Criminal Cases in the Custer County Courts
Custer County has one County Court and one District Court, both at 604 Heritage Drive in Broken Bow. County Court handles misdemeanors and the opening steps in felony prosecutions. District Court is the felony-level trial court and also hears appeals from County Court. The County Court belongs to Judicial District 8. District Court sits in the Eighth Judicial District's Southern Division, along with five neighboring counties.
The clerks preserve the Custer County criminal court file. Their records include filed charges, motions, hearing entries, costs, judgments, and sentences. County Court can be reached at 308-872-5761. The District Court Clerk can be reached at 308-872-2121. Clerk staff can help locate a case when given a full party name, year, or case type, but court staff do not issue a signed certificate that merely says no record was found.
Custer County Court Case Split
A felony may create two linked but distinct Custer County court histories. The complaint, first appearance, bond decision, appointment of counsel, and preliminary-hearing activity often begin in County Court. If the matter is bound over, the prosecutor files an information in District Court. Arraignment, motions, a plea or trial, judgment, and felony sentence then appear in the District Court record.
Search both courts when the Custer County case involves a possible felony. A County Court result alone may end before the final outcome, while a District Court result may omit the first steps. Misdemeanors chiefly stay in County Court. Appeals can add another layer: County Court appeals go to District Court, and later appellate activity is searched through SCCALES rather than the trial-court portion of JUSTICE.
Record path: County Court complaint › first appearance › preliminary hearing or waiver › District Court information › arraignment › judgment.
How to Search Case Records
JUSTICE, the Nebraska Trial Courts Case Search, is the main remote route for Custer County criminal case records. The live one-time service charges $17, even when no match appears, caps a name search at 30 results, and keeps purchased results available for three calendar days. It warns that new Custer County cases may take about 24 hours to appear. Check the live purchase screen because an older Judicial Branch overview still carries prior fee and image language.
- Open the one-time JUSTICE search and accept its current terms.
- Enter the party name. Start with the last name if spelling or initials are uncertain.
- Select Custer County, criminal case type, and both County and District Court when a felony may be involved.
- Open each likely match and read the register of actions from filing through disposition.
- Use the case number to ask the correct clerk for an identified paper or certified copy.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party Name | Text | Yes for name search | Use Last Name, First Name, M, Suffix; last name alone is allowed |
| Party Type | Radio | Yes | Choose Individual or Entity |
| County | Multi-select | No | Select Custer County; more than one county may be chosen |
| Case Year | Select | No | Use only when it helps narrow a large result set |
| Court Type | Multi-select | No | Choose County Court, District Court, or both |
| Case Type | Multi-select | No | Choose Criminal rather than unrelated case categories |
| Case Subtype | Multi-select | No | Options depend on the selected case type |
| Judge | Multi-select | No | Uses the court system's judge list |
| Attorney Name | Filter | No | Searches or filters by attorney |
| Sort By / Order | Select and radio | No | Controls result order without changing the underlying records |
| Client Memo | Text | No | Returned on a subscriber invoice for reconciliation |
For the official view of access choices, see the Nebraska Judicial Branch case information page. The image below shows that public explanation of JUSTICE routes.
That access page helps a Custer County searcher choose among one-time online access, subscriber tools, and the free courthouse terminal.
Custer County JUSTICE Access Choices
Remote access is convenient, but it is not the only Custer County court search channel. The courthouse has a free JUSTICE public terminal. That option can save money when a name is common, a spelling is uncertain, or several searches may be needed. Once the correct case number is known, the clerk can quote the cost for a specifically identified photocopy or certified copy under the applicable court fee rule.
The subscriber service has a different model. An account costs $100 per year for up to ten users. General result lists are free, while case detail, judgment-date, and case-number searches cost $1. Older Custer County files may require a direct clerk inquiry about Nebraska Records Retention and Disposition Schedule 18, archives, microfilm, or a destruction notice. Online silence is not proof that no older case once existed.
The Custer County District Court Clerk page identifies the local office and its case-record duties.
The clerk page anchors online data to the office that preserves and certifies Custer County District Court filings.
Custer County Court Clerks
604 Heritage Drive
Broken Bow, NE 68822
County Court: 308-872-5761
District Court: 308-872-2121
District Clerk hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Note: Confirm copy fees and office access before a Custer County courthouse visit because the research does not publish every current charge.
