Criminal Court Cases in Union County
Union County belongs to Florida's Eighth Judicial Circuit. Circuit Court hears felony prosecutions. County Court hears misdemeanors, criminal traffic matters, and municipal-ordinance cases under section 34.01. The Union County Clerk's court-services description confirms that split. The Clerk maintains both case files at the county courthouse, while the State Attorney files charges and the judge decides motions, pleas, trials, and sentences.
A court file is not a countywide criminal-history report. It records one prosecution. A person may have a booking without a filed case, or a case charge may differ from the deputy's initial arrest charge. Search both court divisions when the offense level is unclear, and use the case number whenever possible. That number sharply reduces false matches.
Union County Clerk Case Files
The visible jury.unionclerk.com landing page is an Official Records index, not a complete public criminal-docket search. Deeds and other recorded instruments belong in that index. A Union County criminal case belongs with the Clerk's court division. As inspected July 17, 2026, the safer route is the Clerk's online-services menu, followed by direct contact if the court record link does not expose the needed case.
Call 386-496-3711 with the person's name, approximate filing year, charge, or case number. Staff can identify whether Circuit or County Court holds the file. The authoritative paper and electronic index is available at Room 103, 55 W. Main Street, Lake Butler, on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Union County Case Record Searches
Begin with the narrowest reliable identifier. Name-only searches can join two people who share a name, while a full case number identifies the court, year, and sequence. No single statewide Florida portal supplies every Union County trial-court docket.
- Open the Clerk's online-services menu and choose Search Court Records or its CCIS route, not Official Records.
- Try the complete case number. If it is unknown, use the full name and an approximate filing year.
- Confirm the division, filing date, charge, and judge before treating the return as the right person or case.
- Read docket entries in date order and distinguish an arrest charge from the charge later filed by the prosecutor.
- Call, visit Room 103, or email courtrecords@unionclerk.com for the official file or copies.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case number | Text | No | Most exact route when known |
| Party name | Text | No | Use full legal name and verify other fields |
| Filing year | Year | No | Narrows common-name results |
| Court division | Select | No | Circuit for felonies; County for misdemeanors |
| Case type or status | Select | No | Interfaces may change after inspection |
Union County Court Case Copies
The Clerk accepts court-copy requests at courtrecords@unionclerk.com. Published court copies cost $1 per page. Give enough detail to isolate the file, state whether certification is needed, and ask for a cost estimate when the page count is unknown. The Clerk does not publish one fixed completion time for every request.
The Clerk's request page separates court-record requests from general public-record requests. The court-record email is not an e-filing channel. Sending a pleading, motion, or other filing there does not place it on the docket.
Union County Clerk
55 W. Main Street, Room 103
Lake Butler, FL 32054
386-496-3711
Weekdays, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Note: Ask the Clerk about certification and the full estimate before ordering a long Union County court file.
What a Criminal Case File Contains
A docket is the chronological list of activity. It may link documents, but access depends on the document and confidentiality rules. The charging paper shows what the State Attorney actually prosecuted. Later entries show pleas, hearings, rulings, disposition, sentence, probation, costs, fines, warrants, and appeal activity.
| Case Number & Court | Identifies the Circuit or County division and the specific prosecution. |
|---|---|
| Charging Document | Lists filed counts, statutes, and offense classes, which may differ from arrest allegations. |
| Docket Entries | Dates and descriptions for filings, orders, hearings, warrants, and other case events. |
| Hearing Dates | Scheduled date, time, location, and later continuances when recorded. |
| Disposition & Judgment | Shows dismissal, nolle prosequi, plea, acquittal, conviction, or withheld adjudication. |
| Sentence & Conditions | May state custody, probation, fines, costs, and court-ordered terms. |
Compare the defendant name, case number, filing date, and charge before relying on a return. A docket flag may indicate confidential material even though the public case shell remains visible.
Union County Case Disposition Terms
Florida docket language can make an open case look final or a closed count look like a conviction. Read each count and its outcome separately.
- Nolle prosequi
- The prosecutor ended that charge without a trial judgment.
- Dismissed
- The charge was terminated by the court or prosecution.
- Adjudication withheld
- The court withheld a formal adjudication of guilt, though the result can still affect sealing eligibility.
- Acquitted or not guilty
- The charge ended with a merits decision for the defendant.
None of these results automatically removes the earlier Union County booking. Sealing or expunction requires separate eligibility, a signed court order, and agency processing.
Criminal Case Stages in Union County
A retained person receives first appearance within 24 hours according to the Sheriff's victim-rights material. Weekend and holiday first appearances occur by video at 9:00 a.m. from the Judge Stephan P. Mickle Sr. Criminal Courthouse in Gainesville. The prosecutor then reviews the evidence and may file counts that differ from the booking allegations.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
Motions, discovery, continuances, warrants, and amended charges can add docket entries between those stages. An appeal creates another record layer. The Florida Courts system supplies appellate information, but it does not replace the Union Clerk's trial-court file.
Union County Case Charges
The Eighth Circuit State Attorney reviews referrals and decides what to prosecute. The arrest report may list a suspected offense, but the information, indictment, or other filed charging paper defines the court case. This difference explains why a Union County arrest search and court lookup may display different charge wording.
The Clerk is still the custodian of the filed docket. Prosecutor records and court records are not interchangeable. Ask the State Attorney about its own nonexempt prosecution records, and ask the Clerk for pleadings, orders, hearings, and the official disposition.
Note: A filed charge is an accusation until a plea or court judgment resolves it.
Access Rules for Case Records
Florida begins with open courts, but access has limits. Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420 and 2.425 govern confidential court records and sensitive data. Juvenile files are ordinarily confidential. Victim and minor identifiers, Social Security numbers, full financial-account numbers, protected addresses, and sealed material do not belong in the public view.
A missing online case does not prove that no Union County record exists. Older files, name variations, restricted cases, and portal routing can all block a remote result. Call the Clerk and ask staff to check the courthouse index. If a record is public in part, the custodian may redact exempt fields and release the rest.
A sealing or expunction order changes access only after the judge signs it and the Clerk and other agencies process it. For a self-review, obtain the final disposition first, then compare it with an FDLE Personal Review if the statewide history appears incomplete.
Union County Court Sources
The Clerk's criminal-court jurisdiction page shows which local court handles felony and misdemeanor work.
The official page helps route a search before the reader contacts Room 103.
The Union Clerk online-services menu shows the available records routes.
Its menu must be read carefully because Official Records and criminal court files are different collections.
The Eighth Circuit State Attorney is the official prosecutor for Union County cases.
That source explains the prosecution side of the local case path, while the Clerk remains the docket custodian.