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Are you looking for details on recent arrests or warrants in OH?

I feel Ohio is a very people and society friendly state, when it comes to offering criminal records. This is not to say that the sheriff’s office will simply throw open the police blotter for you and the court clerk’s office will happily grant you access to their court docket repository. a man with chest rig.jpeg

But, you sure can get a lot of information if you know which door to knock on. So, what I am going to do today is tell you how to go about finding judicial records, case information, criminal history and police reports, without putting yourself out there and spending a small fortune for the data. Let’s start by talking about:

Arrest records from Ohio

 

As far as arrest records go, I believe they are fairly easy to find in Ohio and elsewhere, simply because the suspect is already cooling his/her heels in jail, so the potential for trouble is limited, even at its worst.

 

Although you won’t have to look too hard to find an arrest report, the information you get in response to an arrest inquiry can vary significantly, depending on the agency handling the records request. Hence, it will help if you start with a clear idea of what kind of information you need and how much information is required. So, let me start by answering the first question of the day:

What information can you find from an arrest inquiry in OH?

When you initiate a search for arrests in Ohio, you are likely to find two different types of information.

  1. The arrest report: The name says it all! This is data pertaining to the arrest of an individual in a particular criminal matter, usually the most recent arrest on file. Now, the first mistake that rookie investigators make is to assume that they can find all the arrests in the name of their subject from the website of the sheriff’s office.

Like I said, the local police, typically, stick to offering information on most recent arrests. So, this type of an inquiry will not always get you the arrest history of your subject. Another thing to consider is that the arrests records will be limited to cases which resulted in a conviction.

  1. The arrest log: Simply put, this is the list of all people who were arrested in the recent past. Usually, such a list includes details on arrests in last 5 days to 30 days. As you may have expected, because they are providing a significant amount of data, there isn’t a whole lot of information on each arrest.

Typically, you can get details needed to identify the accused, information on the charges against him/her, date of arrest and bond related data.

 

Where should I go to get an arrest report?

Well, before you burn a few gallons of gas, I strongly suggest that you look for information on the website of the sheriff. If your subject was recently arrested or is still being held in custody, you will find information on the arrests in the police reports posted online as well as in the jail records.

Similarly, if you want to know about arrests made in criminal matters that are still being tried, you can get in touch with the police or the clerk of court’s office. Usually, this information can be found by using the court docket search tool on the website of the judiciary. Of course, they don’t actually offer it in the form of an arrest report.

However, the fact that an individual is currently a defendant in a criminal matter gives ground to assume that he must have been arrested before he got to the current stage of the trial procedure.

If you intend to bail somebody out, you can get details on the bail procedure and the bond amount by calling the local sheriff’s office or the county jail. Once again, I would recommend that you do an inmate search first. Usually, jail records will give you all the information you need or at least the contact information of the officer you need to talk to.

How do I find OH arrest records online?

The county sheriff’s website usually offers either the most recent jail records or an arrest list or the facility to look through the police reports of criminal matters. Let me give you a few examples:

  1. Franklin County arrests: The Sheriff’s Office of Franklin does not offer access to the police blotter nor to the arrest log for the day. However, you can find information on arrest booking by using the inmate search tool at https://sheriff.franklincountyohio.gov/Services/Inmate-Information/.
  2. Clermont county arrest reports: The Sheriff’s Department of Clermont County does not provide their arrest log online. However, you can browse through their jail records at https://clermontsheriff.org/jail-inmate-search/. The information offered is significant and includes charge related data, bond details, arrest booking date and the name of the court that is hearing the matter.
  3. Butler County arrest log: The arrest search tool offered by the Butler County Sheriff’s office is by far one of the best that I have come across. It lets you search the database by using the name of the subject, and it has an alphabetical listing of all currently incarcerated inmates. So, you can find the arrest report for a specific individual or with a bit of browsing compile a list of the most recent arrests, and it gets better.

Once you get to the page that has information on an inmate, you will see the jail history link on your left hand side. Clicking on it gets you details of all previous arrests that involved the subject as well as information on how the criminal matters eventually played out. Plus, the page has the arrest mugshot of the inmate. With all of that, I’d say this is almost as good as a criminal records report. The search tool is available at https://butler.miamivalleyjails.org/.

