CLERK OF COURT and COURT INFORMATION

Decatur County Courthouse, located on Water Street in downtown Bainbridge, view from northern side of building where large parking lot and Clerk of Court's Office is located.

Clerk of Court Cecilia Willis

The Clerk of Court's office is located in the Decatur County Courthouse at 112 W. Water Street, in Bainbridge, Georgia 39817

P.O.Box 336, Bainbridge, GA 39818

Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday

Phone: (229) 248-3025

The duties of the Clerk of Court office include providing general information about courts, preparing official jury lists, maintaining official court and land records, serves as passport agent and notary public.

Click on South Georgia Judicial Circuit or Statewide Court Records for court records search. Click Office of Clerk of Court  for more information about the Clerk of Court's duties. 

Passport Information

A passport application can be either picked-up from the Clerk of Court's office or downloaded from www.travel.state.gov. The application can be filled-out but cannot be SIGNED except in the presence of the Deputy Clerk or another Clerk of Court staff member designated to witness the signature of the applicant. The status of a passport application can also be checked at the Web site listed above. Further instructions for applying for a passport once the application has been filled out are as follows:

• Bring unsigned passport application to the Clerk of Court office along with two 2 inch by 2 inch (2" X 2") passport photos and a certified copy of applicant's birth certificate, one with a raised seal on it.
• The clerk in charge of processing the application will need to make two copies of the applicant's driver's license and will collect the passport fees, which are as follows: for adults 16 years of age or older, the regular passport fee is $97. For applicants under the age of 16, the fee is $82.
• A regular passport takes approximately 10 weeks to process. For expedited passports, the fee for age 16 and above is $232; under age 16, the fee is $222. Expedited passports are available in a minimum of four weeks.
   

 COURTS

Superior Court

South Georgia Judicial Circuit (covers Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Grady and Mitchell Counties): Chief Judge Wallace Cato, office in Decatur County Courthouse, phone 246-1111, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Judge J. Kevin Chason, phone 229-377-7349 (Cairo).(Elected positions)

Duties: Hears civil and criminal cases throughout the five-county circuit.

Grand Jury Sessions: Two terms, one each in May and November, with Grand Jury recalls in February and August.

Trial locations: Arraignments, pre-trial hearings and trial status conferences are held in the Decatur County Jail and Sheriff's Office at 912 Spring Creek Road, in the Magistrate Courtroom located in the western part of the building. Jury trials are held in the Decatur County Courthouse located on the corner of Water and West Streets in Bainbridge.

 
 District Attorney's Office

District Attorney: Joe Mulholland, (elected), South Georgia Judicial Circuit, office located in Decatur County Courthouse Annex at 122 W. Water Street in Bainbridge. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, phone (229) 246-1823. Click here for D.A.'s Web site.

 
Public Defender's Office

Public Defender: Ernie Sheffield, (appointed), South Georgia Judicial Circuit, office located at 326 W. Water Street in Bainbridge. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. until noon, and from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, phone 229-246-2877.

  
State Court

Judge: George C. Floyd, (elected), office at 415 S. West St., Bainbridge, phone 229-246-5694. Deputy Clerk Patsy Rentz.

Duties: Presides over arraignments and trials of misdemeanor criminal offenses, traffic violations, game and fish violations and Department of Trasnsportation violations and civil cases. Arraignments are held on the third Monday of each month and non-jury trials are held on the fourth Monday of each  month. Jury trials are held the fourth week in January, March, June and September. All State Court cases are heard at the Decatur County Courthouse on Water Street in Bainbridge.

  
Solicitor General

Solicitor General: Ben Kirbo, (elected), office 302 N. West St. in Bainbridge, phone 243-1419 or 243-9797.

Duties: Prosecutes misdemeanor criminal offenses, traffic violations, game and fish violations in the State Court.

