De Baca County Criminal Courts
Criminal court records in De Baca County can start in more than one court. De Baca District Court handles felony criminal cases after bind-over or indictment, criminal appeals, and other general-jurisdiction matters. De Baca County Magistrate Court handles misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic violations, felony preliminary hearings, and early criminal events. Fort Sumner Municipal Court handles petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic, animal control, code enforcement, and municipal ordinance cases. The correct court matters because the clerk for that court is the custodian of the case file.
Use District Court for felony case files, District Court criminal appeals, and records that moved from a lower court. Use Magistrate Court for misdemeanors, DWI, preliminary hearings, and many traffic-related criminal matters. Use Fort Sumner Municipal Court when the case is a municipal petty misdemeanor, ordinance, DWI, or local traffic case. A charge may begin in Magistrate Court and later move to District Court if the felony case proceeds.
| Court | Criminal Role | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| De Baca District Court | Felonies, criminal appeals, general jurisdiction criminal records. | 575-355-2896; tenthjdcpublic@nmcourts.gov. |
| De Baca County Magistrate Court | Misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic, felony preliminary hearings. | 575-355-7371; fsum-grp@nmcourts.gov. |
| Fort Sumner Municipal Court | Petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, municipal ordinance and traffic cases. | 575-355-2402. |
Search De Baca County Criminal Records
New Mexico Case Lookup is the free public search point for De Baca County criminal court records. It can be searched by name, case number, and DWI. Use court type D for District Court or M for Magistrate Court. The Fort Sumner District Court location appears as 1027, and the Fort Sumner Magistrate location appears as 13. Municipal Court data is more limited, with public notes stating that municipal data includes criminal domestic violence and DWI historic convictions from September 1, 1991 onward.
The official expungement image below comes from the manifest source at New Mexico DPS expungement guidance.
Expungement guidance belongs with criminal court records because the case file, court order, and agency updates all affect what later remains visible.
- Accept the Case Lookup disclaimer and choose Name Search, Case Number Search, or DWI Search.
- Enter the defendant name, case number, driver information, date of birth, or year of birth if known.
- Limit the court type to District Court or Magistrate Court, then choose the Fort Sumner location.
- Review docket entries for charges, hearings, pleas, disposition, sentence, and warrant or bond events.
- Request document copies from the clerk or through IPRA when the public docket does not show the filed paper.
Case Lookup gives docket access, not a full background report. It also does not display juvenile criminal cases after July 1, 2007, and does not display Family Violence Protection Act order-of-protection cases after July 1, 2008. For a broader overview of the same portal and its fields, see De Baca County court records.
De Baca Criminal Case Flow
A criminal court record grows as the case moves through each stage. The file may start with a complaint, probable cause statement, citation, warrant, or charging document. The court then records hearings, bond conditions, motions, plea activity, trial settings, verdicts, disposition, judgment, sentence, probation terms, and later compliance or warrant events. Felony cases may start with early Magistrate Court events before the District Court file becomes the main case file.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial / Motions › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Charges filed | The complaint, information, indictment, or citation starts the criminal court record. |
| Arraignment | The charge is addressed in court, and plea, bond, release, or next-setting issues may appear. |
| Pretrial and motions | Attorneys file requests, discovery issues are handled, and hearings may be set or continued. |
| Plea or trial | The defendant may plead, proceed to trial, or resolve some charges while others are dismissed. |
| Disposition | The court records the outcome of each charge, such as guilty, dismissed, or not guilty. |
| Sentencing | The court enters punishment or conditions such as jail, probation, fines, fees, or other orders. |
What De Baca Criminal Records Show
De Baca County criminal court records are case-level records. They may include the defendant, court, case number, filed charges, hearing dates, docket entries, motions, orders, bond conditions, pleas, disposition, judgment, sentence, and payment or compliance obligations. A record may also show that a charge changed, was reduced, was dismissed, or moved to another court. The court record does not prove current custody, and it does not replace a jail roster or NMCD offender search.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | The court's criminal file identifier. |
| Defendant | The person accused in the criminal case. |
| Court type and location | District, Magistrate, or Municipal venue and Fort Sumner location when applicable. |
| Charges | The accusations filed with the court, which may be amended or dismissed later. |
| Bond or release | Release terms, bond orders, or related warrant events when public. |
| Plea | The defendant's answer to a charge, such as guilty or not guilty. |
| Disposition | The outcome of each charge or the case. |
| Sentence | Custody, probation, fines, fees, conditions, or other punishment after conviction. |
For arrest-to-charge details, the De Baca County arrest records and court charges page focuses on booking records, charging documents, and charge status before final case outcome.
