Tuscarawas County, founded in 1808, is located in northeast Ohio and has a land area of 568 square miles. About 93,263 people live within the county, and New Philadelphia is its county seat and largest city.
Courts in Tuscarawas County
The Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas is the highest court in the county and is divided into three divisions. The Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas - General Trial Division hears all felonies and civil cases involving more than $15,000 in claims. It also handles domestic relations matters. The Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas - Probate Division handles probate matters, such as name changes, issuing marriage licenses, admission of wills, managing estates, and appointment of guardianships. The Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas - Juvenile Division hears all juvenile matters, including juvenile traffic offenses, delinquency, child abuse, and juvenile dependencies.
The Tuscarawas County Court—Southern District hears criminal and civil cases in areas without municipal courts. It handles municipal ordinance infractions, misdemeanors, traffic offenses, felony preliminary hearings, and civil cases with claims under $15,000.
The New Philadelphia Municipal Court is the only municipal court in Tuscarawas County. It has exclusive jurisdiction over civil cases with claims under $500 but can also hear civil cases with claims between $500 and $15,000. It also hears misdemeanors, traffic offenses, municipal ordinance violations, and preliminary hearings for felonies.
There are two Mayor’s Courts in Midvale and Newcomerstown. They hear local ordinance violations and traffic offenses within their boundaries.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Tuscarawas County
Public court records in Tuscarawas County consist of court filings, writs, transcripts, orders, court proceedings, and judgments of the county's courts. The Tuscarawas County Clerk of Courts maintains public court records from the county courts, while court clerks for municipal and mayor’s courts maintain their court records. Anyone can visit the Clerk’s office to view and request copies of public court records. They can also search for Tuscarawas County public court records online. Public court records from the Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court can be accessed via the CourtView Case Search portal and those of the County Court - Southern District on its Search platform.
Types of Public Court Records in Tuscarawas County
The right of the public in Tuscarawas 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. Unless sealed by court orders, Tuscarawas County makes the following types of court records available to the public:
- Criminal Court Records: includes warrants, court proceedings, and verdicts for criminal cases
- Family Court Records: includes divorce decrees, emancipation, maintenance orders, and custody judgments
- Civil Court Records: includes personal injury cases, libel, breaches of contracts, trade secrets, mortgage foreclosures, business torts, real property, contract indebtedness, slander, eminent domain, and breach of fiduciary duty
- Probate Court Records: includes documentation of wills, estates, trusts, and guardianships
Confidential Court Records in Tuscarawas County
Certain court records in Tuscarawas County are sealed to preserve privacy and protect sensitive information. Unlike public court documents, which are accessible to the public, confidential court records are not. Confidential court records in Ohio include all or parts of the following:
- Adoption records
- Most juvenile records
- Identifying information about jurors
- Grand jury proceedings and records
- Medical and mental health records
- Financial information
- Expunged or sealed records
- Eligible misdemeanor or felony convictions after certain years
- Identifying information about confidential informants in criminal prosecutions
- Personally identifiable information such as Social Security number and driver’s license number
- Certain records of victims of domestic or sexual violence.
Juvenile Delinquency in Tuscarawas, OH
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Tuscarawas County, juvenile delinquency issues are on the rise. There are many reasons for the rise in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Ohio often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of crimes, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 420 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Tuscarawas County. Of that total, 71% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 297 court cases. Another 8% were dependency cases that accounted for 33 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Tuscarawas County, are focusing on family therapy and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Tuscarawas County juvenile delinquency numbers will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 11,359 |
| Dependency | 1,015 |
| Status | 2,388 |
Government of Tuscarawas County, OH
| County Seat: | New Philadelphia |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Dillon's Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1808 |
| Total Square Miles: | 571 |
| 2019 Population: | 92,297 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.01 |
| County Contact: | 125 E High Ave
County Courthouse Annex New Philadelphia , OH 44663-2503 http://www.co.tuscarawas.oh.us |
Tuscarawas County, OH Courts
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Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court
Address: 101 East High Avenue, Suite 201, New Philadelphia, OH 44663
Phone: 330-364-8811