What the Case File Shows
The Custer County court file answers what prosecutors filed and how a judge resolved the matter. It is not the same as the sheriff's arrest narrative or jail intake record. Start with the case header and charging paper. Then read the register of actions in order, checking motions, hearing notices, pleas, orders, judgment, and sentence. A listed event does not guarantee that its full document image is public.
| Case Number & Court | Identifies the Custer County court level, case type, filing year, and assigned number |
|---|---|
| Charging Document | Complaint in County Court or information commonly used for a felony in District Court |
| Register of Actions | Chronological record of filings, hearings, notices, motions, orders, and payments |
| Parties & Counsel | State or plaintiff, defendant, associated attorneys, and judge where shown |
| Disposition & Judgment | Dismissal, acquittal, plea result, verdict, or other recorded outcome |
| Sentence & Financials | Sentence, probation order, costs, restitution, judgments, and recorded payments |
The Custer County Attorney page explains the prosecutor's local role in filed criminal cases.
The prosecutor brings a Custer County charge, while the court clerk, not the attorney's office, remains the source for the filed case record.
Reading Custer County Case Numbers
A Nebraska case number can show which Custer County court holds the record. The opening court code uses D for District Court or C for County Court. It also includes the county number, a two-letter case type such as CR for criminal, a two-digit filing year, and an assigned number of up to seven digits. That structure makes the case number the best key when requesting copies.
Several docket terms matter. A complaint starts an accusation, often in County Court. An information is a prosecutor-filed charging paper commonly used in a District Court felony. Arraignment is the hearing where charges and plea are addressed. Disposition means the recorded outcome. Nolle prosequi means the prosecutor formally chose not to continue a charge. A register of actions is the date-ordered index of case events, not a full narrative of what happened.
Stages of a Criminal Case
A Custer County criminal case starts in the court only when a complaint or other charge is filed. That point matters because an arrest or booking can exist without a prosecution. County Court handles the early felony stage and misdemeanor cases. When a felony is bound over, District Court takes the later trial-level record. Timing varies by the facts, motions, court orders, and whether the matter ends through plea or trial; no fixed local timetable was published.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
After judgment, the Custer County register can also show probation orders, motions to revoke, warrants, payments, a set-aside or sealing petition, and notices of appeal. Each entry should be read with the document when a public image is available. The earlier Custer County arrest history remains a separate agency and booking layer.
Custer County Court Images Since 2008
Nebraska expanded one-time JUSTICE access in January 2024. Nonconfidential document images filed on or after April 2008 became available in one-time search results without a separate image charge. For Custer County criminal cases, that can turn a bare docket line into a readable complaint, motion, or order. It does not open sealed or confidential documents, and it does not promise an image for every entry.
An older Custer County filing may still exist only through the clerk, an archive, or microfilm. Ask with a case number and document name. If the file was destroyed under Schedule 18, the clerk can explain the retention result, but will not sign a broad certificate saying a person has no record.
Note: A Custer County docket entry proves that an event was recorded, not that its underlying image must be available online.
Access & Restrictions
Nebraska public-record law supports inspection and copying, but public access is not absolute. Neb. Rev. Stat. §84-712 supplies the basic public-record right, subject to exceptions. Court rules and orders can restrict juvenile matters, sealed files, protected victim or witness details, medical material, and confidential identifiers. Online JUSTICE results may therefore show less than a clerk-held paper file, while the clerk must still apply each legal restriction.
If a known Custer County case does not appear, verify the name and court, remove extra filters, allow for the stated new-case lag, and contact the clerk. Ask about the case year, court type, retention schedule, and whether an access order applies. For a conviction set aside under §29-2264, do not assume the historic case disappears. A set-aside nullifies the conviction as the statute provides, but it is distinct from sealing or destroying every record.
Custer County Drug Court Dockets
North Central Problem-Solving Court supplies a local reason why some Custer County dockets show treatment, review hearings, incentives, sanctions, or intensive supervision rather than only the ordinary trial path. The Nebraska Judicial Branch held an Adult Drug Court graduation in the Custer County courtroom on May 22, 2025. Its official account describes a team process for nonviolent drug-related defendants, using validated risk and need review, early treatment, random testing, close supervision, and accountability.
The Judicial Branch report on the Custer County graduation provides the program context.
The image documents a real Custer County courtroom milestone, but participation and final disposition must still be verified in the individual case file.