Phillips County Criminal Case Files
Criminal court records in Phillips County are case-level records kept by the Colorado Judicial Branch Clerk of Court after a prosecutor files a complaint, information, or other charging paper. County court handles misdemeanors, traffic misdemeanors, traffic infractions, and felony complaints before transfer. District court handles felony cases and more serious criminal proceedings. Both court levels operate through Phillips Combined Court, which makes the local clerk the key contact for criminal case copies.
The charge list is only one part of the criminal court record. A complete Phillips County criminal case file may also include advisement entries, bond orders, motions, plea papers, minute orders, disposition or sentence orders, protection orders linked to the case, and payment or cost summaries. For a closer look at charges after arrest, use the court charge record route; for the broader file and outcome, the criminal court record is the core source.
Search Phillips County Criminal Court Records
Start with the Colorado Judicial Branch docket search when the need is a hearing date or case event. Use Phillips County or the 13th Judicial District, plus a date and another filter such as case number, party name, attorney, or case type. For a public register of actions, the Judicial Branch points users to listed vendors. CoCourts says district criminal and county misdemeanor records can be searched, but sealed cases are not available and documents are not downloaded through the vendor.
- Search the docket by date and Phillips County or 13th Judicial District to locate hearing activity.
- Use a listed vendor when a paid register of actions is enough for case activity and status.
- Use the Judicial Branch record/document request form for complaint, information, disposition, sentence order, or certified copy needs.
- Select Phillips County as the county or location of records and choose felony or misdemeanor if known.
- Call Phillips Combined Court when the record is older, restricted, unclear, or not visible in the online tools.
The CBI Internet Criminal History Check information page explains the official statewide name-based criminal history route. That is useful for background-history context, but it is not the same as a Phillips County criminal court case file.
The CBI route can show statewide criminal-history information, while the court route is still needed for the filed case papers, docket entries, and certified Phillips County criminal court records.
Phillips County Criminal Case Flow
A criminal court record grows as the case moves through the court. The first public court entries may be tied to the complaint or information, an advisement, bond conditions, or an arraignment. Later entries may show motions, amended charges, plea talks, trial settings, disposition, and sentencing. The District Attorney's Office files and prosecutes state felonies, misdemeanors, and some traffic offenses for the 13th Judicial District, which includes Phillips County.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial and Motions › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
| Stage | What the Criminal Court Record May Show |
|---|---|
| Charges filed | Complaint, information, charge description, severity, statute, and case number. |
| Arraignment | Advisement, plea entry, counsel status, next setting, and bond terms. |
| Pretrial and motions | Motion filings, orders, continuances, discovery-related events, and hearing settings. |
| Plea or trial | Plea agreement, verdict, dismissed counts, amended counts, or trial result. |
| Sentencing | Sentence order, fines, costs, restitution, probation, jail, prison, or other conditions. |
What Phillips County Criminal Records Show
The record/document request form lists criminal document categories that can be requested, including complaint/information and disposition/sentence order. CoCourts describes the public register of actions as case basics from the Colorado ICON system. A Phillips County criminal court record should be read as a sequence. A pending charge can change, a plea can apply to only some counts, and a sentence order gives the operative court result.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | The court tracking number used for docket search, vendor lookup, and document requests. |
| Defendant | The person charged in the criminal case. |
| Court | County court for misdemeanors or district court for felony matters and transfers. |
| Charges | The filed allegations, statute references, severity level, and any amended or dismissed counts. |
| Plea | Guilty, not guilty, deferred, or other plea status where recorded. |
| Hearings | Arraignment, advisement, motions, trial settings, plea settings, sentencing, and review dates. |
| Disposition | The current or final outcome of each charge or case. |
| Sentence | Court-ordered punishment or conditions, including fines, costs, restitution, probation, jail, or prison where applicable. |
Charges vs Convictions
A Phillips County criminal court record can show charges that never became convictions. Being charged means the prosecutor filed an allegation in court. A conviction means a guilty plea, finding, or verdict resolved a charge against the defendant. Dismissed, reduced, amended, or acquitted counts should not be read the same way as convictions. The disposition and sentence order are the key records for final outcome.
