Find Kittitas County Felony Records

Kittitas County felony records are kept by the Superior Court Clerk in Ellensburg and cover all criminal cases filed in the county's courts. This page explains how to search those felony records, request certified copies, use the county's online tools, and check statewide conviction databases for people connected to Kittitas County. The county has roughly 47,000 residents and sits in central Washington between the Cascades and the Columbia Basin.

Kittitas County Superior Court Clerk

The Kittitas County Superior Court Clerk is the official keeper of all felony case files in the county. Clerk Karen Bowen heads the office at 205 West 5th Avenue, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926. You can reach the office by phone at (509) 962-7531. The clerk stores every filing, order, judgment, and sentencing document for each felony prosecuted in Kittitas County Superior Court. This is the primary source for court-based felony records in the county.

The office accepts both in-person and written record requests. Walk-in visitors can ask staff to pull files during open hours. For mailed requests, you will need to provide the defendant's full name or the case number, along with payment for any copy fees. The clerk's office also accepts fax filings through NCourt with a credit card. The Kittitas County Clerk page has current contact details and policy information for submitting requests.

Judges Chris Herion and James D. Kirkham preside at Kittitas County Superior Court. The court handles all Class A, B, and C felony cases filed in the county. Cases move from initial appearance at district court up to superior court for arraignment, pre-trial hearings, and trial.

The state-level criminal history portal provides an important statewide complement to local clerk searches. The Washington WATCH portal lets you run name-based conviction checks that cover all Washington counties, including Kittitas.

WATCH results show felony and gross misdemeanor convictions statewide, so they are useful when a subject may have cases in multiple counties beyond Kittitas.

Searching Kittitas County Felony Cases Online

Kittitas County participates in the statewide Odyssey Portal for case management. The portal allows anonymous public searches for basic case information. You can look up a felony case by defendant name or case number and see filing dates, charge descriptions, and hearing schedules. No account is needed for a basic name search. If you need to view actual case documents, you must contact the clerk directly, since the public portal does not display scanned filings.

The Washington Courts statewide name and case search is another option. It covers all Washington counties and is useful when you are not sure which county filed a particular case. Results include case numbers, party names, and case types. You can narrow by county if you already know the case is in Kittitas.

The statewide courts search tool provides another way to locate felony records across Washington. The Washington Courts name search page gives you a broad starting point before narrowing to Kittitas County specifically.

This tool is especially helpful if you think a person may have had felony cases in both Kittitas County and one of its neighboring counties like Yakima or King.

Kittitas County District Courts

Kittitas County has two district courts. The Lower District Court handles initial appearances and preliminary hearings for the Ellensburg area. It sits at 205 East 5th Avenue, Room 180, Ellensburg, and can be reached at (509) 962-7511. Judge Paul R. Sander presides. The Upper District Court covers the Cle Elum area and sits at 700 East 1st Street, Cle Elum, WA 98922, phone (509) 674-5533, with Judge Craig Juris presiding. Both courts handle the early stages of felony cases before they transfer to Superior Court.

District court records from preliminary hearings can be useful for understanding how a felony charge began. These records may include initial appearance orders, bail conditions, and probable cause determinations. After the case moves to Superior Court, the full trial record and any conviction documents live at the clerk's office in Ellensburg. The Lower District Court page and Upper District Court page have current contact details.

Washington classifies felonies into three levels. Class A carries the most serious penalties. Class B felonies carry up to ten years. Class C felonies carry up to five years. The sentencing guidelines under RCW 9.94A.640 govern how judges calculate ranges based on offense seriousness and prior criminal history. Kittitas County Superior Court judges apply these statewide rules.

Under RCW 10.97, Washington's Criminal Records Privacy Act, felony conviction records are public. Non-conviction data, such as arrests that did not lead to charges, is subject to tighter restrictions. When you search Kittitas County felony records, conviction data is more readily available than arrest-only data.

Kittitas County Sheriff Arrest and Jail Records

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office handles arrests and books people into the county jail. The sheriff's records division is at 307 West Umptanum Road, Ellensburg, and can be reached at (509) 962-7525. You can visit the Sheriff Records page for information on how to request incident reports and arrest records. Written requests go to the sheriff's office, not the court clerk.