  1. Lake County jail records: The “just busted” list for Lake County comes in the form of yearly/monthly inmate rosters. They don’t offer a search facility. Instead, the arrests log is provided in the form of a PDF document. You can find arrests logs that date back to 2010 at https://www.lakecountyohio.gov/sheriff/Sheriffs-Jail-Roster. The details provided are limited to date of arrest booking and release, full name of the detainee and his date of birth.
  2. Recent arrests in Athens County: The Sheriff’s Office of Athens County does not offer an inmate list nor their arrest log on their website, although there should have been no problem providing the latter. As far as the jail records go, since Athens is served by the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, this is the facility you’ll have to contact for inmate information.The jail houses inmates not just from Athens but also from Morgan, Hocking, Vinton and Perry Counties. You will find their webpage at http://www.seorj.com/ and the inmate locator facility through a link on your left hand side. The information offered is just as in depth as that provided by the Butler County Police.
  3. Hamilton County warrant search: The local sheriff’s office does not provide an online recourse to do a warrant check. Although they do have a most wanted page on their website, that isn’t much to go by and often has details on no more than 2-3 suspects wanted in recent cases. This information is available at https://www.hcso.org/wanted-. If you are interested in an arrest report for Hamilton County, use the inmate search feature at http://www.gwinnettcountysheriff.com/smartwebclient/

 

 

Arrest warrants issued in Ohio

 

From what I have observed, information on arrest warrants is the hardest to find in most states. But, you are in luck if you are conducting the warrant look up in OH. In my opinion, nearly half of the local law enforcement agencies are more than generous about providing details on the warrants they hold.

Another 45% will let you do a warrant search through their bench warrants database at the least and only about 5% of the agencies will ask you to visit their office for the warrant check. Now, the amount of information offered does vary from one area to another.

For example, in some counties, you will find pictures of the suspects who have these arrest warrants in their name. In others, you will only get the name and date of birth of the suspect along with the date on which the warrant was issued. 

When it comes to information on charges, there is a 50:50 divide, with half of the agencies providing details on the criminal offense that led to the release of the warrant. That said, I am sure by now you are wondering-

 

What is the difference between Ohio arrest warrants and bench warrants?

Well the difference is not so much in the warrant itself as it is in the criminal act that led to the release of the arrest order and the warrant issue procedure. Let me explain this further:

  1. Bench warrants: Think of these as orders issued in case of petty offenses and not so much actual criminal acts. What I am talking about here are traffic and municipal rule violations, non-payment of court ordered fines/dues and non-appearance in court. As you may have guessed, these are issued by the court of its own volition without the involvement of the police.
  2. Active warrants: As opposed to bench warrants, these arrest warrants are issued only after the police approach the judiciary for the order. They are issued in case of misdemeanors and felonies.

Outstanding warrants, whether they are connected to civil or criminal matters, never go out of effect. This means that even a warrant that is more than a decade old can come back to haunt you.

 

What is the best option to launch a warrant search in different areas of Ohio?

As I’ve discussed above, your first step should be to go through the website of the local sheriff’s department. More often than not, you will find the warrant list or at least the most wanted list published on the site of the law enforcement or judicial agencies of your area.

Having said that, I want to remind you that the warrant information on the website of the local police will be limited to the geographical area served by the agency in question. Let’s discuss this with a few examples:

  1. Clark County warrant information: Few counties in OH, and even in the country, offer as much information on active warrants as the Sheriff’s Office of Clark County. I say more power to them because I have always held that making criminal records available to the public helps to keep antisocial elements and activities in check.

That said, you can find the warrant database of the law enforcement office at http://www.clarkcountyohio.gov/index.aspx?NID=249. You will notice that the list includes all bench warrants and active warrants issued by the Municipal Court as well as outstanding warrants issued by the Court of Common Pleas.

  1. Harrison County warrants search: Information on outstanding warrants from Harrison County Sheriff’s Department is available at https://www.harrisoncountyohio.org/outstanding-warrants. Click the link to access the warrant database.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot of information to be found on the page, as it only provides the name of the person against whom the warrant has been issued, his/her date of birth and the date of warrant issue. Notice, how there is no information on the location of warrant issue and the charges that led to the issue of the arrest order.

  1. Columbus City warrants: Although Columbia City PD does not offer a warrant list on their website, it is possible to access the most wanted list of Franklin County Sheriff’s Department at https://sheriff.franklincountyohio.gov/Search/Wanted.

You will notice that the page has pictures of the accused, identifier information, last known address, charges, case number and bond related data. The warrant list includes information on individuals who are wanted for not complying with court orders as well as those who are suspected in felony cases.

