Criminal Cases in the Westmoreland County Courts
Westmoreland County criminal cases normally begin before a Magisterial District Judge. The MDJ handles the complaint, preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearing. Summary matters may end there. Felonies and higher misdemeanor cases that are held for court move to the Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County, Criminal Division. Its Clerk of Courts maintains the Common Pleas criminal docket and the filings tied to it.
The number identifies the level. A Common Pleas number follows the form CP-65-CR, then seven digits and a year. An MDJ case has its own MJ docket number. The Common Pleas docket carries an origin field that points back to the MDJ docket, complaint number, and arresting agency. That link matters because the early bail and hearing history may sit on the lower-court sheet while the later plea and sentence appear on the Westmoreland County Common Pleas record.
Westmoreland County UJS Docket Search
The free Unified Judicial System Public Web Docket Sheets portal is the broadest first stop for Westmoreland County court records. Choose the court level before searching. Use Magisterial District Courts for an early complaint or summary matter and Criminal Courts of Common Pleas for a CP-65-CR case. The portal is a public representation of the docket, not a certified court record, and recent entries can take time to appear.
The official UJS search screen shows how court type, county, names, and docket numbers work together. View the source interface before entering a query.
Selecting the right court level prevents a valid Westmoreland County criminal case from looking absent merely because it has not yet moved from the MDJ.
How to Search Case Records
Use the most precise identifier available. A full docket number is stronger than a name, especially when several people share a surname. For a name search, filter County to Westmoreland and compare the court level, filing year, and originating information. Read every charge row. One Westmoreland County docket may show a conviction on one count and dismissal or withdrawal on another.
- Open UJS Case Search and choose either Magisterial District Courts or Criminal Courts of Common Pleas.
- Search by participant name or the exact docket number, then set County to Westmoreland.
- Match the filing year, court office, and case status before opening the docket sheet.
- Read charges and their dispositions one row at a time, then check bail, entries, and sentence sections.
- Call the Clerk of Courts at 724-830-3734 for a named filing or certified copy that is not online.
The portal offers several paths rather than one universal form. These are the practical fields documented for Westmoreland County case records.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last name | Text | For participant search | Add first name to narrow common names |
| First name | Text | No | Helps distinguish same-surname results |
| Docket number | Text | For docket search | Use the complete CP or MJ format |
| County | Select | Yes for local filtering | Choose Westmoreland |
| Court type | Select | Yes | MDJ or Criminal Courts of Common Pleas |
Westmoreland County Clerk Copy Desk
A docket PDF does not mean that each motion, order, or exhibit can be downloaded. The Clerk of Courts counter in Suite 203 at 2 North Main Street, Greensburg, holds Common Pleas criminal filings and can quote the current charge for plain or certified copies. Give staff the full docket number plus the document title and filing date. The Westmoreland County research did not find a current official schedule for general criminal copies, so confirm the price before ordering.
The county's Clerk of Courts page identifies the custodian and its service links.
That office is the correct Westmoreland County channel for underlying Common Pleas filings, fines, costs, restitution, and certified docket copies.
Clerk of Courts
2 North Main Street, Suite 203
Greensburg, PA 15601
724-830-3734
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
What the Case File Shows
A Westmoreland County case file tells the judicial story, not the full police investigation. Its docket names the court, lawyers, charges, bail actions, scheduled events, filings, outcomes, sentence, and financial ledger. It may omit booking photos, fingerprints, and the incident narrative. Protected identifiers and victim or minor data are redacted under court policy.
| Case number and court | CP-65-CR or MJ identifier, court level, filing date, caption, and status |
|---|---|
| Charging record | Complaint at the MDJ level and the prosecutor's information in Common Pleas |
| Docket entries | Hearings, motions, orders, pleas, verdicts, warrants, continuances, and appeals |
| Bail and calendar | Bail type and history plus published event dates, judge, and courtroom |
| Disposition | Outcome for each count, including conviction, acquittal, dismissal, or withdrawal |
| Sentence and money | Confinement, probation, credit, conditions, fines, costs, restitution, and balance |
Read Westmoreland Dispositions Count by Count
Charges change as a case moves. The booking allegation may differ from the complaint, and the District Attorney's information can amend what reaches Common Pleas. On the docket, “held for court” means the MDJ sent a charge forward. “Withdrawn” generally ends a count at the preliminary stage. “Nolle prosequi” records the prosecutor's formal choice not to continue, subject to court procedure. A dismissal is not a conviction.
The Pennsylvania courts' docket guidance cautions that docket sheets may not reflect the most recent information and do not replace an official criminal-history check.
For that reason, readers should verify a vital Westmoreland County outcome with the Clerk and read the disposition beside each charge rather than relying on the case caption alone.
Stages of a Criminal Case
After police file a complaint, an MDJ conducts the preliminary arraignment, addresses bail, and schedules the preliminary hearing. A case held for court is assigned a CP-65-CR number in Westmoreland County Common Pleas. The prosecutor then files the information. Formal arraignment, pretrial motions, and conferences follow. A plea or trial resolves the surviving counts, and a conviction leads to sentencing. The docket may also record a bench warrant, appeal, restitution, or later probation event.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
This flow is not a promise of timing. Continuances, evaluations, diversion, and motion practice can alter a Westmoreland County case schedule.
Westmoreland Court Diversion Docket Entries
Westmoreland County uses several named specialty paths, including Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, Fast Track DUI/ARD, Drug Treatment Court, and Mental Health Court resources. ARD is a Pennsylvania pretrial diversion path. It can support a later expungement when the participant completes the program and meets the law's conditions, but entry into ARD does not erase the docket on its own.
The Clerk's criminal forms collection includes an A.R.D. Petition, Fast Track DUI/ARD Application, and Mental Health Forensic Evaluation Order.
Those form names help explain docket events that may look cryptic in a Westmoreland County case search.
The county also publishes a separate expungement procedure that requires filing with the Clerk before the District Attorney will accept the petition.
The procedure warns that implementation across agencies can take up to six months, so a granted order may not change every Westmoreland County or PSP display at once.
When a Westmoreland Filing Is Missing
A blank attachment list does not prove the filing does not exist. Public docket PDFs are free, but the underlying complaint, motion, order, or sentencing sheet is not always attached. Record the docket number, entry date, and exact filing label, then call the Clerk. For an early MDJ paper, use the originating docket to identify the correct district court office.
Judicial records also follow Pennsylvania court access rules, not the county executive Right-to-Know route in the same way. The UJS public records policies explain that distinction.
Sending a broad county RTKL form is therefore not a substitute for ordering a named Westmoreland County criminal filing from its court custodian.
Access & Restrictions
Pennsylvania court policy permits broad access to many Westmoreland County dockets while excluding Social Security numbers, full financial account data, protected victim information, minors' names, and other sensitive fields. Juvenile matters have separate rules. Sealed, expunged, and limited-access records may not appear in an ordinary public search, even though an authorized criminal-justice agency may retain access allowed by law.
Pennsylvania CHRIA governs criminal-history dissemination, correction, expungement, and limited access. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law governs agency records but preserves exemptions, including criminal investigative material. For a missing public court record, ask the Clerk or the relevant MDJ whether the file is older, recently entered, restricted, or held at another level. Do not infer a favorable or adverse outcome from an empty search result.