Criminal Court Cases in Roane County
Roane County criminal court cases do not all begin and end in the same division. General Sessions Court hears felony preliminary matters and misdemeanor cases within its jurisdiction. Criminal matters are set on Tuesdays, while traffic citations are set on Fridays. A felony that is supported by probable cause may be bound over for grand-jury review. An indictment then places the later prosecution in Criminal Court. That handoff can produce a General Sessions number and a Criminal Court number for the same chain of events.
Roane County Criminal Court has felony and misdemeanor jurisdiction in Tennessee's Ninth Judicial District. Judge Jeffery H. Wicks holds Roane terms that begin in March, June, and October. The District Attorney General prosecutes the case, while the Circuit Court Clerk keeps the filed record. The court file, not a jail booking line, is the source for the filed counts, pleas, disposition, judgment, and sentence.
The official Roane courts site shows the local clerk portal, division contacts, dockets, forms, and payment access.
Its separate tools answer different questions, so a payment link or calendar should not be read as a full Roane County criminal case history.
Two Roane County Case Numbers
A Roane County prosecution may have two case numbers because Tennessee gives General Sessions and Criminal Court distinct jobs. The first file may contain the affidavit of complaint, arrest warrant or citation, bond order, initial setting, and preliminary-hearing result. If the matter is bound over and indicted, the later Criminal Court file may contain the indictment, arraignment, motions, plea or verdict, judgment, and sentence. Finding only one number can leave half the court record unseen.
The published General Sessions docket uses a format like 73GS1-YYYY-CR-sequence. That number identifies the county, division, year, criminal case type, and sequence. Search the final numeric portion where the portal's help calls for it. Then ask the clerk whether the General Sessions matter has a linked indictment number. This check is vital when the early docket seems to stop after a bound-over event.
The official General Sessions page sets out the preliminary and misdemeanor role.
That local division boundary explains why one Roane County court case lookup may require a second search.
Note: A current docket is a schedule, not proof that the listed charge became a conviction.
Roane County Case Record Searches
The free Roane trial-court search covers Circuit Court and General Sessions. Start narrowly when a case number is known. For a name search, use the full first and last name, add the year if known, and confirm the result against charge, date, court, and case number. Common names and old references can produce weak matches. The results can be filtered and sorted, but the system caps a broad return at 2,500 rows.
| Search Field | How It Works | Useful Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Party Name | Optional text, up to 100 characters | Full first and last name works best; old case references and quoted phrases may work |
| Match all search terms | Optional checkbox, prechecked | The first ten query words are considered |
| Case Year | Optional four-digit year | Narrows a name search |
| Case Number | Optional text, up to 50 characters | Help directs users to enter the final numeric portion of a GS number |
| Court Type | Circuit Court, General Sessions, or both | Both are prechecked |
| Case Type | Criminal, Civil, or both | Choose criminal for this search |
If the screen finds nothing, repeat the search with fewer terms, search both court types, and call the correct clerk division. A very recent filing may not yet appear. A sealed or expunged matter may be absent by law. Pre-1973 permanent criminal files use the Historic Courthouse archive rather than the modern portal.
The live search screen shows the exact controls used for Roane County court case records.
Choosing the right division and case type keeps the search tied to the local trial file rather than unrelated civil results.
Roane County Criminal Clerk Counters
The modern court record counter is at the Roane County Courthouse, 200 East Race Street, Kingston, Tennessee 37763. Circuit and Criminal Court use Suite 11 and the 865-376-2390 line. General Sessions and Juvenile use Suite 16; the General Sessions number is 865-376-5584. Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding legal holidays. Call the division before a trip to confirm security, closure, copy, and certification details.
Roane County Court Clerk
200 E. Race Street
Kingston, TN 37763
Circuit/Criminal: 865-376-2390
General Sessions: 865-376-5584
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Use Suite 16 for the initiating General Sessions record and Suite 11 for an indictment or Criminal Court judgment. Give the clerk the defendant name, docket number, approximate year, and exact document sought. Ask whether images are available, what a certified copy will cost, and how payment or delivery works. No current official criminal-copy fee was located, so obtain a quote before ordering.
