Find Criminal Court Records in Talbot County
Talbot County criminal court records are kept by the Circuit Court Clerk in Easton and cover felony cases, misdemeanor matters heard at the Circuit level, and appeals from the District Court filed in the county. This guide covers every way to search for case records in Talbot County, from the free statewide online portal to in-person requests at the courthouse on North Washington Street, along with fee details, mailing instructions, and what to expect from each office you may need to contact.
Talbot County Overview
Talbot County Circuit Court Clerk
The Circuit Court Clerk for Talbot County is Kathleen M. (Kathi) Duvall, reachable directly at (410) 822-2611, Ext. 325. Chief Deputy Alyssa K. Hughes assists with daily operations at Ext. 334. The office handles felony filings, jury trial matters, District Court appeals, and all related criminal case documents for Talbot County. It sits at 11 N. Washington Street in Easton, Suite 16, and this is the right office to contact when you need official copies of criminal court records from the Circuit Court level.
| Address | 11 N. Washington Street, Suite 16, Easton, MD 21601 (physical) P.O. Box 723, Easton, MD 21601 (mailing) |
|---|---|
| Phone | (410) 822-2611 | Toll-free: 1-800-339-3403 | TTY: Maryland Relay 711 |
| kathleen.duvall@mdcourts.gov | |
| Fax | (410) 820-8168 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Website | www.mdcourts.gov/clerks/talbot |
The Criminal Unit is supervised by Judy B. Mowbray. Court Administrator Sonja M. Kerns can be reached at (410) 770-6809 for administrative matters. One thing to keep in mind: criminal case dispositions cannot be disclosed over the phone. Staff can confirm a case exists and provide general docket information, but you will need to visit in person or submit a written request to get specific disposition details. Plan accordingly if you are calling from outside Easton.
The screenshot below is from the Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal, the free statewide tool you can use to look up Talbot County criminal court records before making any trip to the courthouse.
The online portal lets you search by name or case number and view docket entries, hearing dates, and case status at no cost, any time of day.
How to Search Talbot County Criminal Records
Start with the free Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal before doing anything else. It covers Talbot County Circuit Court records from 1998 forward and District Court records from 1989. You can search by the defendant's name, case number, or date of birth. The site is available around the clock and costs nothing to use. For most people searching for case status or docket entries, this is all they need.
If you need physical copies, you have two options: visit the clerk's office in person or mail a written request. In-person requests go to 11 N. Washington Street, Suite 16, during regular business hours. Bring the defendant's full legal name or case number, a valid photo ID, and payment. Staff will have you complete a request form before pulling records. Note that criminal dispositions will not be shared verbally, so have your request in writing if you want details on how a case ended.
Mail requests should go to: 11 N. Washington Street, Suite 16, Easton, MD 21601, Attn: Criminal Unit. Your letter needs the defendant's name, case number if available, the documents you want, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a money order or check to cover the copy fees. Allow extra time for mail requests, and call ahead to get an estimate of how many pages are in the file so you can send the right amount.
Note: Criminal dispositions in Talbot County cannot be shared over the phone; written or in-person requests are required for disposition details.
What Talbot County Criminal Records Contain
Criminal court records at the Talbot County Circuit Court include documents from felony cases, serious misdemeanor matters, and cases that came up from District Court on appeal or jury trial demand. The case file is the official record of everything that happened from the time charges were filed through the final resolution of the case.
A typical criminal case file in Talbot County will include the original charging documents or indictment, bond orders and pretrial conditions, plea agreements if the case resolved without trial, sentencing orders, final judgments, and any active or recalled warrants. Docket entries list every filing, hearing date, and judge's order in chronological order. If you need to reconstruct the timeline of a case, the docket is the place to start. Certified copies carry an official court seal and are accepted by courts, agencies, and employers as proof of the record's authenticity.
- Felony charges and grand jury indictments
- Bond documents and pretrial release conditions
- Plea agreements and sentencing orders
- Final judgments and case dispositions
- Warrants (active and recalled)
- Chronological docket entries
The Circuit Court Clerk does not run criminal background checks. That function belongs to the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), reachable at 1-888-795-0011. The clerk provides copies of filed court documents, which are separate from a formal background check report.
Copy Fees and Payment Options
Standard copies at the Talbot County Circuit Court cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 plus $0.50 per page for each page of the underlying document. Exemplified copies, which carry a higher level of authentication, cost $10.00 plus $0.50 per page. These are the standard rates set by Maryland court rules and apply to all criminal court record requests at this office.
Payment can be made by cash, check, money order, or credit card. The office accepts Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. This is broader than some Maryland county courthouses that restrict payment to cash and money orders only, so Talbot County gives you some flexibility. Make checks or money orders payable to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Talbot County. If you are not sure how many pages a file contains before you send a mail request, call (410) 822-2611 and ask staff for a page count estimate.
Talbot County District Court
The Talbot County District Court is at 108 West Dover Street in Easton. The main phone number is (410) 819-5850, and the toll-free line is 1-800-941-2195. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. District Court handles misdemeanor cases, minor traffic offenses, civil matters under $30,000, and preliminary hearings in felony cases before they move to Circuit Court.
District Court records from 1989 onward are searchable through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal, the same tool used for Circuit Court records. If you search the Case Search database and do not find a record at the Circuit Court level, try checking District Court records. Many misdemeanor cases that did not involve a jury trial request will be at the District Court level rather than with the Circuit Court Clerk. Appeals from District Court rulings transfer to the Circuit Court and are held by Clerk Duvall's office.
Talbot County Sheriff's Office
The Talbot County Sheriff's Office is located at 28640 Mary's Court, Suite 100, Easton, MD 21601. The main phone line is (410) 822-1020. The Sheriff's website is www.talbotsheriff.org. This office handles law enforcement across the county and maintains its own records separate from those at the Circuit Court.
To request records from the Sheriff's Office, submit a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request. Include the date and location of the incident, the names of the people involved, and a description of the records you need. The office has up to 30 days to respond. Available records may include incident reports, arrest logs, warrant information, and body camera footage. Body camera footage and DVDs are available at $25 per disk. Standard records cost $5.00 for the first five pages and $0.50 for each additional page after that.
Easton Police Department, which covers the city of Easton, is a separate agency at 106 West Dover Street, reachable at (410) 822-1111. If your records relate to an incident inside Easton city limits, the Easton PD may hold the relevant report rather than the Sheriff. Sheriff records and Circuit Court records are entirely separate; you need to contact each office on its own.
Communities in Talbot County
Talbot County does not have any cities that meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page on this site. The Circuit Court in Easton handles criminal court records for all communities in the county, including St. Michaels, Oxford, Tilghman, and other towns and unincorporated areas. Everyone in the county uses the same clerk's office at 11 N. Washington Street.
Nearby Counties
Talbot County borders several Maryland counties on the Eastern Shore, each with its own Circuit Court clerk and criminal records process.