How to Search Benton County Court Records
Benton County court records sit in two main systems, so the first step is to match the record to the right court. Circuit Court files reach the public through Mississippi Electronic Courts, often shortened to MEC. Chancery Court cases and land records also show up in a free Delta Computer Systems search built for the county. Each tool covers a different slice of the record set. The Circuit Clerk keeps felony, civil jury, judgment, and marriage records. The Chancery Clerk keeps divorce, probate, guardianship, and land records.
Have a few details ready before any Benton County court records search. A full party name in last-name-first order works best. A case number is faster still when you have one. Filing dates, the case type, and the nature of action all help narrow long result lists. Remote viewing through Mississippi Electronic Courts needs a paid PAMEC account, while the Benton County Chancery search is open and free.
The Chancery case search runs one criterion at a time. The form below shows every field a researcher can use, drawn straight from the county portal.
| Field Label | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Party Name (Last, First) | text | Use one criterion at a time; format as Last, First. |
| Case Number | text | Exact case number when known. |
| Styled Defendant | text | Defendant named in the case style. |
| Styled Plaintiff | text | Plaintiff named in the case style. |
| Filed Date / Disposition Date | date | Single date or a filing-date range refinement. |
| Docket (Book/Page) and File Number | text | Book and page or file-number lookup. |
| Case Type | radio | All, Civil, or Criminal. |
| Nature of Action | dropdown | Divorce, probate, custody, land title, and dozens more local index categories. |
A short walkthrough keeps a Chancery search on track.
- Open the Benton County Chancery Clerk landing page and pick Search Chancery Court or Search Deeds and Records.
- Type one main value, such as a party name, case number, or file number.
- Decide whether to add refinements, which apply to name searches only.
- Filter by filing-date range, case type, or nature of action to trim the results.
- If a name search fails, search with less information and skip commas the courthouse may not have used.
- For certified copies or recent filings, contact the Chancery Clerk because online copies are unofficial.
The Circuit side runs through MEC. The Third Circuit district lists Benton County Circuit Court, which joined the system on February 10, 2025. A look at the Third Circuit MEC court page shows the county address, phone, and hours for Circuit filings.
That page confirms the Circuit Court at 190 Ripley Avenue and the 662-224-6310 clerk line, the right contact for felony, civil jury, and judgment-roll records that the Chancery search does not hold.
The Benton County Judicial System
Mississippi splits trial work among several courts, and Benton County follows that pattern. The Circuit Court is the main trial court for felonies, major civil suits, and appeals from lower courts. The Chancery Court is an equity court for divorce, custody, adoption, probate, guardianship, and land-title matters. Justice Court takes small claims, misdemeanors, and traffic offenses outside town limits. Municipal courts in Ashland, Hickory Flat, and Snow Lake Shores handle city ordinance and traffic cases. Above all of these sit the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Benton County belongs to two multi-county districts. It is part of the Third Circuit District with Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, and Union counties. It is part of the Eighteenth Chancery District with Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall, and Tippah. That is why the judges below also serve neighboring counties.
Case flow: Justice or Municipal Court › Circuit Court › Mississippi Court of Appeals › Mississippi Supreme Court
| Court or Office | Phone | Judges / Official | Records and Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County Circuit Court | 662-224-6310 | Hon. Gray Tollison, Hon. Kent Smith, Hon. Kelly Luther | Felonies, civil suits, appeals, judgment roll, jury records. |
| Benton County Chancery Court | 662-224-6300 | Hon. Lawrence Little, Hon. Robert Q. Whitwell | Divorce, custody, adoption, probate, guardianship, land title. |
| Benton County Justice Court | 662-224-6300 | Brody Childers (North), Gary McBride (South) | Small claims, misdemeanors, traffic, evictions, bench warrants. |
| Snow Lake Shores municipal | 662-224-3050 | Town clerk office | Local ordinance, citation, and warrant fallback. |
The three county trial courts differ in clear ways. A side-by-side view helps a researcher pick the right venue before searching Benton County court records.
| Feature | Circuit Court | Chancery Court | Justice Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main cases | Felonies, big civil suits | Divorce, probate, land | Small claims, misdemeanors |
| Jury trials | Yes | No | Limited |
| Record keeper | Circuit Clerk | Chancery Clerk | Justice Court clerk |
| Online access | MEC / PAMEC | Delta and MEC | In person or by phone |
The Chancery side has run on MEC since May 15, 2023, two years ahead of the Circuit side. The Eighteenth Chancery MEC page lists the county courthouse, phone, and go-live date for those equity records.
