Criminal Court Cases in Keweenaw County
Keweenaw County uses two trial courts for criminal matters. The 97th District Court hears misdemeanors punishable by no more than one year. It also conducts felony first appearances, sets and accepts bail, and holds probable-cause conferences and preliminary examinations. A preliminary examination tests whether enough evidence exists to send a felony forward. It does not decide guilt. District Court also receives probation fines and costs.
The 12th Circuit Court hears felony cases after bindover and appeals from District Court. Bindover means the lower court has transferred a felony to Circuit Court for the next phase. Both Keweenaw County criminal courts use 5095 Fourth Street, Eagle River, MI 49950, the same public number at 906-337-2229, and weekday counter hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The shared address does not merge their files. Searchers still need the correct court and case number.
The official Circuit Court source shows the felony court's contacts, jurisdiction, hours, and search fee.
That page is the direct county reference for bound-over felony records and clerk contact.
Keweenaw Court Cases Use Two Courts
A felony can create entries in both courts. The District Court file holds arraignment, bail, the probable-cause conference, and any preliminary examination. If the matter is bound over, the Circuit Court assigns its own phase of the record, including the felony arraignment, motions, plea or trial, judgment, and sentence. A dismissal at the preliminary stage may leave no later Circuit Court file.
A misdemeanor usually stays in District Court through disposition and sentence. Start with the charged level, but do not rely on the label alone. Charges can change after prosecutor review or a plea. The District Court's official page is the source for its criminal and bail functions.
The court division shown there is the first clerk contact for misdemeanors and the early felony record.
Keweenaw County Case Record Searches
Begin with MiCOURT Case Search, which publishes data from participating Michigan trial courts. Keweenaw's county pages do not promise that every local case, filing date, or document image is online. The chosen court controls coverage. A case number is the most precise key. A party name and date of birth can help distinguish people with similar names.
- Open MiCOURT and choose the proper participating court when it appears.
- Search by case number when known, or enter the party name and other supported identifiers.
- Record the court, case number, status, filing date, and useful register-of-actions entries.
- Call the clerk at 906-337-2229 when a case is absent or a document image is unavailable.
- Ask about inspection, copies, certification, mailing, email delivery, and required prepayment before ordering.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court | Dropdown | Varies | Select a participating trial court. |
| Search Type | Tab or control | Varies | Party and case options depend on the court. |
| Last Name or Business Name | Text | For party search | Use the spelling found in the case. |
| First Name | Text | Varies | Helps narrow a person search. |
| Case Number | Text | For case search | Best precision when the full number is known. |
| Date of Birth | Date | Where supported | Useful for separating common names. |
| Date or Status | Filter | No | Availability changes by selected court. |
The official MiCOURT interface shows how a public Keweenaw County court case lookup begins.
Its screen is an index and starting point, not a promise that every public paper is downloadable.
Keweenaw Court Clerk Record Fallback
When MiCOURT shows nothing, contact the clerk. Online absence can mean the court does not supply that record, the file predates the index, the search used the wrong court, or public access is restricted. Ask for a register of actions, which is the dated list of events in a case. Provide the person's full name, an approximate filing year, the possible offense, and any known case number.
The Circuit Court publishes a $10 criminal name-search fee. It accepts a mailed check or money order payable to 12th Circuit Court, cash in person, and credit or debit payment in person or online. Those statements concern court charges, so confirm per-page and certification costs before ordering. The Keweenaw County Clerk page identifies the clerk's county counter.
The clerk remains the best source when an index supplies only a docket summary or no result.
Keweenaw County Criminal Courts
5095 Fourth Street
Eagle River, MI 49950
906-337-2229
Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; closed legal holidays.
Note: Call ahead during severe lake-effect weather and confirm that an older Keweenaw County court file is available at the counter.
