Payments can be made in person at the Clerk's Office in Columbiana or by mailing a money order or cashier's check (NO PERSONAL CHECKS ACCEPTED) to:
Mary H. Harris, Circuit ClerkP.O. Box 1810Columbiana, AL 35051
If the court ordered the defendant to pay restitution, there is generally a date for him/her to begin payments. The Clerk's Office will forward any money paid through our office on or before the end of each month. Checks will go out monthly as long as the defendant is paying regularly.
If you do not receive a check as you expect, you can contact the bookkeeper in Circuit Criminal court or call the District Attorney's Office. If you have recently moved, make sure you submit a current address to the court to update the file.
When a defendant is paying monthly and fails to make a payment within 90 days, the case is turned over to the Restitution Recovery Unit in the District Attorney's Office to help in the collection of the money. As a victim, you should stay in contact with the DA's Office to follow up on your case.
The bookkeeper generally mails checks each week, depending on her work load and the amount of checks waiting to be issued. ALL checks, however, will be issued by the end of the month. You should receive a check on or before the end of the month that your case was disposed.
No. Because of the volume of checks printed, all checks are mailed from the Clerk's Office. The clerks can not be responsible to hold individual checks at their desk for personal pick-up. Separating the personal pick-ups from the mailed checks is not time efficient. When checks are printed, they are forwarded to the Clerk for her signature and mailed immediately.
All address changes must be submitted in writing. Include the case number, the old address (for verification) and the new address. Make sure you sign the request.
The Clerk's Office needs written documentation to place in the file in case there is a question or problem.
If you know what day your check was printed, wait at least 10 days before contacting the Clerk's Office to allow time for mail distribution. You will need to submit a statement in writing (include your signature) that you have not received your check. The bookkeeper will issue a stop payment request to the bank and reissue your check once the stop payment has been verified by the bank (usually within 2-3 days). Once you have requested a re-issue DO NOT cash the original check if it should arrive late. Return it immediately to the Clerk's Office.