Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas Bail Bonds & Bond Information

After arraignment at Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas

In Ashtabula County, initial arraignment and the first bond determination for most defendants occur in the county's municipal and area courts rather than in the Court of Common Pleas. The Ashtabula Municipal Court (city of Ashtabula and surrounding townships), the Western County Court in Geneva, and the Eastern County Court in Jefferson handle misdemeanor and traffic arraignments and the initial appearance for felony charges, where a judge sets bond based on the offense, the defendant's ties to the community, flight risk, and public safety. For felonies, the lower court conducts a preliminary hearing or the case proceeds to the grand jury; if the grand jury returns an indictment, the felony case is bound over to the Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas, 25 W. Jefferson St., Jefferson. At that point the Common Pleas judge handles arraignment on the indictment and may continue, review, or modify the bond and its conditions. The Common Pleas Court is the county's general-jurisdiction trial court for felony criminal cases as well as major civil, domestic relations, and probate matters.