Search Clarke County Criminal Records

Clarke County criminal history records are kept at the Circuit Court Clerk's Office and the General District Court at 104 North Church Street in Berryville, Virginia. The Circuit Court, part of Virginia's 26th Judicial Circuit, holds felony criminal case records while the General District Court handles misdemeanors, traffic matters, and preliminary hearings. You can search Clarke County criminal records online through Virginia's statewide court portals or visit the courthouse in Berryville during regular business hours to review case files.

Clarke County Circuit Court Criminal Records

The Clarke County Circuit Court is part of the 26th Judicial Circuit of Virginia. The Clerk of Court is Hon. April Wilkerson. This court is the court of record for all felony criminal prosecutions in Clarke County. It also handles civil cases over $25,000 and appeals from the General District Court. The Clerk's office maintains court records, land records, and probate matters. If you need certified copies of a felony case disposition or want to review a criminal case file, this office handles those requests.

Office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The court page at vacourts.gov has current contact information and links to the statewide online case search system. For in-person visits, the courthouse is located in Berryville, which is the county seat of Clarke County.

The Clarke Circuit Court official page is shown below. This screenshot was taken from the Clarke Circuit Court page on the Virginia Judiciary website.

The page lists the clerk's contact information and links to the statewide case search tool for Clarke County criminal records.

General District Court in Clarke County

The Clarke General District Court is part of the 26th Judicial District of Virginia. The Clerk of Court is Julie G. Aemmer. This court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic infractions, and civil matters under $25,000. The General District Court also conducts preliminary hearings for felony cases before they are potentially sent up to Circuit Court. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

The Clarke General District Court page is shown in the screenshot below. This was taken from the Clarke General District Court page at vacourts.gov.

Misdemeanor criminal records, traffic violations, and lower-level criminal case data for Clarke County are searchable through this court's records and the Virginia statewide online case system.

Clarke County Sheriff's Office

The Clarke County Sheriff is Travis M. Sumption (R), who took office on January 1, 2024. The Sheriff's Office is located at 100 N. Church St, Berryville, VA 22611, phone 540-955-1234. The office provides law enforcement services for Clarke County, including patrol, criminal investigations, court security, civil process service, and jail operations. For arrest records and incident reports from Clarke County, contact the Sheriff's Office directly.

Current contact details for the Sheriff's Office are available through the Virginia Sheriffs' Association directory, which lists all current sheriffs and their contact information statewide. For FOIA requests involving law enforcement records, contact the Sheriff's Office to identify the appropriate FOIA officer.

Search Criminal History in Clarke County

Virginia's statewide court search systems are the main tools for finding Clarke County criminal records online. For Circuit Court felony cases, use the Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information System. This system lets you search by name or case number and shows case status, hearing dates, and dispositions. Older records that predate electronic filing may not appear and will need to be requested at the Clerk's office in person.

For General District Court criminal records, including misdemeanors and traffic cases, use the Virginia General District Court Online Case Information System. Both tools are free and available at any time. The Virginia Courts Case Information portal at vacourts.gov provides a central entry point for all statewide court search tools. Juvenile records and sealed documents are not accessible through any of these public portals.

Clarke County also has a Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court that handles family-related matters and juvenile cases. Records from that court carry additional confidentiality protections under Virginia law. For access to juvenile court records, you must contact the Clerk's office directly and meet applicable legal requirements. The Clarke JDR Court page at vacourts.gov is shown below.

This screenshot was taken from the Clarke JDR Court page on the Virginia Judiciary website.

The JDR Court in Clarke County handles juvenile and family matters with significant confidentiality protections under Virginia law.

Virginia State Police Criminal Record Checks

For certified criminal history record checks covering all of Virginia, submit a request to the Virginia State Police through the VSP Criminal Record Check portal. Complete Form SP-167 and send it to the VSP's CARE office. This covers Clarke County cases along with all other Virginia jurisdictions. Under Virginia Code section 19.2-389, criminal history records are regulated and access is limited, but public court case records remain accessible through court-managed systems.

VADOC Inmate Locator

The Virginia Department of Corrections provides a free Inmate Locator tool for searching people currently held in state correctional facilities. If someone was convicted of a felony in Clarke County and received a state prison sentence, this tool can show their current facility, projected release date, and status. People held in the local Clarke County jail are not included. For local detention information, contact the Clarke County Sheriff's Office at 540-955-1234.

Criminal Records Access in Clarke County

Virginia's Freedom of Information Act at Code of Virginia section 2.2-3700 gives citizens the right to access public records held by government bodies. For Clarke County FOIA requests, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council at foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov provides guidance on the process. The Council can be reached at (804) 225-3056 or toll-free at 1-866-448-4100. The Council does not process records requests itself, but it can answer questions about how the FOIA process works and what records are available.

For FOIA requests involving Clarke County law enforcement records, contact the Sheriff's Office to identify the correct FOIA officer. For court records, contact the Circuit Court Clerk's office at (540) 955-5116. Circuit Court records that are already publicly available are exempt from FOIA under Code of Virginia section 2.2-3703(A)(7), meaning they are simply accessible through the court's own systems. Criminal investigative files, active investigation records, and juvenile court materials are typically not available through public FOIA requests.

Cities Near Clarke County

Clarke County borders the independent city of Winchester, which maintains its own court system and criminal records separate from Clarke County. Winchester is the nearest qualifying city to Clarke County residents.

Nearby Counties

Clarke County shares borders with several Virginia counties. Each county maintains its own court system and criminal history records.