Search Lewis County Felony Records

Lewis County felony records are maintained by the Superior Court Clerk in Chehalis and document all criminal cases processed through the county's court system. This guide covers how to search Lewis County felony records, request certified copies, use the Odyssey case portal, and check statewide conviction databases for individuals connected to Lewis County. With roughly 82,000 residents, Lewis County sits in southwest Washington and borders eight other counties.

Lewis County Superior Court Clerk

Clerk Scott Tinney heads the Lewis County Superior Court Clerk's office at the Law and Justice Center in Chehalis. The clerk is the official custodian of all felony records filed in Lewis County Superior Court. Case files, judgment orders, sentencing documents, and conviction records are all held here. The clerk uses the Odyssey case management system, which means many records are searchable online through the statewide portal. Certified copies cost $5.00 plus $1.00 per page. Non-certified copies run $0.50 per page.

The Lewis County Clerk page has full contact information, office hours, and instructions for submitting record requests. In-person requests are handled at the Law and Justice Center in Chehalis. For mailed requests, send a written request with the case number or defendant's full name and payment to the clerk's office address in Chehalis.

The clerk's office page explains the records it maintains and how to request copies of Lewis County Superior Court documents.

The clerk can also help with e-filing inquiries and point you to the right forms for submitting written requests for felony case documents.

Lewis County Superior Court

The Lewis County Superior Court sits on the 4th Floor of the Law and Justice Center in Chehalis. This is where all general jurisdiction felony cases are heard in Lewis County. The court handles Class A, B, and C felony matters from arraignment through sentencing and post-conviction motions. All records created during felony proceedings go into the case file maintained by the clerk on the same floor.

The Lewis County Superior Court page lists the current judges, court schedules, and general information on how cases move through the felony process. If you are tracking an active felony case in Lewis County, checking this page for hearing schedules is a good first step.

The Superior Court page also provides contact information for the court administrator, who can help with scheduling questions or procedural inquiries about pending cases.

Under RCW 9.94A.640, Washington's Sentencing Reform Act, judges calculate felony sentences using an offender score based on prior criminal history and the seriousness level of the current offense. Lewis County Superior Court judges apply these statewide guidelines in every felony case.

Searching Lewis County Felony Cases Online

Lewis County uses the Odyssey Portal for case management. The portal allows anonymous public searches for basic felony case information including case numbers, filing dates, charge descriptions, and hearing schedules. No account is needed for a name search. Actual case documents require contacting the clerk's office directly, since the public portal does not display scanned filings.

You can also use the Washington Courts statewide name and case search to find Lewis County records alongside records from other counties. This is useful if you are not sure which county handled a particular case or if a person has cases in multiple counties. The statewide search returns basic case information from all Washington counties that participate in the system.

Washington's Criminal Records Privacy Act, codified at RCW 10.97, governs what information agencies can release. Felony conviction records are public. Arrest-only records, including cases that were dismissed or never formally charged, carry tighter restrictions. When you search Lewis County felony records, conviction data is more readily accessible than data from arrests that did not result in a conviction.

Lewis County District Court

The Lewis County District Court handles misdemeanor cases and the preliminary stages of felony matters. When someone is arrested in Lewis County on a felony charge, the District Court conducts the initial appearance, sets bail, and schedules the preliminary hearing. If the case clears the preliminary stage, it moves to Superior Court. The District Court does not maintain the final felony conviction record, but its files can provide background on how a case originated.

The Lewis County District Court page has location, contact information, and details on how the court handles its caseload. If you are researching the early stages of a felony case, District Court records are a useful complement to the Superior Court file.

District Court records can document the initial appearance, probable cause determination, and any bail conditions set before the case moved to Superior Court.

Lewis County Sheriff Arrest and Incident Records

The Lewis County Sheriff's Office makes felony arrests throughout the county and books people into the county jail. The sheriff maintains arrest records and incident reports that are separate from court case files. You can find contact information and record request instructions on the Lewis County Sheriff page. Written requests for incident reports should include the incident date, the name of the person involved, and the type of record you need.

Arrest records are linked to court files by case number once charges are formally filed. For confirmed felony convictions, the Superior Court clerk's records are the primary and most reliable source. Arrest records that did not lead to a conviction are subject to the privacy protections in RCW 10.97, so the sheriff's office may limit what it releases for those cases.

The sheriff's page explains how to submit a public records request for arrest and incident data from Lewis County law enforcement.

Washington WATCH and Statewide Conviction Tools

The Washington State Patrol runs the WATCH system (Washington Access To Criminal History). A name search costs $11.00 and returns felony and gross misdemeanor conviction records from all Washington counties, including Lewis. WATCH is the fastest way to check whether a person has a conviction anywhere in Washington without knowing which specific county to search. Arrests that did not result in a conviction do not appear.

For a full certified criminal history, the Washington State Patrol's Criminal History Records division handles formal background record requests. These take longer than a WATCH search but produce a more complete and certified record suitable for court or licensing purposes.

The Washington Department of Corrections maintains an inmate and warrant search for people currently or recently held at state prison facilities. Class A and B felony convictions from Lewis County often result in sentences served at a state DOC facility rather than the county jail. The DOC search is a useful complement to the county clerk's records when tracking a person serving a significant sentence.

For historical Lewis County felony records, the Washington State Digital Archives holds scanned court documents from many Washington counties going back decades. Older Lewis County cases that predate the Odyssey system may appear in the Digital Archives.

Cities in Lewis County

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

Communities in Lewis County include Chehalis (the county seat), Centralia, Winlock, Morton, Pe Ell, and Packwood. Felony records for residents of all these communities are filed with the Lewis County Superior Court Clerk at the Law and Justice Center in Chehalis.

Nearby Counties

Lewis County borders eight counties in southwest and central Washington. Each has its own Superior Court Clerk and felony records system.