Series 18219

District Court (Fifth District : Iron County) Criminal case files

Dates: 1896-

6.00 cubic feet and 9 microfilm reels

These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.

Scope and Content

Case files are made up of the various documents filed with the Fifth District Court in Iron County pertaining to each specific case. The records usually contain information such as the case number, and the names of the defendants, counsel, jurors, and witnesses. The case file may include complaints, indictments, subpoenas, verdicts, warrants of arrest, execution or confinement, warrant returns, affidavits, orders, judgments, appeal notices. Files rarely include transcripts of testimony.

First, second, and third degree felony cases are the predominant case file type within this series (a major crime for which the maximum imprisonment is more than one year in a state correctional institution). This would include first degree offenses such as murder, rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary and robbery, arson, and possession with intent to distribute drugs. Second degree offenses include: manslaughter, robbery, residential burglary, kidnapping, perjury, forgery, theft of property valued over $1,000.00, forcible sexual abuse, and intentional child abuse. Third degree felonies include: burglary of non-dwellings, theft, aggravated assault, forgery, unlawful sexual intercourse, joyriding, possession with intent to distribute marijuana or cocaine, and false or forged prescriptions.

This series also contains misdemeanor cases which are punishable by a county jail term of up to one year and/or a fine. Misdemeanors include: negligent homicide, driving under the influence, theft, assault on a police officer, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, reckless driving, possession of marijuana, shoplifting, trespassing, and possession of a concealed weapon.

Juvenile cases tried prior to 1907 can also be found in this series. In 1907, a separate statewide juvenile court was established allowing juvenile court jurisdiction in all matters involving children 18 years of age and younger, including parents and guardians of juvenile delinquents.

Missing cases should not be found in appellate court records since the Supreme Court is required by law [Rule 76 (d)] to remit their decision to the District Court "together with such papers transmitted to the Supreme Court on appeal." Furthermore, Rule 75 (n) states that after the appeal has been disposed of, any original papers should be returned to the custody of the district court. Cases which are appealed to the District Court from lower courts will be found in this series.

Arrangement

Numerical by case number.

Research Note

The court began renumbering case files in 1932. Between 1896 and 1932 researchers can expect to find case files 1 to 294. After case 294 the new renumbering system was implemented beginning with a new case 1.

Related Records

Minute books from the District Court (Fifth District : Iron County), Series 1390, contains brief minute book entries for court proceedings on any given day.

Criminal registers of actions from the District Court (Fifth District : Iron County), Series 26629, contain register entries and alphabetical indices which can be used to identify the case file numbers needed to access this series for criminal cases between 1896 and 1990.

Custody History

All case files created between 1896 and 1956 were transferred to the Utah State Archives in 2007. For access to case files post-1956 researchers should contact the clerk of the Fifth District Court in Iron County.

Additional Forms

This series is available on microfilm.

Access Restrictions

This series is classified as Public.

Preferred Citation

Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.

Gaps in Series

Cases 6, 15, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 39, 44, 47, 58, 59, 60, 61, 64, 67, 68, 73, 94, 99, 149, 175, and 211, are missing from the original arrangement kept between 1896 and 1932. Cases 78, 94, 161, and 172 are missing from the renumbered arrangement kept after 1932.

Processing Note

This series was archivally processed by Jim Kichas and Emily Gurr in May 2008 as part of a NHPRC grant project designed to preserve the historic records of Utah's Fifth District Courts.

Indexing Terms

Container List

REEL	BOX	DATE	DESCRIPTION
1	1	1896-1912	1-59
1	2	1896-1912	60-65
2	2	1912-1921	66-140
3	2	1921-1926	141-183
3	3	1921-1926	184-209
4	3	1926-1930	210-264
5	3	1930-1932	265-294
5	4	1932-1937	1-43
6	4	1937-1945	44-100
6	5	1937-1945	101-112
7	5	1945-1949	113-170
8	5	1949-1953	171-177
8	6	1949-1953	178-214
9	6	1953-1956	215-263