The county publishes a jail roster online at the Sheriff Jail Roster page. The roster shows current inmates and booking information going back three days. VINELink is available for victim notification when someone is booked or released. If you want to know whether a specific person is currently held in the Kittitas County Jail, the online roster is the fastest way to check.

The jail holds up to 209 people and offers several programs including work release, GED classes, school release, and work crew. These programs affect inmate status and release timelines, which can be relevant when tracking an active felony case.

Arrest records are separate from court records, though both are linked by case number once charges are formally filed in Superior Court. For confirmed felony convictions, the clerk's records at Superior Court are the most reliable source. Arrest records that did not lead to a conviction are subject to the privacy rules in RCW 10.97.

Record Copy Fees and Request Process

The Kittitas County Clerk follows Washington's standard fee schedule for record copies. Non-certified paper copies cost $0.50 per page. Certified copies require a $5.00 base fee plus $1.00 per page. The clerk's office also accepts fax filings via NCourt using a credit card, which can speed up requests from outside Ellensburg. The Clerk Policies and Resources page details the full fee schedule and filing procedures.

For in-person requests, bring photo ID and the name or case number you need. Staff can pull files and make copies while you wait for straightforward requests. Larger file pulls may require more time. For mailed requests, send a written request with the required information to the clerk's office at 205 West 5th Avenue, Suite 210, Ellensburg, WA 98926. Include a check or money order payable to Kittitas County Clerk for the estimated copy cost.

Research fees may apply if staff need to spend significant time locating older records or conducting an extensive search. Contact the clerk's office by phone at (509) 962-7531 to confirm current fees before submitting a large request.

Washington WATCH and State Conviction Checks

The Washington State Patrol runs the WATCH system (Washington Access To Criminal History). This paid service costs $11.00 per name search and returns felony and gross misdemeanor conviction records from across all Washington counties, including Kittitas. WATCH is useful when you need to check whether a person has convictions in multiple counties, not just Kittitas. Arrests without convictions do not appear in WATCH results.

For more detailed criminal history record requests, the Washington State Patrol's Criminal History Records division handles formal requests. These are typically used for professional licensing, court proceedings, or other purposes requiring a complete and certified criminal history. The process is separate from a basic WATCH name search and may take longer to complete.

The Washington Department of Corrections provides an inmate and warrant search tool for people currently or recently held in state prison. Class A and B felony convictions in Kittitas County often result in sentences served at a state DOC facility rather than the county jail. If you are tracking someone who received a significant sentence, the DOC search is a useful complement to the county clerk's records.

The WSP criminal history page shows how to request a full criminal background check for individuals linked to Washington State. The WSP Criminal History Records page outlines the process for formal requests beyond what WATCH provides.

Formal WSP requests are useful when you need a comprehensive record covering the full criminal history, not just a quick name search through WATCH.

Historical Kittitas County Felony Records

Older felony case files from Kittitas County may be available through the Washington State Digital Archives. The Digital Archives holds scanned court records from many Washington counties going back decades. Not every Kittitas County case has been digitized, but indexes and some documents are available for older cases. This is most useful for records that predate the Odyssey Portal system.

For very old cases, the clerk's office maintains physical files and microfilm records in Ellensburg. Research fees apply when staff need to locate and pull historical files. It is a good idea to call ahead at (509) 962-7531 before visiting for records more than 20 years old, to confirm what is available and how long the search might take.

The Digital Archives also holds Washington State criminal records from past eras. The Washington State Digital Archives is a good resource for historical felony case research that goes beyond what the Odyssey Portal covers.

Understanding RCW 10.97 is useful when requesting older records, since the law affects what non-conviction data the clerk can release from historical files.

Cities in Kittitas County

Kittitas County includes several communities. None currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Communities in Kittitas County include Ellensburg (the county seat), Cle Elum, Roslyn, South Cle Elum, and Kittitas. Felony records for residents of all these communities are filed with the Kittitas County Superior Court Clerk in Ellensburg.

Nearby Counties

Kittitas County borders several counties in central Washington. Each has its own Superior Court Clerk and felony records system.