White County Arrest Records

In White County, the process of charging a person with a crime usually begins with an arrest. If a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe a person has committed a felony or misdemeanor, they may arrest that person without an arrest warrant. After an arrest or conviction, prisoners or pre-trial detainees are held in the White County Jail for booking and record-keeping.

A White County Arrest Record, maintained primarily by the White County Sheriff's Department, details a person's encounters with the criminal justice system in the county. Arrest records also encompass details pertaining to a criminal lawsuit, generating complete criminal history reports and rap sheets, which are considered White County Court records. The Indiana State Police (ISP) maintains criminal history records and rap sheets, also known as Identity History Summary Checks.

Are Arrest Records Public in White County?

Yes. White County Arrest Records are public records and accessible to interested citizens. The Open Door Law (ODL), also known as Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-1, mandates that most public records, including arrest records, are open for inspection or copying through the appropriate custodians. However, certain records are not public due to various exemptions designed to protect privacy, safety, and law enforcement investigations.

The Indiana Rule 5 of Courts states that some arrest records that a public agency may not disclose unless access to the records is specifically required by law or ordered by a court:

• Records declared confidential by Indiana statute or by rule adopted by a public agency under specific authority to classify public records as confidential.
• Investigatory records of law enforcement agencies (Note that a law enforcement recording is not an investigatory record)
• The names of child witnesses in cases involving sex offenses
• Addresses (mail or email), dates of birth, and phone numbers of persons who are witnesses or victims in criminal, juvenile, or civil protection order proceedings.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

An arrest record in White County contains comprehensive details about a person's arrest, including:

• Personal information (arrestee's name, age, date of birth, address, and aliases)
• Physical descriptors (race and ethnicity, height, weight)
• Booking information (mugshots and fingerprints)
• Specifics of the arrest (location, date, time, and arrest agency)
• Type of offense or crime that lead to the arrest
• Details on court appearances, including filed charges and case disposition
• Warrants or indictments (if any were issued).

White County Arrest Statistics

The Indiana State Police National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) initiative provides arrest statistics. The NIBRS, with the FBI, provides crime data explorer through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. However, the Explore Arrest Data does not reflect the number of individuals who have been arrested because a person may be arrested multiple times during a year. Instead, the arrest data show the number of times that persons are arrested, as reported by law enforcement agencies. The charts include arrest for crimes against property, crimes against society, and crimes against persons

According to the offense category in the last 5 years, the arrest rate from White County Sheriff's Office include drug/narcotic (72), simple assault (17), all other offenses (16), drive under the influence (17), and aggravated assault (6). According to the arrestee sex, the number of males and females arrested were 84 and 9 respectively.

Find White County Arrest Records

The White County Sheriff's Department offers a Sex and Violent Offender Registry that provides information on inmates living within a one-mile radius within the boundaries of White County. This public tool allows individuals to conduct an Offender Search using name, city, internet names/email, and phone number. To view details about the offender, including a physical description, photo, and map of the offender's address, click on the 'View Details' link.

Alternatively, the Indiana Department of Corrections (DOC) maintains a record of all inmates that go through all 18 state owned correctional facilities. The Incarcerated Search or Offender Lookup tool on DOC's website allows users to search for inmates in Indiana by Incarcerated name or DOC number.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) provides an information database on past and present inmates incarcerated in a federal facility from 1982 to date. Persons can locate a federal inmate in Indiana by name or by number (BOP register number). Note that older records are held by the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) and will be available upon request.

Free Arrest Record Search in White County

The Indiana Judicial Branch offers the MyCase portal that allows the public search for White County Arrest Records at no cost. This portal provides non-confidential case information and documents on criminal court proceedings in the county, including arrest related. Users can search by case number, the name tab to search by party name, or the attorney tab to search by attorney.

There are other free arrest record search options online, including third-party websites. These websites are convenient to use as they have friendly interfaces and can provide arrest records from any location. While some of these websites allow the public to access these records for free, others may charge a fee to complete a search. However, most of these aggregate sites are unofficial and may not display complete or correct information without having to conduct further research.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

An arrest may remain on a person's record for a very long time. However, individuals can now request to seal or expunge arrest records in White County (I.C. 35-39-9).

Expunge White County Arrest Records

Arrest record expungement is a court process where a court judge can order the removal of certain criminal records. Indiana expungement laws allow for the removal or sealing of arrests that did not result in a conviction (I.C. 35-39-9-1(h)). The court must grant a request for expungement under the satisfaction of the following criteria:

• The person is not actively participating in a pre-trial diversion program
• It has been one or more years from the date of their arrest.
• The person has had no convictions in the year prior to seeking expungement.
• There are no criminal charges currently pending against them.

To expunge arrest records, a petition should be filed in the White County Superior Court where charges were filed or, if no criminal charges were filed, where the arrest occurred. Moreover, it must be filed in compliance with the Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure.

The petition must be verified and should include:

• The date of the arrest, criminal charges, or juvenile delinquency allegation, and conviction (if applicable)
• The law enforcement agency employing the arresting officer
• Court in which the criminal charges or juvenile delinquency allegation was filed
• Any other known identifying information, such as the name of the arresting officer, case number, any aliases or other names used by the petitioner
• Petitioner's date of birth and social security number.

Note that a person who files a petition is not required to pay a filing fee.

White County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant in White County is an official document that permits police officers to take a person suspected of committing a crime into custody. Whenever information is filed, the court shall issue a warrant for the defendant's arrest after first determining that probable cause exists for the arrest (IC 35-33-2-1). The warrant is issued to the County Sheriff, where the information is filed, and may be served by any law enforcement officer on any day and time (IC 35-33-2-3).

An arrest warrant specifies the name of the person to be arrested, the nature of the offense, the date and county of issuance, and the clerk's signature or the court's judge (IC 35-33-2-2).

Do White County Arrest Warrants Expire?

It depends. For example, the Indiana Code § 35-33-2-4 states that an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor expires one hundred eighty (180) days after it is issued. However, an arrest warrant for a felony and a rearrest warrant for any offense do not expire. A warrant becomes invalid if it has been reversed by the issuing authority or if law enforcement arrested the person named in the warrant. If the court recalls a warrant, it also makes it invalid.