Stone County Circuit Court Overview
Missouri uses circuit courts as its primary trial courts. Stone County is part of the 39th Judicial Circuit, and the Circuit Court sits at the Stone County Judicial Center in Galena. The same system includes circuit, associate circuit, probate, juvenile, small claims, municipal, and treatment-court functions. That means many case types that other states split among separate courts are managed locally through divisions of the Circuit Court.
The Stone County court page says public case information for Circuit Court Divisions I, II, and III is available through Missouri Case.net. It also states that Case.net can help identify parties, attorneys, actions taken, and documents filed. For record access, the key local chain is Case.net for public lookup, the Circuit Clerk for official copies and court money, and the specific division or municipal clerk when a local schedule or city ticket is involved.
The Stone County Circuit Court page is the main local source for the court's judges, clerk contact, hours, Case.net links, fees, and division descriptions.
The county source anchors the local court page because it connects the Galena courthouse, Circuit Clerk, divisions, fees, Case.net, and payment links in one official place.
Stone County Circuit Court Divisions
Stone County does not list separate numbered district courts. Instead, the research identifies Circuit Court divisions, associate circuit judges, probate and juvenile functions, and Galena Municipal Court as a municipal division. The table below follows the resolved Missouri structure: Circuit Court is the primary trial court, Associate Circuit Court and municipal divisions handle lower-level or assigned matters, and probate remains a division of the Circuit Court.
| Court or Division | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone County Circuit Court | Circuit, associate, civil, criminal, domestic, probate, juvenile, small claims, traffic | 110 South Maple, P.O. Box 18, Galena, MO 65656 | (417) 357-6114 or (417) 357-6115; clerk (417) 357-6511 |
| Presiding Circuit Judge David A. Cole | 39th Judicial Circuit presiding judge | P.O. Box 583, Cassville, MO 65625 | Phone not listed on Stone County page |
| Circuit Judge Alan Blankenship | Circuit judge | P.O. Box 18, Galena, MO 65656 | Phone not listed separately |
| Associate Circuit Judge Eric O. Chavez | Associate circuit judge | Stone County Judicial Center, Galena | (417) 357-6114 or (417) 357-6115 |
| Associate Circuit Judge Matt Selby | Associate circuit judge | Stone County Judicial Center, Galena | (417) 357-6114 or (417) 357-6115 |
| Galena Municipal Court | Municipal division | City Hall, 113 E. 4th Street; P.O. Box 234, Galena, MO 65656 | Court Clerk Carmen Malloy, (417) 357-6226 |
Judge Cole's law day is the second Monday of each month. Judge Blankenship's law day is the first Monday and Tuesday of each month unless docket entries say otherwise. Galena Municipal Court holds court on the second Thursday at 5:00 p.m. with Hon. Mark Rundel as judge and Mike Hurney as city prosecutor.
Stone County Circuit Court Levels
The state structure map identifies Associate Circuit Court, Municipal Division, and Small Claims Division as Stone County lower-court channels. They are not separate county courts in the way some states use that phrase. They work within or alongside the Missouri circuit court framework, and public tracking often still routes through Case.net.
| Feature | Circuit Court | Associate Circuit Court | Municipal or Small Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local role | Primary trial court for major civil, criminal, domestic, probate, juvenile, and assigned matters. | Associate civil, small claims, misdemeanors, traffic, preliminary felony stages, and assigned matters. | Municipal ordinance and city traffic cases, plus small civil claims handled through the circuit structure. |
| Stone County examples | Circuit judges, domestic relations, felony circuit arraignment, probate and juvenile divisions. | Associate Circuit Judges Eric O. Chavez and Matt Selby. | Galena Municipal Court and Stone County small claims filings. |
| Records implication | Search public case information in Case.net and contact the Circuit Clerk for copies. | Search Case.net and confirm settings or payments with the Circuit Clerk. | Galena directs users to Case.net for cases and court dates; call the municipal clerk for local municipal questions. |
| Access limits | Juvenile, adoption, sealed, expunged, and mental-health matters may be restricted. | Some records are public, but confidential categories still apply. | Municipal cases may show public docket information, but city-specific fine or court-date questions may require the municipal clerk. |
Note: Probate is not a separate county probate court in Stone County; it is the Probate Division of the Circuit Court.
Stone County Circuit Court Flow
Case movement depends on type. Civil cases begin with a petition and service. Domestic cases use verified pleadings under local dissolution rules. Criminal cases may start in an associate circuit setting and move to circuit arraignment after disposition in Division III. Local Rule 2.4.6 says associate circuit judges in felony cases advise parties of the felony circuit arraignment date after disposition in Division III, usually the first law day after disposition.
Criminal flow: Arrest or charge filing › Associate circuit stage › Division III disposition › Felony circuit arraignment › Pretrial settings › Plea or trial › Disposition › Sentencing or appeal.