What a Criminal Case File Contains
A public trial-court file may show the accusation and each recorded court event. The register of actions is often enough to locate the outcome, but the filed complaint, orders, judgment, or sentence may be needed to understand it. Document images may not appear online. Victim data, juvenile identifiers, and protected personal details can be omitted or redacted.
| Case Number and Court | Identifies the file and whether it belongs to District or Circuit Court. |
|---|---|
| Charge | Lists the offense description, statute, and level recorded at that stage. |
| Parties and Counsel | Names the prosecutor, defendant, and defense counsel when public. |
| Bond and Hearings | Records bail terms, scheduled dates, and hearing events. |
| Register of Actions | Provides the dated procedural history, filings, and orders. |
| Disposition | Shows how a charge ended, such as dismissal, acquittal, plea, or conviction. |
| Sentence and Balance | May show sentence terms, fines, costs, and the financial balance. |
A filed charge is not a conviction. Read the disposition for each count. If the outcome is missing from a state record, compare the docket with Michigan State Police correction instructions rather than inferring the result.
Keweenaw Prosecutor Shapes Court Charges
The arresting officer submits an incident for review, but the Keweenaw County Prosecuting Attorney decides whether to authorize a criminal charge. Michigan calls this office the Prosecuting Attorney, not the district attorney. Charles Miller's office is at 5095 Fourth Street, Eagle River, and its published phone is 906-934-6170.
Authorization changes the record from an agency arrest event to a filed court accusation. The office also handles personal-protection-order enforcement, victim assistance and input, child-protection matters, and some commitment proceedings. Members of the public ordinarily report alleged crimes to law enforcement instead of attempting to file charges directly with the prosecutor.
The county's prosecutor source identifies the office and its stated duties.
That distinction helps explain why an arrest can exist without an authorized Keweenaw County court case.
Criminal Case Stages in Keweenaw County
A criminal file grows one step at a time. A prosecutor may first review a complaint or warrant request. District Court then handles arraignment and bail. Felony matters can proceed through a probable-cause conference and preliminary examination before bindover to Circuit Court. A plea or dismissal can end a case before trial.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
Each term marks a different event. Arraignment is the hearing where the charge is stated and initial conditions are addressed. Disposition is the recorded outcome of a charge. Sentencing follows a conviction, but later probation, appeal, and post-judgment entries can continue the docket. The full Keweenaw County arrest search remains separate because booking is an agency custody event rather than a judicial result.
Federal Cases Outside Keweenaw Courts
Federal crimes do not run through the Keweenaw trial-court file. Keweenaw County is in the Northern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. The serving federal courthouse is at 330 Federal Building, 202 W. Washington Street, Marquette, MI 49855, with phone 906-226-2021. There is no federal courthouse in Keweenaw County.
Use PACER for federal dockets and public filed documents. Registration is required and usage fees may apply. A known case number reduces paid search pages. The federal clerk handles certified copies and archived routing, while sealed material remains unavailable.
The official PACER source presents the separate federal case-access system.
Its presence underscores why MiCOURT and a local clerk search cannot answer a federal case question.
Access Rules for Case Records
Michigan court files are not requested under sheriff FOIA. Courts are outside the Michigan Freedom of Information Act's definition of a public body. Access instead follows Michigan court rules and trial-court procedures, including MCR 8.119. That rule generally permits inspection and copies of public case records unless a statute, another rule, or a sealing order restricts access.
Sealed records, nonpublic documents, juvenile matters, protected personal identifying information, and some victim information do not appear like an ordinary adult criminal docket. A public register may be online even when filed images require a clerk request. A set-aside removes information from public view as required by MCR 8.119 and MCL 780.623, while limited statutory users may retain access to a nonpublic record.
Key distinction: Use the court clerk and MCR 8.119 for Keweenaw County case files. Use Michigan FOIA for sheriff or executive-agency records.
Match Keweenaw Dispositions to ICHAT
MiCOURT and the clerk show the procedural result. The Internet Criminal History Access Tool, or ICHAT, shows Michigan State Police's public subset of reportable criminal history. These systems may update at different times. ICHAT can omit suppressed matters, warrants, traffic cases, juvenile cases, local misdemeanors, federal and tribal records, and events from other states.
Match the court case number and final charge to the state entry where possible. A dismissal can remain visible in the court docket even when no conviction appears in ICHAT. A missing disposition should be checked with the reporting court and then through the Michigan State Police record-modification process. Do not treat one system's silence as proof that no Keweenaw County criminal case exists.