Mercer County Criminal Records Office
Mercer County criminal court records are kept by the Clerk of Courts side of the combined Clerk of Courts, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Orphans' Court office. The county identifies Mary Jo Basilone DePreta as the dual officeholder who also serves as Administrator of Cost Collections. For criminal cases, the office maintains documents, pleadings, orders, summary appeals, bail bonding applications, District Justice M3 dispositions filed for collection, cost and fine records, restitution, state commitment forms, and motor-vehicle charge reporting.
Common Pleas criminal dockets after 1994 are available through computer access and through UJS public web docket sheets by name or docket number. Older criminal records are in Archives. Mercer County research states that pre-1994 criminal records should be requested in advance, with at least 48 hours for retrieval. Murder records are retained permanently.
The Mercer County Clerk of Courts page is assigned to this criminal court records page in the image manifest.
That office is the copy and filing source when a public docket sheet is not enough for a Mercer County criminal court record.
Search Mercer County Criminal Records
Use Pennsylvania UJS Case Search for public criminal Common Pleas docket sheets, MDJ criminal matters, complaint-number searches, incident-number searches, OTN searches, participant searches, and criminal calendar events. Select Mercer County or Judicial District 35 when a county or district filter is available. If the case began before a Magisterial District Judge, the public record may show MDJ events before the case is bound over to the Court of Common Pleas.
- Search by Common Pleas criminal docket number if the CP number is known.
- Use participant name, OTN, complaint number, incident number, or date filed when the docket number is not known.
- Review the public docket sheet for charges, case status, hearings, plea, disposition, sentence events, and appeal entries.
- Contact the Clerk of Courts for certified copies, criminal case documents, costs, fines, restitution, and archive retrieval.
- Use the DA or Public Defender channels only for case-specific prosecution or defense questions, not as a public records shortcut.
For all court record types, use Mercer County court records as the broader source map. For the arrest-to-charge path rather than the full case file, use Mercer County arrest records and court charges.
Mercer County Criminal Case Flow
Many criminal matters start at the Magisterial District Court level with a complaint, preliminary arraignment, bail decision, and preliminary hearing. If a serious case is held for court, it moves to the Court of Common Pleas. The Clerk of Courts then handles the Common Pleas criminal case file, including pleadings, orders, docket entries, costs, fines, restitution, and state sentence paperwork when applicable.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Preliminary Arraignment › Preliminary Hearing › Common Pleas Filing › Pretrial Motions › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Charges filed | A complaint, citation, OTN, incident number, or related filing starts the criminal track. |
| MDJ proceedings | Preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing events may appear before Common Pleas filing. |
| Common Pleas case | The criminal case file adds pleadings, motions, orders, hearings, pleas, and trial events. |
| Disposition | The charge or case outcome is recorded, such as guilty plea, verdict, dismissal, withdrawal, or other result. |
| Sentence and costs | The docket may show sentence terms, costs, fines, restitution, payment plans, or commitment paperwork. |
Mercer County Criminal Record Fields
A criminal court record is broader than a list of charges. It can show the full case path, from the early MDJ stage to Common Pleas disposition and sentencing. The public docket sheet may be enough to check the status, but full documents and certifications come from the Clerk of Courts.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Docket number | The Common Pleas or MDJ case identifier, such as a CP criminal number or MJ docket number. |
| Defendant | The person charged in the criminal case. |
| Charges | The alleged offenses, grades, charge status, OTN, complaint data, or citation link when shown. |
| Bail and hearings | Preliminary arraignment, preliminary hearing, bail events, hearing dates, continuances, and court appearances. |
| Plea and motions | Formal plea entries, motion filings, court orders, and pretrial activity. |
| Disposition and sentence | Final outcome, judgment, sentence date, costs, fines, restitution, probation, confinement, or appeal entries. |
UJS warns that docket sheets should not be used instead of a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history background check.
