Perry County Circuit Court Overview
The Perry County Circuit Court operates from the Perry County Courthouse and Government Center in Tell City. The Indiana court directory identifies Hon. Lucy Goffinet as judge and Karen A. Werner as magistrate. The same directory lists the Circuit Court Clerk, Joan Hess, at the same Payne Street address. Court staff listed by the county include Kim Myers, Amanda Mogan, Amy Smith, and Angie Howell.
The strongest local fact is in the Perry local rules: Perry Circuit Court is the only court of record for Perry County, Indiana. That line controls the structure of the local court page. A user looking for Perry County Circuit Court records should start with the circuit court and the clerk, not with a district court page or a local city-court directory. Indiana may have city or town courts in some places, but no separate Perry County city or town court was located in official sources.
Perry Circuit Court
Judge: Lucy Goffinet
Magistrate: Karen Werner
2219 Payne Street
Tell City, IN 47586
812-547-7048
Fax: 812-547-5424
Perry County Circuit Court Offices
Perry County does not have multiple numbered circuit courts in the official research. The required court table is therefore a one-court local table with associated offices that shape court records, filings, supervision, prosecution, and custody. This is more accurate for Perry County than filling the page with non-existent numbered courts.
| Court or Office | Official | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Circuit Court | Judge Lucy Goffinet; Magistrate Karen Werner | 2219 Payne Street, Tell City, IN 47586 | 812-547-7048 |
| Perry County Circuit Court Clerk | Joan Hess, Clerk | 2219 Payne Street, Tell City, IN 47586 | 812-547-3741 |
| Perry County Probation | Brandi Glenn and Amanda Young listed on check-in form | 2219 Payne Street, Tell City, IN 47586 | 812-547-8456 |
| Perry County Prosecutor | Samantha Hurst | 2219 Payne Street, Tell City, IN 47586 | 812-547-2750 |
| Sheriff and Detention Center | Dave Faulkenberg per sheriff site | 2211 Herrman Street, Tell City, IN 47586 | 812-547-2441 |
Perry County Circuit Court Structure
Indiana's trial courts include circuit courts, superior courts, and city or town courts. Perry County's official local structure is simpler. The state court structure map resolves the primary trial court as Circuit Court, the primary clerk as Circuit Court Clerk, and the probate court as the Probate Division of Perry Circuit Court. Appeals from local trial-court judgments move into Indiana's appellate system, mainly the Indiana Court of Appeals, with possible further review by the Indiana Supreme Court.
Perry County is in Indiana Judicial District 25 with Daviess, Dubois, Knox, Martin, Pike, and Spencer counties. Perry local rules also describe special-judge routing. In criminal and civil cases, special judge assignments can involve senior judges assigned to Perry Circuit Court and judges from Spencer Circuit Court, Dubois Circuit Court, and Dubois Superior Court. If the listed routes do not resolve the issue, the matter may be certified to the Indiana Supreme Court for appointment.
| Forum | Perry County Role | Record Path |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | Main local court of record | MyCase and Perry Circuit Court Clerk |
| City or town court | No separate Perry source located | Search MyCase, then call the clerk if a citation is missing |
| Probate division | Part of Perry Circuit Court | MyCase and clerk records |
| Indiana appellate courts | Review of trial-court decisions | Indiana appellate records and MyCase where available |
Perry County Court Case Flow
Case flow depends on the type of record. A criminal matter may begin with arrest, prosecutor review, charging information, initial hearing, bond, motions, plea or trial, sentencing, probation, and appeal. A civil matter may begin with complaint or petition, service, answer, motions, hearings, judgment, collection, or appeal. Family, juvenile, probate, traffic, and infraction cases have their own forms and timelines, but they still route through the same local court structure when filed as Perry County court cases.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › prosecutor filing › initial hearing › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition › service › answer › motions › hearing or trial › judgment › post-judgment filings › appeal.
Probate flow: Petition › appointment order › notices and inventory › claims or accountings › distribution › closing order.
Perry County Circuit Court Records
Public court records can be searched through Indiana MyCase. MyCase allows search by case, party, and attorney. In By Case mode, the user may search by case number, citation number, or cross-reference number, but should enter only one of those values. In party search, date of birth cannot be used without last name, first name requires last name, and wildcard use is limited to the end of the field.
The public result may show case number, court, case type, filing date, status, parties, attorneys, hearings, chronological case summary, and financial information. Some documents may be linked. Others must be requested from the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk. MyCase warns that public financial balances may not reflect the latest payments, charges, or interest, so an official balance should come from the clerk.
For a broader local records view, use Perry County court records with the clerk and MyCase together.
Perry County Circuit Court Services
The county court page lists Circuit Court, Community Corrections, and Probation as court services. Perry County Probation's mission focuses on public safety, reduced recidivism, accountability, rehabilitation, and positive change. The public probation check-in form asks for report month, officer, date, contact details, work status, prescriptions, substance use, law-enforcement or Department of Child Services contact, fee payment, counseling, completed terms, and problems to discuss.
Perry local rules also identify a Substance Abuse Court program and a Juvenile Drug Court program. The adult substance-abuse program fee is $50 per month plus drug-screen and related costs. The juvenile drug-court fee is $240 plus additional costs. Those specialty programs belong in the local court context because they affect supervision, fees, and records after a case is filed.
Perry County Court Record Boundaries
Federal cases are separate from Perry Circuit Court cases. The PACER court lookup helps users identify federal CM/ECF systems for district and bankruptcy courts.
Use PACER for federal district or bankruptcy files, not for local Perry Circuit Court civil, criminal, probate, traffic, or family cases.
Federal appeals from Indiana federal district courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which is also outside Perry County's local trial-court record system.
Local appeals from Perry Circuit Court follow Indiana appellate procedure, while federal appellate records follow federal court channels.
Perry County Circuit Court Visits
The courthouse address is 2219 Payne Street, Tell City, Indiana 47586. Regular county government hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Central. The research did not locate a named garage, meter schedule, courthouse security list, or bus-route table. Plan for courthouse-area public parking or nearby street and surface parking, and confirm posted restrictions on arrival.
People handling bond, custody, jail roster, or sheriff matters may need the sheriff and detention center at 2211 Herrman Street instead of the courthouse clerk counter. Questions about accessibility accommodations should be directed to county government, the court, or the clerk before the visit. Indiana courts restrict recording or broadcasting court proceedings unless authorized, so courtroom device use should be confirmed before a hearing.