That listing matters for divorce and probate searches, since the Eighteenth Chancery District manages the docket and a setting order is required to place a case on the calendar.
Circuit Clerk and Chancery Clerk Offices
Benton County uses a split clerk structure, so two officials hold the county's court records. The Circuit Clerk is Kathy Graves. Her office serves as clerk of Circuit Court, keeps the docket, enters a complete record of each suit, notifies jurors, issues subpoenas, files trial documents, and reads verdicts in open court. The same office issues marriage licenses, keeps marriage records, and records judgments to the judgment roll. Felony, civil jury, and marriage questions start here.
The county's own Circuit Clerk page lays out those duties in plain terms.
That page also gives the Circuit Clerk mailing box and the 662-224-6310 line, the fastest route for certified copies the online tools do not hold.
The Chancery Clerk is Marlene McKenzie. Her office is custodian of all Chancery Court records and public land records, clerk to the Board of Supervisors, county auditor, county treasurer, and land-redemption officer. Divorce, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, land-title, and board records all route through this counter. The Chancery Clerk page describes the office and its wide role in county affairs.
Because the Chancery Clerk also handles deeds and land redemption, this is the office to call for estate files, divorce decrees, and recorded land instruments. The county's elected officials page confirms both clerks along with the sheriff and judges.
Naming the right official up front saves a wasted trip, since a marriage record request sent to the Chancery Clerk or a deed request sent to the Circuit Clerk lands at the wrong desk.
Types of Benton County Court Records
The records a person can pull depend on the court that opened the case. Circuit Court produces criminal and civil files. Chancery Court produces family, probate, and land-related files. Justice and municipal courts produce traffic and misdemeanor files. Each category carries its own access rules, and some are open while others are limited.
The main record types in Benton County break down like this.
- Criminal records - felony files in Circuit Court with indictment, plea, verdict, and sentence; misdemeanors sit in Justice or municipal court.
- Civil records - lawsuits, judgments, and appeals from lower courts, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- Family and divorce records - divorce, custody, alimony, and support cases decided in Chancery Court.
- Probate records - wills, estates, heirship, guardianship, and conservatorship matters in Chancery Court.
- Traffic records - citations and fines handled in Justice Court or a town municipal court.
Land records form a large extra set in this rural county. The Chancery Clerk keeps deeds, deeds of trust, liens, plats, easements, mineral deeds, and wills recorded against property. Many residents search those land instruments as often as they search court cases.
What Benton County Court Records Show
A Benton County court record is a set of indexed fields plus the documents filed in the case. The public Chancery portal shows the fields a searcher will recognize, and Circuit files carry the same backbone in MEC. Reading those fields correctly is the difference between a useful result and a dead end.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique file identifier for the case. |
| Filing Date | When the case opened with the clerk. |
| Parties | Styled plaintiff and styled defendant, or petitioner and respondent. |
| Nature of Action | The local index category, such as divorce, probate, or land title. |
| Disposition | The outcome and the final disposition date. |
| Documents | Scanned images, available for many Chancery cases from August 2010 forward. |
Legal terms in those files can trip up a first-time reader. A short glossary clears up the most common ones found in Benton County court records.
- Plaintiff
- The party who starts a civil lawsuit.
- Petitioner
- The party asking Chancery Court for relief, such as divorce or probate.
- Indictment
- A formal felony charge returned by a grand jury.
- Disposition
- The outcome of a case or a single charge.
- Judgment roll
- The clerk's official record of entered judgments.