Mercer County Charges vs Convictions
A charge is an accusation. A conviction is a final result after a guilty plea, verdict, or other qualifying disposition. Mercer County criminal court records can show charges that were dismissed, withdrawn, amended, reduced, or resolved in a way that is not a conviction. Read each count and disposition instead of assuming every charge led to guilt.
| Point | Charge | Conviction |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | An alleged offense filed in court. | A final guilty result by plea, verdict, or applicable court outcome. |
| Timing | Appears early and may change. | Appears after disposition. |
| Record reading | Check status for amended, withdrawn, dismissed, or held-for-court language. | Check sentence, costs, restitution, probation, confinement, and appeal entries. |
Mercer County Criminal Access Rules
Criminal court records are governed by the UJS court-records policy and Pennsylvania criminal-history law. The Criminal History Record Information Act governs dissemination and use of criminal history record information. UJS also cautions that employers misusing criminal history information can face liability under Pennsylvania law.
The criminal-history statute source is assigned to this criminal court records page.
That state source matters when a public docket is being used for a background-related purpose rather than simple case tracking.
Key access rules: Public docket sheets may be free, but juvenile, sealed, expunged, limited-access, and confidential information are not ordinary public criminal court records.
Sealed and Expunged Criminal Records
Mercer County criminal court records can be restricted by court order or Pennsylvania statute. Expungement removes qualifying record information from public access under the order. Limited access restricts public visibility while leaving criminal justice access in place. Sealing hides a record from ordinary public lookup, but it is not the same as expungement.
| Point | Sealed or Limited Access | Expunged |
|---|---|---|
| Public visibility | Restricted from ordinary public view. | Removed or destroyed as directed by the court order. |
| Agency access | May remain available to courts or criminal justice agencies. | Depends on law and the expungement order. |
| Mercer filing context | Often tied to court policy, confidential data, or limited access. | Petition is filed in the court that handled the case. |
The state expungement statute is assigned to this criminal records page.
Use that statute source for eligibility context, while the actual petition and order must be handled through the court record.
The limited-access statute is also assigned as an image source.
Limited access is important because it restricts public view without making the record vanish for all official purposes.
Mercer County Criminal Copies
The Clerk of Courts fee schedule in the research lists common criminal filing and copy costs. A misdemeanor or felony disposed during or after trial is listed at $209, while a misdemeanor or felony disposed before trial is listed at $157. A summary appeal filing is listed at $51 plus possible mailing and automation costs. Copies or fax pages are listed at $0.50 per sheet, certification at $10, exemplification at $11.50, and limited access expungement at $132.
Those fees are useful when requesting a certified criminal record rather than only reading a public docket. Criminal court records that are old enough to be in Archives should be requested before visiting because Mercer County identifies a retrieval period for pre-1994 files.
Mercer County Criminal Case Offices
The Mercer County District Attorney is Peter C. Acker. The DA prosecutes criminal offenses, works with law enforcement, handles plea discussions, presents evidence and arguments, and advocates for victim rights. DA-specific Right-to-Know requests use the DA Appeals Officer channel in Suite 209.
The Mercer County Public Defender is Autumn Johnson. The office represents qualifying adults and juveniles with current criminal charges filed in Mercer County. The Public Defender is relevant when a person needs legal help with pending criminal charges, warrants, specialty court applications, or jail-related case questions. Public Defender intake is not a public docket search channel.
Note: Use court records for public case information and counsel for legal advice about what a criminal docket means.
Restricted Mercer County Criminal Records
Juvenile and dependency records are confidential in Mercer County's records-maintained materials. Juvenile court-file inspection is limited by 42 Pa.C.S. 6307. Sealed, expunged, and limited-access criminal records are not regular public lookup records. Personal identifiers and confidential documents may also be withheld or redacted under UJS policy.
If a public docket appears wrong, UJS says a party or attorney should submit a correction request to the court where the case was filed. If the goal is clearing or restricting a record, the correct path is a court petition, not a public-records request.