Delaware County
26 Magisterial District Courts
Delaware County criminal cases are heard across 26 Magisterial District Courts, each covering specific municipalities. Find the court handling your case below.
Court of Common Pleas
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
Delaware County Courthouse, 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-4000Preliminary hearings are heard at the Magisterial District Court covering the municipality where the case arose. Cases held for court move to the Court of Common Pleas in Media. Note that the courthouse and the county government center share the same Front Street address — check which building your hearing is in.
If You've Just Been Arrested in Delaware County
Stay calm, and be careful what you say and to whom — including on the phone from a holding cell.
Note your court date and the charges against you if you can. Don't discuss the details of what happened with anyone except your attorney. Then call — the sooner you have someone in your corner, the more options stay open.
Magisterial District Courts
D.C. 32-1-20
Wilden H. Davis
Chester, PA 19013-6033
D.C. 32-1-21
Dawn L. Vann
Chester, PA 19013-6033
D.C. 32-1-22
Shepard Garner
Chester, PA 19013-6033
D.C. 32-1-23
Lee Grimes
Collingdale, PA 19023-3828
D.C. 32-1-27
David H. Lang
Broomall, PA 19008
D.C. 32-1-28
Elizabeth Gallard
Media, PA 19063-2609
D.C. 32-1-30
George B. Dawson
Folsom, PA 19033-2594
D.C. 32-1-32
Michael Culp
Springfield, PA 19064-2446
D.C. 32-1-33
Harry J. Karapalides
Upper Darby, PA 19082-4505
D.C. 32-1-34
Benjamin Johns
Upper Darby, PA 19082-4505
D.C. 32-1-36
David R. Griffin
Linwood, PA 19061-4219
D.C. 32-2-37
Tammi L. Forbes
Darby, PA 19023-2202
D.C. 32-2-38
Diane Holefelder
Aston, PA 19014-1032
D.C. 32-2-39
Georgia L. Stone
Brookhaven, PA 19015-1708
D.C. 32-2-40
Steven A. Sandone
Glenolden, PA 19036-1802
D.C. 32-2-42
Michael A. Burns
Glenolden, PA 19036-1802
D.C. 32-2-43
Sloan Walker
Newtown Square, PA 19073
D.C. 32-2-44
Mary Hopper
Prospect Park, PA 19076-1414
D.C. 32-2-46
Andrew Goldberg
Media, PA 19063-1403
D.C. 32-2-47
W. Keith Williams
Lansdowne, PA 19050
D.C. 32-2-48
Walter A. Strohl
Lima, PA 19037-0093
D.C. 32-2-49
Wendy B. Roberts
Glen Mills, PA 19342-1161
D.C. 32-2-51
Christopher R. Mattox
Upper Darby, PA 19082-4505
D.C. 32-2-52
Kelly A. Micozzie-Aguirre
Secane, PA 19018-2705
D.C. 32-2-53
Elysia J. Mancini Duerr
Havertown, PA 19083-4539
D.C. 32-2-54
James Merkins
Springfield, PA 19064-2446
Diversion Programs in Delaware County
ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition)
A pretrial diversion program for first-time and low-risk offenders, with charges dismissed on successful completion. Two Delaware County requirements matter here: the county's own application states that no application will be considered unless the applicant is represented by an attorney, and the application is due at least fourteen days before the scheduled formal arraignment. Applicants also sign a waiver of speedy-trial rights covering the period from arraignment to the pretrial conference.
Second Chance Court
Established in 2017 in response to the opioid crisis, and structurally unlike most diversion programs: it operates as a voluntary pre-trial bail program, providing immediate access to treatment as a condition of bail rather than after a plea. Participants keep all of their trial rights and legal options. It is open to Delaware County residents facing non-violent opiate-related charges.
Drug Treatment Court
A voluntary, intensive program running roughly thirty months, with early graduation possible at twenty-four. It has two tracks: a lower-level track where a plea is held in abeyance and charges are dismissed on completion, and a higher-level track carrying a supervised sentence. Requires county residency at the time of the offense and a clinical evaluation.
Mental Health Court
For Delaware County residents 18 and older with a diagnosed serious mental illness that contributed to the charged conduct. Co-occurring substance use does not disqualify an applicant who otherwise meets the criteria. Non-violent offenses are preferred, and certain serious felonies are excluded outright.
Veterans Court
For those who have served in a branch of the military. Non-violent offenses are preferred and others are considered case by case; veterans whose cases center on mental health or substance use may be routed to Mental Health Court or Drug Treatment Court instead.
Young Offenders Court
An eighteen-month supervised program for first-time adults aged 18 to 25 at the time of the offense facing marijuana-related felony charges, designed specifically to let a young person avoid a felony conviction. Participants must maintain employment or full-time education and complete community service; successful completion dismisses the felony charges.
Misdemeanor Diversion Program
An alternative to prosecution for low-level, non-violent misdemeanors. No plea is entered — participants complete community service and pay court costs, and the charges are dismissed on completion.
Eligibility for any diversion program depends on the specific charge and record — this is general information, not a guarantee of eligibility or outcome.
Delaware County — Frequently Asked Questions
What happens after an arrest in Delaware County? +
Most cases begin with a preliminary arraignment and then a preliminary hearing at the Magisterial District Court covering the municipality where the arrest happened. Delaware County also operates a central MDJ Arraignment Room in Media, at 600 North Jackson Street, for preliminary arraignments. Cases held for court then move to the Court of Common Pleas in Media for formal arraignment and trial.
Do I need a lawyer to apply for ARD in Delaware County? +
Yes — and this is not a matter of advice but of county policy. Delaware County's own ARD application states that no application will be considered unless the applicant is represented by an attorney. The application is also due at least fourteen days before formal arraignment, which means the window to act is short and opens early in the case.
Which court will hear my case — the Magisterial District Court or Common Pleas? +
Preliminary matters are handled at one of Delaware County's twenty-six Magisterial District Courts. Which one depends on where the case arose, and in Delaware County that can be unusually specific — several municipalities are split by ward and precinct, and Upper Darby Township alone is divided across six different courts. Cases continuing past the preliminary hearing move to the Court of Common Pleas in Media.
How does bail work in Delaware County? +
The county's Pre-Trial and Bail Service Unit interviews charged individuals and prepares a bail recommendation for the judge. No appointment is needed — interviews are taken on a walk-in basis on weekdays, either before preliminary arraignment or after release from detention, and you bring the paperwork from your Magisterial District Court. Bail itself is posted through the Office of Judicial Support, which in Delaware County handles the role that a Clerk of Courts fills elsewhere.
Where is the county jail? +
The George W. Hill Correctional Facility, at 500 Cheyney Road in Thornton, is Delaware County's jail. It has been operated directly by the county since April 2022, when the county ended its contract with the private company that had run it — it had been the only privately managed county jail in Pennsylvania.
Facing charges in Delaware County? Speak directly with the attorney.
Call 484-944-0834