Wicomico County Criminal Court Records

Wicomico County criminal court records are held by the Circuit Court Clerk in Salisbury and cover felony cases, serious misdemeanor matters, jury trial filings, and District Court appeals in the county. This page walks you through how to search criminal records in Wicomico County, from the free statewide online portal to written and in-person requests at the courthouse on North Division Street, including fees, contact details for related agencies, and what each office can and cannot provide.

Wicomico County Circuit Court Clerk

James B. (Bo) McAllister is the Circuit Court Clerk for Wicomico County, reachable at (410) 543-6551, Ext. 159, or by email at james.mcallister@mdcourts.gov. Chief Deputy Ajene M. Turnbull is at Ext. 158. The Criminal and Juvenile Unit supervisor is Valerie A. Murrell, reachable at Ext. 165. The courthouse sits at 101 North Division Street, Room 105, in Salisbury and is the primary office for obtaining official copies of Wicomico County criminal court records at the Circuit Court level. The general office email is wicomico.clerk@mdcourts.gov for written inquiries.

The Criminal Department line is (410) 543-1427, Option #2. Call this number if you have questions about a specific case, need a page count before submitting a mail request, or want to confirm whether a document has been filed. The office is closed on state holidays and does not have Saturday hours.

The screenshot below shows the Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal, which is the free statewide tool for searching Wicomico County criminal court records before visiting the courthouse or submitting a mail request.

The portal covers Circuit Court records from 1998 and District Court records from 1989, and is available at no cost around the clock.

How to Access Wicomico Criminal Records

The fastest starting point for Wicomico County criminal court records is the free Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal. Search by the defendant's name, case number, or date of birth. The database covers Circuit Court filings from 1998 and District Court filings from 1989. For most basic lookups, this tool gives you what you need: case status, hearing dates, docket entries, and charge information, all at no cost and without a trip to Salisbury.

For physical copies, you can visit in person or mail a written request. In-person visits go to Room 105 at 101 North Division Street during regular business hours. Have the defendant's full name or case number ready, bring a photo ID, and bring payment. Staff will direct you to a request form before pulling the file. To mail a request, send it to P.O. Box 198, Salisbury, MD 21801, Attn: Criminal Department. Your letter should include the defendant's name, case number if you have it, the documents you need, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a check, money order, or credit card authorization to cover the copy costs.

What's in a Wicomico County Criminal Case File

Criminal case files at the Wicomico County Circuit Court cover the full history of a case from initial filing through final disposition. Felony prosecutions make up the core of Circuit Court criminal filings, but the clerk also holds records for misdemeanor cases appealed from District Court and for any case where a jury trial was requested. The case file is the official court record.

A standard criminal case file in Wicomico County will contain the original charging documents or grand jury indictment, bond orders and pretrial conditions, any plea agreements reached with the State's Attorney, sentencing orders, final judgments, warrant records, and a chronological docket of every event in the case. Docket entries are often the first thing to pull: they give you a timeline of every filing and hearing without having to read through the entire file. Certified copies carry an official court seal and are accepted by other courts, government agencies, and employers as proof of the record's authenticity.

• Charging documents and grand jury indictments
• Bond orders and pretrial release conditions
• Plea agreements and sentencing orders
• Final judgments and dispositions
• Warrant records (active and recalled)
• Chronological docket entries

The Clerk's Office does not run criminal background checks. That service is handled by the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) at 1-888-795-0011. What the clerk provides are certified copies of filed court documents, which are public records.

Fees and Payment at Wicomico Circuit Court

Standard copy fees are $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 plus $0.50 per page for each page of the underlying document. Payment is accepted as cash, check or money order, or credit card. Make checks payable to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County.

These fees are set by Maryland court rules and are the same across most Circuit Courts in the state. If you are requesting a large file, call the Criminal Department at (410) 543-1427, Option #2, and ask for a page count before you mail payment. Sending too little will delay your request while the office waits for the correct amount. Sending too much is not ideal either, since refunds require extra processing steps.

Wicomico County District Court

The W. Paul Martin District Court and Multi-Service Center is at 201 Baptist Street in Salisbury. The main phone number is (410) 713-3500, and the toll-free line is 1-800-940-3267. Hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. District Court handles misdemeanor cases, traffic matters, civil cases under $30,000, and preliminary hearings before felony cases move to Circuit Court.

District Court records from 1989 onward are searchable through the Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal, the same database that covers Circuit Court records. If a case does not appear in Circuit Court records, check the District Court side. Many misdemeanor cases that did not involve a jury trial demand resolve entirely at the District Court level and will not be found in Circuit Court files at all. If a defendant appealed a District Court outcome, that appeal record moves to the Circuit Court and is held by Clerk McAllister's office.

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office

The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office is located at the Public Safety Building, 401 Naylor Mill Road, Salisbury, MD 21801. The main phone number is (410) 548-4891. The Sheriff's website is www.wicomicosheriff.com, and the general email is mikelewis@wicomicocounty.org. For Public Information Act requests, contact 1st Sgt. Jessica Murphy directly at jmurphy@wicomicocounty.org.

The screenshot below shows the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office website, where you can find contact information and public records request details for law enforcement records held by the Sheriff.

Submit MPIA requests to Sgt. Murphy's email for the fastest response on incident reports and arrest records held by the Sheriff's Office.

Three other agencies are worth knowing about if you need records related to a case. The Public Defender's Office in Wicomico County is at (410) 713-3400. The State's Attorney's Office is at (410) 548-4880. The Parole and Probation office is at (410) 713-3700. Each holds its own records and operates independently of the Circuit Court Clerk. If you need supervision records or prosecutor files, contact those agencies directly.

Communities in Wicomico County

Wicomico County does not have any cities that meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page on this site. The Circuit Court in Salisbury handles criminal court records for all communities in the county, including Fruitland, Delmar, Hebron, and other towns and unincorporated areas. All residents and requesters in the county use the same clerk's office at 101 North Division Street.

Nearby Counties

Wicomico County sits on the lower Eastern Shore and borders three other Maryland counties, each with its own Circuit Court and criminal records process.