Located in northeast Ohio, Trumbull County was created in 1800 and named after Jonathan Trumbull. Approximately 201,977 people reside in the county’s 618 square miles of land. Warren is its largest city and county seat.
Courts in Trumbull County
The Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas is the highest court in the county and is divided into different divisions based on case types. The General Division hears all felonies and civil cases involving more than $15,000 in claims. The Domestic Relations Division hears domestic relations matters, including annulment, divorce, maintenance, and paternity. The Juvenile Division hears all juvenile matters, including juvenile traffic offenses, delinquency, child abuse, and juvenile dependencies. The Probate Division deals with probate matters, such as adoptions, admitting wills, issuing marriage licenses, administering estates, and appointing guardianships.
There are two county courts in Trumbull County: Trumbull County Court - Central District and Trumbull County Court Eastern District. They hear criminal and civil cases in areas without municipal courts. They hear misdemeanors, traffic offenses, municipal ordinance violations, and preliminary hearings for felonies. They also hear civil cases with claims under $15,000.
There are four municipal courts in Trumbull County. They have the same jurisdiction as County courts over civil and criminal cases. The municipal courts are in Warren, Niles, Newton Falls, and Girard.
Lastly, there are two mayor’s courts in Trumbull County. They handle municipal ordinance violations and traffic infractions within their boundaries. The mayor’s courts are located in Hubbard and McDonald.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Trumbull County
Public court records in Trumbull County consist of warrants, court filings, writs, transcripts, orders, court proceedings, and judgments of the county's courts. The Trumbull County Clerk of Courts maintains public court records from the Court of Common Pleas, while each municipal and mayor’s court clerk maintains their court records.
Members of the public can visit any of the clerk’s offices to view and request copies of nonconfidential court records. They can also search for public court records online. Probate public court records can be found on the CourtView Portal for probate records.
Types of Public Court Records in Trumbull County
The right of the public in Trumbull County to access certain court records is enshrined in the Ohio Constitution and helps to assure the public of the fairness of the judicial system. Trumbull County makes the following types of court records available to the public unless sealed by a court:
- Criminal Court Records: includes felony and misdemeanor cases
- Family Court Records: includes divorce decrees, emancipation, and maintenance orders
- Civil Court Records: includes breach of fiduciary duty, business torts, contract indebtedness, and slander
- Probate Court Records: includes documentation of wills, trusts, and estates
Confidential Court Records in Trumbull County
In Trumbull County, confidential court records include those sealed by court orders or by default under Ohio law. They are sealed for privacy or security reasons and can only be accessible to authorized persons or by court orders. Typically, the following court records cannot be accessed by the public in Trumbull County:
- Most juvenile delinquency records
- Adoption records
- Substance abuse treatment records
- Medical and mental health records
- Certain records of victims of domestic violence
- Certain records of victims of sexual assault
- Unprosecuted charges
The following are also concealed from public view in Trumbull County:
- Social Security number
- Driver’s license number
- Bank account details
- Tax returns
- Identifying information about jurors.
Juvenile Delinquency in Trumbull, OH
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Trumbull County, juvenile delinquency crimes are on the rise. There are many reasons for the increase in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Ohio often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of offenses, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 911 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Trumbull County. Of that total, 84% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 768 court cases. Another 10% were dependency cases that accounted for 94 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Trumbull County, are focusing on family health and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Trumbull County juvenile delinquency statistics will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 3,970 |
| Dependency | 5,133 |
| Status | 6,986 |
Government of Trumbull County, OH
| County Seat: | Warren |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Dillon's Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1800 |
| Total Square Miles: | 637 |
| 2019 Population: | 200,380 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.00 |
| County Contact: | 160 High St NW
County Administration Building Warren , OH 44481-1061 http://www.co.trumbull.oh.us/ |
Trumbull County, OH Courts
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Trumbull County Common Pleas Court
Address: 161 High Street NW, Warren, OH 44481
Phone: 330-675-2557