- Capias
- A writ that directs law enforcement to take a person into custody.
The Eighteenth Chancery calendar adds one local quirk worth knowing. A hearing reaches the docket only after a setting order, and filing a Notice of Hearing with the clerk alone is not enough.
Public Access Laws for Benton County Court Records
Mississippi law leans toward open public records, but court files also answer to court rules and confidentiality statutes. The starting question is always which office owns the record. From there, state law sets who may inspect it and what stays sealed. The key authorities below shape access to Benton County court records.
Key Statutes:
Mississippi Code Title 25, Chapter 61 - the Public Records Act makes public records open for inspection unless another law exempts them.
Mississippi Code Section 25-61-5 - public bodies must give reasonable access and may set procedures and collect allowable copy costs.
Mississippi Code Section 99-19-71 - governs criminal expungement, with eligibility tied to the offense, the disposition, and a waiting period.
Mississippi Code Sections 43-21-261 and 43-21-265 - keep Youth Court records confidential except through set statutory channels.
Mississippi Code Section 93-17-25 - closes adoption proceedings except by court order or a statutory post-adoption process.
Remote access is available for many Circuit and Chancery cases through MEC and PAMEC, with registration and per-page viewing fees. The free Delta Chancery search also exists, though its disclaimer is blunt: online copies are unofficial, and only the records at the courthouse control. Note: criminal-history records and search warrants are not ordinary public records and follow special state access rules rather than a routine request.
Restricted and Confidential Court Records
Some Benton County court records sit outside ordinary public view. Youth Court and juvenile files are confidential, open only to the youth, counsel, certain agencies, or a court. Sealed files stay closed while the seal holds, and the docket may show little or nothing. A granted expungement removes qualifying arrest, charge, or conviction records from normal public access, though agencies may keep limited nonpublic copies. Adoption files are closed by statute, and Chancery commitment records carry sensitive mental-health details.
Personal identifiers come out too. Clerks redact Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor names, and medical details before release. To clear an old case, a person files an expungement petition in the court that handled it. The filer should gather the arrest date, case number, charge, disposition, and proof that fines and costs were paid. A judge then decides whether the statute is met. The Benton County filing fee for expungement was not published in official county sources, so the clerk should confirm it.
Specialty Courts in Benton County
No Benton County-specific specialty court was located in official sources. Official county pages do not list a drug court, mental health court, veterans court, DUI court, or family treatment docket for the county. Because the Circuit and Chancery judges serve multi-county districts, any treatment or diversion programming is likely run at the district or state level rather than posted on a county page.
Anyone hoping for a treatment-based resolution should route the question through the people who manage the case. Ask the Circuit Clerk, the Chancery Clerk, the sentencing court, or the Third Circuit District Attorney whether a diversion docket fits a specific case. Defense counsel can also raise diversion or plea options with the prosecutor and the Circuit Court directly.
Benton County Sheriff and Jail
The Benton County Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff Robby Goolsby at 368 Ripley Avenue in Ashland, reachable at 662-224-8941. The office handles arrests, custody, and warrant questions for the county. No official Benton County online jail roster, warrant search, or sheriff app was located, so custody questions go by phone or in person rather than through a county website.
For people held beyond the local jail, statewide tools fill the gap. The MDOC inmate search covers state offenders by name or MDOC ID, and Mississippi VINE tracks custody status and sends free notifications. Full booking detail lives on the Benton County inmate records page, and active-warrant fallback steps sit on the warrant records page.
Marriage, Divorce, and Chancery Records
Marriage and divorce records split between the two clerks in Benton County. The Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps marriage records. Divorce is a Chancery matter, so divorce decrees, custody orders, and support files live with the Chancery Clerk. Probate of wills and estates also runs through Chancery Court. A full walkthrough of license steps and copy requests sits on the marriage and divorce records page, and estate filings are covered on the Chancery Court probate page.
A few probate terms come up often in those Chancery files.
- Testator
- A person who makes a valid will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to settle the estate.
- Conservator
- A court-appointed manager for the finances of someone who cannot manage their own.
