Rankin County Justice Court
201 North Street, Brandon, MS 39042
Post Office Box 71, Brandon, MS 39043
Phone: 601-824-2665
www.RankinJusticeCourt.com
Judges
Rankin County has four Justice Court Judges each of whom are elected by judicial
district but have county-wide jurisdiction.
The Judges handle jury and non-jury criminal cases and
jury and non-jury civil cases.
All cases are filed with the clerk's office and computer-rotated to the judges.
Richard Redfern
District 1
Bo Agnew
District 2
Joshua McCrory
District 3
Whitney Adams
District 4
Prosecutors
Rankin County Prosecutors prosecute criminal cases in Rankin County Justice Court and
Rankin County County Court and criminal appeals in Rankin County Circuit Court,
Mississippi Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Supreme Court. They also prosecute civil
breath test refusal cases in County Court. The Prosecutors are:
County Prosecutor John Shirley
Assistant County Prosecutor R. Trey Spillman
Clerks
The Justice Court Clerk, Jessica Massey,
who is appointed by the board of supervisors, is the administrator of the court and
is assisted by several criminal court deputy clerks and several civil court deputy
clerks.
Constables
Rankin County has four Constables each of whom are elected by judicial district
but have county-wide jurisdiction. The constables serve arrest
warrants, summonses and subpoenas.
Robert Hancock
District 1
Glenn Dixon
District 2
Barry Bean
District 3
Gary Windham
District 4
Criminal Cases
Criminal cases are either a misdemeanor or a felony. A misdemeanor is a crime in which the maximum penalty does not include imprisonment in the state penitentiary (Parchman). A felony conviction may result in imprisonment in the state penitentiary (Parchman). The crime must be prosecuted in the county in which the crime occurred.
Misdemeanor Criminal Cases
Every Tuesday is a "plea" date where adults charged with a misdemeanor
or children charged with a traffic offense appear and enter a plea of
"Not Guilty" or "Guilty" or "Nolo Contendere" or "No Contest".
If a person pleads "Nolo Contendere" or "No Contest", that person does not
accept or deny responsibility for the charges but agrees to accept the penalty.
A judge can decide to NOT accept a plea of "Nolo Contendere" or "No Contest".
However, if a judge accepts a plea of "Nolo Contendere" or "No Contest", the
person will have a conviction for the charge and the Judge will assess a penalty.
Criminal cases (other than traffic cases) allegedly committed by children are handled in Youth Court.
Pleading "Not Guilty"
If a plea of "not guilty" is entered, the matter is set for a trial on a later date so that witnesses may be subpoenaed.
Pleading "Guilty" or "Nolo Contendere" or "No Contest"
Before the court may accept a plea of guilty, the court must determine that a plea is voluntarily and intelligently made and that there is a factual basis for the plea.
When the defendant wishes to plead guilty to an offense charged, it
is the duty of the court to address the defendant personally and
to inquire and determine:
Sentencing
If a defendant is found "guilty" after a trial or if a plea of "guilty" or "no contest" or "nolo contendere" is entered, the Judge determines the penalty which, depending on the crime, may include any or all of the following:
Who files misdemeanors?
The criminal cases consist of all misdemeanor cases which occur within Rankin County and are filed in Justice Court by any of the following:
Felony Criminal Cases
The Judges are authorized to issue felony arrest warrants and search warrants
upon a showing of probable cause and to conduct felony initial appearances
and felony preliminary hearings.
Felony trials are conducted in Circuit Court.
If you wish to file felony charges against someone and if the alleged crime
occurred in Rankin County, contact the Rankin County Sheriff's Department
at 601-825-1480.
Civil Cases
Civil cases handled are matters in which the amount sued for does not exceed $3,500. Examples of typical civil cases are debt collection matters, torts, evictions, and replevins.