Civil Proceedures

1. Reporting:

   Any defendant who has bonded out of the Forrest County Regional Jail with a pending felony charge must report as ordered by the Court in the Basement Courtroom on the 1st Floor of the Forrest County Courthouse from 7:00 – 10:00 as follows:

   First Friday of each month - All Defendants with last names from A-G
   Second Friday of each month - All Defendants with last names H-O
   Third Friday of each month - All defendants with last names P-Z

   All unindicted defendants must report with their bondsman or attorney, and all indicted defendants must report with their attorney.

   If a defendant has bonded out of jail but is unable to afford an attorney, a Petition for Appointment of Attorney can be completed and if the defendant meets the qualifications, an attorney can be appointed.

   It is ordered by Judge Helfrich that ALL defendants report, regardless of pending trial dates. Failures of a bondsman to appear will result in loss of bonding privileges and failure of an attorney to appear will result in sanctions.

   DEFENDANTS WHO FAIL TO REPORT WILL HAVE THEIR BOND REVOKED AND WILL REMAIN IN THE FORREST COUNTY REGIONAL JAIL UNTIL TRIAL OR UNTIL THEIR CASE IS OTHERWISE RESOLVED.

   There are no exceptions to this Court Order.

   You may download the required form in PDF format by clicking this link Defendants Information Sheet.

2. Arraignments:

   Any defendant who has been indicted can be arraigned by Waiver of Arraignment. Bond amount may be set on this form, and this form must be signed by the defendant, defendant’s attorney, and the District Attorney or an Assistant District Attorney prior to the Judge’s signature. This procedure is for any defendant charged with a non-capital charge such as drugs, burglary, etc. Any charge in which a victim wishes to be present will have a formal arraignment in Court.

   You can download the form in PDF format by clicking on this link Waiver of Arraignment form.

3. Trial Dates:

   Any defendant who has been indicted and arraigned but needs a trial date may complete with their attorney an Agreed Order Setting Cause for Trial.

   Contact the Court Administrator for a trial date.

   You can download the form in PDF format by clicking on this link Agreed Order Setting Cause for Trial.

4. Pleas:

   Judge Helfrich requires the Defendant to plead guilty ten (10) days prior to their trial date or he will not accept the recommendation made by the State. Contact the Court Administrator for a date and time if you have a client or clients who wish to plead guilty.

   Judge Helfrich requires a Petition to Enter Guilty Plea which must be notarized prior to the plea. You can download this form in PDF format by clicking this ling Petition to Enter Guilty Plea.

5. Continuances:

   Continuances are not granted by the Court. Once a trial date is set, it will not be continued.

6. Criminal Motions:

   Any defense attorney who has a motion that requires a hearing before Judge Helfrich needs to contact the Court Administrator for a date. The Court does not hear criminal motions on civil motion days.

1. Submission of Orders to the Court:

   All agreed orders and/or judgments shall be approved by all parties/attorneys who appear in the action.

2. Mediation:

   Due to the tremendous backlog of criminal cases pending in our Court, Judge Helfrich requires all civil cases filed after 2001 to be mediated prior to a trial date being set. For cases filed before 2001, a trial date may be set but the case must be mediated and a report sent to the Court thirty (30) days prior to trial. In any case, if there are compelling reasons why mediation should not be ordered, those reasons should be submitted in writing.

3. Motions:

   Please see our Civil Motions Calendars for a complete list of motion days for Forrest and Perry counties. To place a motion on the Court calendar, please send a copy of the notice and motion to the Court Administrator. You do not have to call to place this motion on the calendar. If you need to cancel a motion, please contact the Court Administrator either by Phone or e-mail. Contact Us

4. Civil Trials:

   In order to set a civil case on the trial calendar, please see the open trial dates listed on the Court Calendar for Forrest County or for Perry County. After the date is agreed, please contact the Court Administrator so that the case can be placed for trial on the Calendar. Judge Helfrich does require an Agreed Order to be signed by all parties, and if said order is not received within two (2) weeks of setting a trial, the case will be taken off of the Court calendar.

   Due to the backlog of criminal cases pending, if there are both criminal and civil cases set the same day, the criminal trial will have precedence over the civil trial. You will need to call the Court Administrator a couple of days prior to your trial date to check the status of any criminal trial(s) scheduled on the date of your civil trial.

   As soon as a case on the trial calendar settles, notify the Court Administrator immediately.

   If a jury is brought in for trial and the case settles, the side which moved during the negotiations will be responsible for paying the jury costs, which can include postage, travel, and food.

   Jury instructions are due three (3) days prior to trial. These may be mailed or faxed to Judge Helfrich.

5. Trial Etiquette:

   We are very fortunate to have the JAVS Evidence Presentation System in the Forrest County Courtroom (main courtroom located upstairs). If you require training on this system prior to trial, please contact the Court Administrator and download and read the JAVS Operations Manual

   Due to the acoustics in our Courtroom, it is imperative that attorneys stand at the podium(s) when addressing the Court.