case file records what prosecutors filed and what the court did, not just what an officer alleged at arrest. The docket is the chronological list of settings, filings, and rulings. The charging instrument may be an indictment for a felony or an information for a misdemeanor. Read the final disposition and judgment alongside the original charge because screening, plea talks, amendment, dismissal, acquittal, or trial can change the result.
| Cause Number and Court | Identifies the file, judicial district or county court, and filing track. |
|---|---|
| Charging Instrument | Shows the offense formally filed through an indictment, information, or complaint. |
| Docket Entries | Lists filings, settings, bond events, capias entries, rulings, and case status. |
| Hearings | May provide scheduled dates and the court events recorded as completed or reset. |
| Disposition and Judgment | States the outcome, such as conviction, dismissal, acquittal, or deferred adjudication. |
| Sentence and Conditions | Records punishment, fines, costs, custody, or community-supervision terms when public. |
Sensitive identifiers, protected victim data, sealed documents, and juvenile material may be absent or redacted. Treat the online inventory as a lead, then ask the clerk whether the signed judgment or certified disposition is available.
Certified Pecos County Case Dispositions
A thin portal entry may show that something happened without displaying the signed order. For proof of a Pecos County outcome, identify the court and cause number, then request the judgment, sentence, dismissal order, or certified disposition from the proper clerk. Ask whether the record is electronic, archived, available for inspection, or subject to a per-page and certification charge. The District Clerk keeps felony files; the County Clerk handles its misdemeanor docket.
Older Pecos County records may require an archive pull or scan. Give the clerk a full name, an approximate filing year, and the cause number if known. Do not assume the historic courthouse at 103 West Callaghan Street is the criminal-record counter. Active district files are at 400 South Nelson Street, and County Clerk files are at 200 South Nelson Street. That three-address split can save a long trip from Iraan or a rural part of the county.
Note: Ask the clerk to confirm the current fee and certification method before ordering a Pecos County court record.
Criminal Case Stages in Pecos County
A Texas criminal matter can begin with an arrest and magistration before a prosecutor decides what to file. A complaint may support the early process. Felony prosecution can then move through grand-jury action and indictment, while a misdemeanor may proceed by information. Arraignment addresses the formal accusation and plea. Pretrial entries can include discovery, motions, bond rulings, settings, and a capias, which is a court command to take a person into custody.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
Not every Pecos County case reaches every step. A prosecutor may reject or change a charge, a grand jury may return no bill, or the court may dismiss a count. When a case ends in conviction, the judgment and sentence are stronger outcome records than the first booking charge. The broader Pecos County arrest search explains the separate agency and jail records created before a court file opens.
Fine-Only Pecos County Court Records
A Class C or city-ordinance matter can remain outside the District Clerk and County Clerk systems. Fort Stockton and Iraan municipal courts keep their city cases. Justice courts also maintain fine-only matters within their precincts. Pecos County justice counters include Precinct 1 in Fort Stockton, Precinct 3 in Iraan, Precinct 4 in Imperial, and Precinct 6 in Sheffield. A citation or failure-to-appear issue may therefore have no district-court result.
Route the request by the place and issuing court shown on the citation. Ask for the cause number, docket, plea, judgment, payment status, and any capias or failure-to-appear event. A fine payment may not recall a warrant until the court completes its process, so seek written status from the issuing court. This lower-court check is a separate step, not evidence that the felony or county misdemeanor clerks missed a file.
Access Rules for Case Records
Judicial case records are governed by court law and judicial access rules rather than handled exactly like an executive-agency request under the Texas Public Information Act. Public views can omit full Social Security numbers, account data, protected addresses, victim information, juvenile material, and sealed documents. An expunction under Chapter 55A removes qualifying records from ordinary access. A nondisclosure order restricts public release but preserves access for authorized governmental recipients.
The Texas criminal-history dissemination and nondisclosure law explains why a public clerk view and a government repository return can differ. Ask the Pecos County clerk whether the case is sealed, archived, outside the portal, or indexed under a corrected cause number. A missing public result alone does not identify the reason.
Federal Cases Beyond Pecos County Courts
Pecos County lies in the Western District of Texas, but a federal prosecution is not filed in either local district court. Search PACER after registration for the federal docket, then confirm the assigned division rather than assuming the closest courthouse has the case. PACER charges under its current schedule. A local Pecos County clerk cannot supply the federal file, and the captured PACER access page below shows the separate official channel.
Federal records supplement, but do not replace, a Pecos County court case search for state charges.
The Western District of Texas site provides official district and divisional information. The saved district view below helps separate that system from the Pecos County criminal courts.
Federal warrants can remain sealed, and neither PACER nor the district site functions as a general public warrant database.