Preble County

Preble County follows Ohio law on arrests, release, and courts. These rules are the same in every county in the state; the full set covers prosecutors, defense, and jails too.

Who decides release first

Every court must keep a bail schedule for misdemeanors so people can be released before they see a judge. When no judge, magistrate, or clerk is available, the sheriff, police, or jailer may set bail from that schedule. Only a judge or magistrate sets bail on a felony.

Ohio Rev. Code 2937.23Ohio Rev. Code 2937.011(I)

Time to see a judge

A person arrested and still held must see a judicial officer for a bail hearing by the second court day after arrest. After a warrantless arrest, a judge or magistrate must also review probable cause within 48 hours, but that review can happen on paper. If the person had no lawyer at the first hearing and is still held, a second bail hearing with appointed counsel follows two court days later.

Ohio Rev. Code 2937.011(J)Ohio Crim. R. 4(E)(2)

Money bail

Ohio courts may set money bail. The constitution tells courts to weigh public safety, the charge, and the person's record when setting the amount. State law requires the least restrictive conditions and any money terms to be the least costly that will bring the person back to court.

Ohio Const. art. I, sec. 9Ohio Rev. Code 2937.011(A)-(B)

Courts

Each county's court of common pleas tries felonies. Municipal and county courts hear misdemeanors and hold first appearances in felony cases. Mayor's courts in some cities and villages without a municipal court hear ordinance and traffic cases.

Ohio Rev. Code 2301.01Ohio Rev. Code 1905.01Ohio Rev. Code 1907.13

Judges and magistrates

Voters elect common pleas judges to six-year terms on a ballot that shows no party, and judges must have six years of law practice. Municipal and county court judges are elected the same way and must also be lawyers. A mayor, who need not be a lawyer, hears mayor's court cases or appoints a lawyer as magistrate.

Ohio Rev. Code 2301.01Ohio Rev. Code 3505.04Ohio Rev. Code 1901.06Ohio Rev. Code 1901.07Ohio Rev. Code 1905.05

Read from the statutes and court rules cited, 2026-09-30. Crim.R. 46 was repealed July 1, 2023; bail rules now sit in R.C. 2937.011. Common pleas candidates may run in party primaries even though the general ballot is nonpartisan; not confirmed from statute text here. Magistrate lawyer requirement under Crim.R. 19 not read. That city prosecutors handle misdemeanors is general practice, not read from statute.

Pretrial practice

Mapping Pretrial Injustice listed its risk tool in 2021 as the Ohio Risk Assessment System Pretrial Assessment Tool (ORAS-PAT).

MediaJustice and Movement Alliance Project, Mapping Pretrial Injustice county map (data as of fall 2021)

From Mapping Pretrial Injustice, a map compiled by MediaJustice and the Movement Alliance Project, advocacy groups that campaign against pretrial risk assessment tools. Its data is from fall 2021; CrimeDB uses it only where no court, government, or research list covers the county.

• Eaton8,339
• Harrison township4,278
• Gratis township4,204
• Gasper township3,895
• Somers township3,802
• Lanier township3,706
• Jefferson township3,212
• Twin township2,653
• Monroe township2,345
• Camden village2,029
• Lewisburg village1,927
• Washington township1,622
• New Paris village1,582
• Jackson township1,506
• West Alexandria village1,340
• Eldorado village841
• Israel township773
• Gratis village725
• Verona village653
• Dixon township430
• College Corner village429
• West Manchester village341
• West Elkton village148

Every city, village, town, and township with any of its land in Preble County, largest first. Population, the whole place's: Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024.

• Preble County Sheriff's OfficeSheriff or county police25,048 served
• Eaton Police DepartmentCity police department8,324 served
• Camden Police DepartmentCity police department1,990 served
• Lewisburg Police DepartmentCity police department1,734 served
• New Paris Police DepartmentCity police department1,485 served
• West Alexandria Police DepartmentCity police department1,315 served
• Gratis Police DepartmentCity police department834 served
• No name OH0680300City police department399 served
• No name OH0681000City police department162 served

Agencies: FBI NIBRS master file 2025 batch headers; names from the FBI agency list, pulled 2026-09-29. An agency that serves several counties appears on each. Population served is the FBI's figure.