| Point | Charge | Conviction |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | An accusation filed in court. | A final guilty plea, verdict, or finding. |
| Where it appears | Complaint, information, docket, and register of actions. | Disposition, sentence order, judgment, and criminal history where reportable. |
| Can change | May be amended, reduced, dismissed, or dropped. | May be appealed, sealed where eligible, or corrected by court order. |
| How to verify | Read each count and current status. | Request the disposition or sentence order. |
Phillips County Criminal Court Participants
The 13th Judicial District Attorney serves Kit Carson, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma Counties. The research names Travis Sides as District Attorney and Rebecca Wiard as Assistant District Attorney. The DA's Sterling Office is the contact point for Phillips County and prosecutes felonies, misdemeanors, and some traffic offenses. Prosecutor filings help explain why a criminal court record may contain complaint, information, witness, subpoena, plea, and victim-advocacy entries.
The Colorado State Public Defender Sterling Office serves Phillips County for eligible defendants. It is not the custodian of the court record, but it is a key legal contact when a defendant needs help understanding charges, hearings, pleas, or sentence terms. Public defender questions and court copy questions should stay separate.
The CBI Internet Criminal History Check system provides the official online search system for Colorado name-based criminal history checks.
Use that statewide search for criminal history questions, then use Phillips Combined Court for the actual local criminal case file, docket, disposition, or sentence copy.
The CBI contact information page gives state-level contact context for criminal-history users.
That distinction helps avoid sending a Phillips County court-document request to a state background-check office that does not issue court-certified copies.
Public Access to Phillips County Criminal Records
Criminal court access in Phillips County is shaped by Colorado court-record rules and criminal-justice record statutes. The research cites C.R.S. 24-72-301 to 309 for criminal justice records, C.R.S. 24-72-304 for custodian inspection rules, and C.R.S. 24-72-305 for denial of inspection where law, court rule, court order, or public interest requires it. Court files also follow CJD 05-01 and CJD 06-01.
CoCourts says district criminal and county misdemeanor case types are included, but sealed cases are not. It also says social security numbers, street addresses, victims, police officers, jurors, non-party participants, and long narratives are omitted or treated as non-public. If a Phillips County criminal court record is needed for a legal filing, employment response, licensing issue, immigration issue, or appeal, request the certified document from the court clerk rather than relying on a docket summary.
Key access point: Phillips Combined Court is the local source for certified criminal court copies and restricted-record review.
Sealed vs Expunged Criminal Records
Sealed and expunged records are not the same. A sealed Colorado criminal record is hidden from ordinary public inspection, but it may remain available to courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, criminal justice agencies, and other authorized users. Expungement is more limited and often tied to juvenile or specific statutory categories. Juvenile records are controlled by the Children's Code and court access directives, and the record request form warns that juvenile files may require government photo identification.
| Point | Sealed Record | Expunged Record |
|---|---|---|
| Public access | Removed from ordinary public view. | Cleared or restricted under a narrower statutory process. |
| Government access | May remain available to courts, law enforcement, and authorized agencies. | Depends on the statute and case type. |
| Phillips County search result | Not available through CoCourts or ordinary public search. | Should not be treated as an ordinary public case result. |
| Common next step | Use Colorado Judicial Branch sealing materials and the filing court. | Use the specific juvenile or statutory expungement process where eligible. |
The sheriff's pages help with law-enforcement record requests and local contact context. The Phillips County Sheriff's Office staff page names Sheriff Michael Beard and current sheriff staff.
Sheriff records may document arrest or report activity, while the court record documents the filed criminal case, hearings, disposition, and sentence.
The Phillips County concealed handgun permit page shows sheriff counter procedures and public safety contact context.
That sheriff-side context should not be confused with the Clerk of Court's role in certified criminal court documents.
Phillips County Criminal Records Office
Use Phillips Combined Court for criminal court records tied to district-court felonies, county-court misdemeanors, criminal traffic matters, felony complaints, disposition copies, sentence orders, and case-file questions. Court counter hours are shorter than many county office hours, so call before traveling when the matter is time-sensitive. The record/document request form is often the cleanest path when the user already knows the case number, filing year, party name, or requested document type.
Phillips Combined Court
221 S. Interocean Avenue, 2nd Floor
Holyoke, CO 80734
970-762-7010
PhillipsClerksOffice@judicial.state.co.us
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.