Criminal Cases

Contact District Court 39-3-02 immediately at 717-762-9411. You must turn yourself in to be arraigned in order for the arrest warrant to be lifted. 

An arraignment is when the judge does the following:

• explains the charges;

• explains the defendant's rights;

• sets a date for the preliminary hearing; and

• sets bail.

A Preliminary Hearing is when the prosecutor (i.e. District Attorney and/or Attorney General) must prove a prima facie case, which means they must show a crime probably occurred and the accused is the one who probably committed it.

Informally, this is usually when the prosecutor speaks with the defense attorney about a potential deal for the defendant to consider. 

In Franklin County, all Preliminary Hearings occur at one location, which is known as Central Court. Central Court is held at the Court of Common Pleas located at 14 N Main ST, Chambersburg, PA 17201. 

Private criminal defense attorneys can be found using the Franklin County Bar Association Find A Lawyer Program.

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The Public Defender, which is the free criminal defense attorney in Franklin County, can be contacted at

717-261-3863.