Civil flow: Petition filed › Summons or service › Answer or default stage › Motions or trial setting › Hearing or trial › Judgment › Collection, garnishment, appeal, or satisfaction.
If a defendant fails to appear for felony circuit arraignment after the Division III path, the local rule says bond forfeiture is ordered and a capias warrant issues. Dockets and scheduled hearings are therefore important record fields, not just calendar notes.
Stone County Circuit Court Records
The Circuit Clerk division descriptions show the range of Stone County Circuit Court records. Civil and domestic relations records include civil petitions, small claims, summonses, subpoenas, executions, garnishments, transcript of judgments, protection orders, administrative orders, and mechanic liens. Criminal records include traffic, water patrol, conservation tickets, misdemeanors, and felonies. Probate records include decedent estates, guardianships, conservatorships, refusals, heirship, and 96-hour mental and drug orders.
Juvenile division records are treated differently. Stone County lists abuse or neglect, delinquency, paternity, and adoption matters in the juvenile division, but Missouri law restricts juvenile records and adoption records. Public searchers should not expect those files to appear like ordinary adult civil or criminal dockets. Personal identifiers and some confidential documents may also be redacted or withheld from public access.
Stone County's court-record technology has a clear local milestone: the county states Case.net access went live on November 15, 2005. The court page describes that access as useful after normal business hours and helpful for litigants, attorneys, media, and people who do not live near the courthouse.
Stone County Circuit Judges
Stone County is in the 39th Judicial Circuit. The current local personnel history in the research names David A. Cole as Presiding Circuit Judge, Alan Blankenship as Circuit Judge, Eric O. Chavez as Associate Circuit Judge, and Matt Selby as Associate Circuit Judge. The court page says Judge Cole was appointed Presiding Circuit Judge on February 11, 2021, Judge Blankenship was appointed Circuit Judge in August 2023, Judge Chavez was elected in 2022 and took office January 1, 2023, and Judge Selby was appointed Associate Circuit Judge in November 2023.
Local rules add docket detail. Rule 36.3 says the appropriate clerk of each county in the 39th Judicial Circuit prepares a docket for each judge's law day and dockets of scheduled trials or motions. Rule 36.1.4 says either the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney may request a criminal case trial setting, and within 15 days after the court orders a trial setting, counsel submits available dates to the Circuit Clerk and sends a bench copy to the judge's office.
Stone County Circuit Treatment Court
Stone County's Circuit Court page lists Drug Court as a local specialty program. The county describes the program as using strict supervision, counseling, and treatment to reduce drug-related crimes and addictions. The research did not locate official local eligibility rules, phase details, participant numbers, graduation rates, or a current presiding judge for the program, so the content should stay limited to the confirmed county statement.
Treatment court records can intersect with criminal court records, but public access depends on the case, docket, and any confidentiality rules that apply. A person trying to understand whether a drug court matter is visible should start with Case.net and then ask the Circuit Clerk or counsel whether a specific docket event or document is public.
Galena Municipal Court Records
Galena Municipal Court is a municipal division of the Stone County Circuit Court. Its official page lists City Hall at 113 E. 4th Street, P.O. Box 234, Galena, Missouri 65656, and names Carmen Malloy as court clerk at (417) 357-6226. It directs users to Case.net for cases and court dates. Municipal cases may include city ordinance matters and municipal traffic tickets, while payment or local schedule questions may still need the municipal clerk.
Because Galena Municipal Court routes public case tracking through Case.net, the same basic lookup methods apply: name, case number, filing date, or scheduled hearings and trials. If a municipal ticket creates a failure-to-appear issue, the local municipal clerk and the Case.net docket are both important channels.
Federal Courts for Stone County
Stone County is also tied to federal courts for federal civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and agency matters. Those are not Stone County Circuit Court cases. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri covers Stone County, and federal dockets use PACER and CM/ECF rather than Missouri Case.net. A Western District boundary source places Stone County in the Joplin or Southwestern Division, while the Western District homepage lists Springfield's United States Courthouse as a regional courthouse location.
The Western District of Missouri boundary information identifies Stone County with the Joplin or Southwestern Division.
This federal source helps separate state Circuit Court records from federal district records that must be searched through federal systems.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri is another federal source tied to prosecutions and federal district work.
Federal prosecution records are different from Stone County criminal court records, even when the person or event has a local connection.
The DOJ Western District division page describes the district's divisions, including Springfield and Joplin references.
The division information is useful when a Stone County matter belongs in federal court rather than the Missouri circuit court system.
Federal district boundaries are also listed in 28 U.S.C. 105, which places Missouri counties into federal judicial divisions.
That statute confirms why federal case lookup is a separate path from Case.net and the Stone County Circuit Clerk.