Charges vs Convictions
A charge is an accusation. A conviction is a final result after a guilty plea, verdict, or other qualifying outcome. De Baca County criminal court records may show both, and the difference matters. A person can have one arrest with several charges, one charge can be amended, and some charges may be dismissed while another charge results in a conviction and sentence.
| Point | Charge | Conviction |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | An accusation filed in court. | A proven or admitted offense reflected by court outcome. |
| When it appears | Early in the criminal case file. | After plea, verdict, or final disposition. |
| Can it change? | Yes, it may be amended, reduced, dismissed, or dropped. | It may be appealed, corrected, sealed, or expunged only through legal process. |
| How to verify | Read the latest docket and charging entries. | Check the disposition, judgment, and sentence. |
De Baca Criminal Case Roles
The Tenth Judicial District Attorney prosecutes state criminal charges for Quay, Harding, and De Baca Counties. The New Mexico Administrative Office of the District Attorneys lists the main office at 1110 E. High Street, Tucumcari, NM 88401, mailing P.O. Box 1141, Tucumcari, NM 88401, phone 575-461-2075, and fax 575-461-3966. A Governor press release dated April 16, 2024 announced Heidi Adams as Tenth Judicial District Attorney and stated that she had served since 2015 as Chief Deputy District Attorney in Tucumcari prosecuting misdemeanor and felony cases.
The manifest image below is sourced from the Tenth Judicial District Attorney contact page.
The DA role helps explain why a De Baca County criminal court record may reference an office outside the county even when the case is filed locally.
The New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender represents low-income people facing criminal charges in New Mexico. Appointment and qualification are handled through court and LOPD procedures, not by a public docket search. A public defender entry in a criminal court record usually identifies counsel of record or an appointment event. It is not a general legal-aid note.
Sealed vs Expunged Records
Public access to De Baca County criminal court records is broad, but not absolute. Rule 1-079 NMRA addresses public access and sealing of court records. New Mexico DPS describes the Criminal Record Expungement Act, which allows qualifying people to petition for expungement of criminal and related public records. Juvenile confidentiality is tied to NMSA 32A-2-32, and juvenile sealing is tied to NMSA 32A-2-26.
| Point | Sealed | Expunged |
|---|---|---|
| Basic effect | Public access is limited by rule, statute, or court order. | Qualifying criminal and related public records may be removed or suppressed by court order. |
| How it happens | Written court order or automatic sealing rule where allowed. | Petition process under the Criminal Record Expungement Act or other specific law. |
| Public search result | The case or document may not appear or may show limited information. | The public record may be suppressed after agencies process the order. |
| Juvenile records | Juvenile files are handled under separate confidentiality and sealing rules. | Juvenile sealing has its own statutory path and timing conditions. |
Restricted De Baca Criminal Records
Some De Baca County criminal court records should not be expected in public Case Lookup results. Juvenile criminal cases have not displayed on Case Lookup since July 1, 2007. Family Violence Protection Act order-of-protection cases have not displayed since July 1, 2008. Sealed and expunged files may be unavailable or limited. Protected personal identifiers are also redacted, including full Social Security numbers, most financial account data, most driver-license information, and all but the year of birth.
Records filed before the statewide court automation project was completed in June 1997 may require direct contact with the filing court. For District Court criminal records, contact De Baca District Court at 248 E. Ave. C, Fort Sumner, NM 88119, phone 575-355-2896, or email tenthjdcpublic@nmcourts.gov. For Magistrate Court records, contact 282 E. Ave. B, Fort Sumner, NM 88119, phone 575-355-7371, or email fsum-grp@nmcourts.gov.
Note: A public criminal court docket should be read by charge and disposition, not as proof that every accusation became a conviction.
When a De Baca County criminal record is needed for employment, licensing, immigration, housing, or personal history review, the public docket should be treated as a lead, not as a certified court record. Ask the filing court for the judgment, sentence, dismissal order, or other final document that proves the current case status. If the case involved state custody or supervision after sentencing, NMCD records are a separate source from the District Court or Magistrate Court file.