What a Criminal Case File Contains
A full Roane County criminal case file is document-centered. It can show how the charge changed from the first complaint to the final judgment. Online index data may identify the record without supplying free PDF images. Ask for named documents when the result page is thin, especially the charging paper, hearing result, indictment, plea, judgment, and sentence.
| Case Header | Case number, filing date, division, case type, status, judge, and disposition |
|---|---|
| Parties | State, defendant with protected identifiers limited, counsel, and prosecutor when entered |
| Charges | Count, description, TCA code, class, and original or amended charge |
| Events | Complaint, warrant or citation, bond, preliminary hearing, indictment, arraignment, motions, plea or verdict |
| Outcome | Judgment, sentence, probation order, costs, fines, and restitution where public |
| Restrictions | Juvenile, victim-sensitive, sealed, expunged, and confidential identifying material is limited |
A field can be blank because the event did not occur, has not yet been entered, or is not shown in the public view. Do not infer dismissal from a blank disposition. Request the judgment or ask the clerk to explain the current status.
Reading Roane County Docket Entries
A Roane General Sessions docket entry may list the 73GS1 case number, an internal reference, State-versus-defendant caption, attorney or officer when present, count, Tennessee Code citation, charge description, violation date, arrest date, and hearing placement. The docket's purpose is to organize a court setting. It may not carry the final result, downloadable documents, or the full financial record.
- Bound over
- General Sessions found the case could proceed to grand-jury review.
- Indictment
- A grand jury's formal charge that begins the Criminal Court stage.
- Arraignment
- The Criminal Court hearing at which the charge is stated and a plea is entered.
- Disposition
- The recorded result, such as dismissal, plea, verdict, or other final action.
- Capias
- A court order directing that a person be taken into custody, often tied to a default or violation.
Compare the charge on the first docket with the charge on the judgment. An officer's booked or cited allegation can be amended, dismissed, or replaced. The judgment is the right document for the conviction offense and sentence.
Criminal Case Stages in Roane County
The usual record flow is easy to state, but each step can create a separate entry or document. A misdemeanor may remain in General Sessions. A felony can pass from General Sessions to the grand jury and Criminal Court. Motions, resets, diversion, dismissal, or an appeal can change the path.
Charges Filed → Arraignment → Pretrial → Plea or Trial → Disposition → Sentencing
In Roane County, the first arraignment or preliminary event may appear in the General Sessions file, while a post-indictment arraignment appears in Criminal Court. After judgment, an appeal moves to Tennessee's appellate system. Tennessee Public Case History covers appellate case history only. It is not a statewide search for Roane County trial records.
The Criminal Court source page describes the Ninth Judicial District court and its Roane schedule.
Those three annual terms help explain why settings may cluster even though the clerk receives filings throughout the year.
Pre-1973 Roane County Court Cases
Older Roane County criminal court cases have a special records route. The Historic Roane County Courthouse at 119 Court Street in Kingston holds permanent government records created before 1973, including records from every county court system except Juvenile Court. The County Historian and Archives line is 865-376-9211. Call before travel because an archived box may need to be located in advance.
Records from 1973 to the present also connect with the county Records Department, created in 2024 at 1362 N. Gateway Avenue in Rockwood. The modern active court counter remains on East Race Street. This date and building split is why an old name can fail in the online Roane County court case lookup even when a paper docket survives. Provide a narrow date range, name variants, court type, and any docket reference for historical research.
Note: The modern case portal should not be treated as a complete index to Roane County's permanent historical court files.
Access Rules for Case Records
The Tennessee Public Records Act supports inspection and copies of public records, but confidentiality statutes still control. Roane County requires Tennessee citizenship proof under its policy. An inspection-only request cannot be forced into writing. A request for copies, or inspection plus copies, uses County Form A in person or by mail. Name the court, case number, year, and documents with enough detail for the clerk to locate them.
Under Tenn. Code Ann. ยง 10-7-503, a custodian who cannot promptly produce a public record generally must respond within seven business days by producing it, denying it with the legal basis, or stating the time reasonably needed. This is an initial-response rule, not a promise that every file will be complete in seven days.
Social Security numbers and other protected identifiers are not part of the ordinary public view. Juvenile material, sealed filings, expunged cases, and protected victim or witness information may be withheld or redacted. Ask for the public portion when a document contains both open and confidential material, and request the legal basis for a denial.
Certified Roane County Judgments
A docket line may be enough to locate a Roane County case, but it is not a certified judgment. When the exact court outcome matters for personal record review, call the division that entered the judgment. Give the case number and ask for the judgment, sentence, and any later order that changes the disposition. Confirm the current fee and delivery channel before staff begin copy work.
The Roane court forms page also links the official Criminal Expungement form.
Forms begin a filing; they do not replace the clerk's certified copy of the signed order or judgment in a specific case.
For a dismissed case that still appears in a personal Tennessee history, compare the clerk's disposition with the TBI entry. The clerk corrects its own file, while the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation handles repository challenges. Expungement is a separate legal process under Tennessee law and depends on the exact charge, result, prior history, and current statute.