Benton County Court Records Fees
Copy and access fees in Benton County come from a mix of state systems and the local clerks. The online tools publish their prices, but several counter fees were not posted by the county and need a quick call to confirm. The table gathers the fees that official and semi-official sources actually document.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Delta unofficial scanned Chancery or deed copy | $0.50 per page |
| PAMEC annual public-access registration | $10 |
| MEC document viewing | $0.20 per page |
| Appellate clerk copy minimum | $0.50 per page |
| Circuit Clerk certified and plain copies | Not published; call the Circuit Clerk |
| Chancery Clerk certified and plain copies | Not published; call the Chancery Clerk |
| Marriage license fee | Not published; call the Circuit Clerk |
Online copies stay unofficial regardless of price. For a copy a court or agency will accept, request a certified copy from the clerk who holds the file. The Mississippi Judiciary records FAQ sets the appellate copy minimum and offers useful state-level context for local fee questions.
History of the Benton County Courts
Benton County sits in northern Mississippi with a history that reaches back centuries. The land was home to Native American tribes such as the Chickasaw, saw European settlement in the early nineteenth century, and took its name in 1836 after Thomas Hart Benton. The county stays rural today, and land, timber, estate, and boundary records carry real weight for residents who farm or own woodland.
The courthouse itself holds official historical standing. A Mississippi Legislature resolution notes that the Benton County Courthouse in the heart of Ashland was named a Mississippi Historical Landmark by the Department of Archives and History.
The House resolution text records that landmark status for the building that anchors the county's court records.
The record-keeping side has modernized in recent years. Chancery deeds reach back to 1994 online, Chancery cases and images go back to August 2010, and electronic filing through MEC arrived for Chancery in 2023 and Circuit in 2025.
Benton County Courthouse and Contact Info
Almost every Benton County court function shares one address in Ashland. The Circuit Court, Chancery Court, Justice Court, and both clerks operate from the courthouse complex on Ripley Avenue. A single visit can reach more than one counter, though the record type still decides which clerk to see.
Circuit Clerk (Kathy Graves)
PO Box 262
Ashland, MS 38603
662-224-6310
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chancery Clerk (Marlene McKenzie)
PO Box 218
Ashland, MS 38603
662-224-6300
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The county's place in the state is well documented. The Mississippi Association of Supervisors profile lists the same physical address, the mailing box, and the county seat of Ashland.
That profile is a handy cross-check when confirming the courthouse address before a trip to file or pull Benton County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I search Benton County court records online?
Use two tools. Circuit Court records run through Mississippi Electronic Courts, which needs a paid PAMEC account for remote viewing. Chancery Court cases and land records have a free Delta Computer Systems search built for the county. Match the record to the right court first, then pick the matching tool.
Which clerk holds the record I need?
It depends on the case. The Circuit Clerk keeps felony, civil jury, judgment, and marriage records. The Chancery Clerk keeps divorce, probate, guardianship, conservatorship, and land records. Both offices share the courthouse at 190 Ripley Avenue in Ashland.
Are online copies official?
No. The Delta site states plainly that online copies are unofficial and that the courthouse records control. For a copy a court will accept, request a certified copy from the clerk who holds the file. Online viewing is fine for research but not for legal use.
How much do copies cost?
Unofficial scanned Chancery and deed copies run $0.50 per page through Delta. MEC document viewing is $0.20 per page, and PAMEC registration is about $10 a year. The county did not publish its certified-copy or marriage-license fees, so call the clerk to confirm.
Does Benton County have an online jail roster or warrant search?
No official county roster, warrant search, or sheriff app was located. Call the Benton County Sheriff's Office at 662-224-8941 for custody or warrant questions. The statewide MDOC search and Mississippi VINE help track state offenders and custody changes.
How do I clear a record from public view?
File an expungement petition in the court that handled the case. Gather the case number, charge, disposition, and proof that fines and costs were paid. A judge weighs the request against the statute. The county did not publish a local expungement filing fee, so confirm it with the clerk.