 
Juvenile Court

Judges: Edwin J. "Chip" Perry, (appointed), presiding Juvenile Court Judge. Randall Chew of Pelham also presides over local cases when necessary (appointed). Courtroom located at Sheriff's Office on Spring Creek Road; court times vary. Phone 229-246-2271. Deputy Clerk is Gail Martin.

Duties: Presides over cases involving delinquent acts (criminal cases) by juvenile offenders and deprivation cases involving child abuse, neglect and abandonment, as well as child support enforcement cases. A juvenile is anyone under the age of 17 in criminal cases and anyone under the age of 18 in deprivation cases.

 
Probate Court

Probate Judge: Edwin J. "Chip" Perry (elected); Probate Clerk Becky Guest. Office located in Decatur County Courthouse, hours 9 a,m, until 5 p.m. weekdays, phone 229-248-3016.

Duties: Probates wills, issues marriage licenses and gun permits, decides guardianship of minor children and adults.

 
Magistrate Court

Chief Magistrate: Ralph C. Smith (elected). Magistrate Linda Fowler (appointed). Deputy Clerk Alicia Hadley, secretary Harriett Hamilton. Location is 912 Sping Creek Road, Sheriff's Office and Jail building. Hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, phone 229-248-3014 or 248-3015.

Duties: The Magistrate Court has judicial authority over both civil cases (suits and garnishments up to $150,000 and dispossessory actions) and in criminal cases(arrest warrants, search warrants and granting bail in all but a few cases.)

 
County Traffic Bureau

Clerk of Court's Office, Deputy Clerk Patricia Parks, phone 229-248-3028.

Duties: Allows defendants charged with certain minor traffic offenses to post bond so they do not have to appear in court. Such bond issuances apply only to those cases made by Georgia State Patrol and the Decatur County Sheriff's Office. Bainbridge municipal Court cases are made by the Bainbridge Public Safety Department.

 
Department of Juvenile Justice

Joyce Jones, Program Manager. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. People on call 24 hours a day at this central office for Decatur, Grady, Mitchell and Baker counties. Phone 229-248-2650, fax 229-248-2654.

Duties: Services to youth referred to the division by Juvenile Court judge regarding probation, supervision, commitments, aftercare or alternate placement.

 
Probation Office

Office Manager: Revonn Williams, office located at 205 W. Water St., Bainbrige, phone 229-248-2671. Mailing address P.O. Box 1044, Bainbridge, GA 39818.

Duties: Supervise offenders placed on probation by Superior Court of Decatur County.

 
 
Parole Department

Chief Supervisor: Tim Lindsey, office located at 240 Second Ave., S.E., in Cairo, GA, phone 229-377-9859, mailing address P.O. Box 546, Cairo, GA  39828.

Duties: Reviews cases of prisoners up for parole, prepares reports for parole board, supervises parolees in community and assists local law enforcement officers. Sentence review panel provides parole investigative service.

 
Providence Community Correction

Office Manager: Katrina Stubbs, office located at 409 River Plaza in Bainbridge, phone 229-248-1008. This office supervises offenders placed on probation by State Court and Bainbridge municipal court.

  
Municipal Courts

City of Bainbridge, Judge Josh C. Bell (appointed), hears municpal cases, pleas and trials, in main courtroom of Decatur County Courthouse on the third Wednesday after the first Monday of each month, beginning at 8 a.m. Defendents who appear before this court have been charged by Public Safety Officers with misdemeanor cases, including traffic offenses. Most traffic fines can be paid in advance of court to Ana Baker on second floor of City Hall located on Broad Street, phone 229-243-0132.

City of Attapulgus, Judge James M. Pace, Jr., (appointed), at Attapulgus City Hall on the second Monday of each month, beginning at 5:15 p.m. The judge hears traffic and misdemeanor cases made by Attapulgus City Police.

City of Climax, Judge Josh C. Bell, (appointed), hears cases made by City of Climax Police Department on the first Monday of each month beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Climax City Hall.

 
 
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