  1. Summit County warrant check: For Summit County, the criminal arrest warrant list is not offered by the warrant division but by the Office of the Prosecutor at http://co.summitoh.net/prosecutor/index.php/warrant-database.
  2. Cuyahoga County arrest warrants: The Sheriff’s Office of Cuyahoga does not offer a warrant list online. However, you can access the bench warrants database of Parma City on the website of the Municipal Court at http://parmamunicourt.org/info/activewarrants. There is also an old warrant list (warrants only up to 2014) from Cleveland PD, which is available at http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/sites/default/files/forms_publications/WarrantReport.pdf?id=2825.
  3. Sandusky County warrant list: The warrant database that includes bench warrants and outstanding warrants from Sandusky County is available at http://sanduskycountydjfs.org/cmsms/index.php?page=csea-warrants. The information is offered by the Department of Job and Family Services and although you can find a picture of the suspect along with his/her name and DOB, they don’t provide details on the charges against the accused.
  4. Mercer County warrant lookup: Information on Mercer County arrest warrants is available at https://warrants.mercercountysheriff.org/. Although the search feature on the page allows you to scour through the police warrant database, you are basically being offered details on Class C and D misdemeanor, civil and bench warrants, with details on a few felony warrants thrown in for good measure.

 

How can I get information on a warrant roundup in Ohio?

You cannot! A warrant roundup is a police procedure in which active attempts are made to serve all outstanding warrants. Nobody is offered advance notice of the day of the operation nor about the warrants that will be served. Often, the offender sweep, as I like to call it, is a joint effort involving two or more law enforcement agencies.

 

 

Court records from OH

 

I often say that a search for court records in the name of a subject is a good starting point for a criminal check. Most people are surprised by this bit of advice, and understandably so. The reaction is not attributed to the kind and amount of information that you can actually get from judicial records. It’s got more to do with the general misconception that the clerk of court’s office can only ever help you with details on civil matters.

Well folks, I have news for you. The judiciary handles all civil as well as criminal cases that are filed in a specific area. As such, the court clerk has the front row seats to the action and of course all the information that goes with it.

Make no mistake; I am not saying that the details will be handed to you on a platter. Yes, you will have to burn quite a few computer miles on the endeavor and the task also calls for quite a bit of data assimilation.  But, nobody said that investigative work is easy! So, if you have the patience for it and know where to look, you will be surprised by how much wiser a case lookup can leave you.

So, what exactly can I get from a court records search in Ohio?

  1. Criminal case information: Well for starters, you can find if your subject is currently involved in a criminal matter. Yes, I remember saying earlier that the court clerk and the police will only offer details on arrests that have resulted in a conviction. But, let us not forget that even accessing the court calendar will get you details on all parties who are involved in civil and criminal litigations.

If a criminal case search throws up the name of your subject as a party in a criminal action (the other party will always be the State of Ohio), it would not be off the mark to assume that this individual has had a run in with the law. Regardless of how the matter plays out eventually, I would say that this is a fair amount of information to start with.

  1. Civil case records: As far as a civil case lookup goes, it has its own place when constructing the background profile of a person. Needless to say, if you go to the police or any other law enforcement agency for a criminal court records inquiry, they won’t be able to tell you about the civil actions that the subject is involved in. So, rest assured that browsing through the case repository will be well worth your time.

 

How do I access courts records in Ohio?

I have said it before, and I will say it again, if you are looking for a court docket in Ohio, you will only have to reach out for your laptop or make your way to your keyboard to access it. Since the offices of court clerks of most counties offer the docket search facility through their website, it truly takes just a few mouse clicks to get the data you need. Having said that, as always I am going to explain this further with a few examples, so here it goes:

 

Is there a Courts Open Access System for Ohio that I can tap into?

Not for criminal matters! The Odyssey Court Connect System for Ohio only serves the Court of Claims. So, you will only find information on court cases in which an individual has brought a claim against the state.

 

Ohio Criminal records

 

Well folks, if you are still with me, it must be because you need more than bits and pieces of information that you can string together to create the criminal history of your subject. You are possibly looking for a criminal background check.

So, let me start by giving you the good news first. There are scores of options available to do a criminal search in Ohio. The bad news is that most of them come with a catch and the majority of them require you to pay a fee for the criminal background search.

How much you end up paying for the inquiry and the amount of information you get will, once again, differ based on who you approach and how you intend to use the information. So, let us start talking about the sources of criminal public records.

 

Where should I go for a criminal check in Ohio?

The Bureau of Criminal Identification and the Attorney General’s Office of Ohio offer the Webcheck facility to civilians, who want to access their criminal history records. This is a fingerprint based inquiry and the office only entertains personal criminal check requests.

Apart from a complete set of fingerprints (information on fingerprinting locations and cost coming up later), you will also have to provide your full name, current address, social security number and date of birth. You will also need to submit a signed consent form of the person whose records are being requested (applicable for multiple background checks of prospective employees).

If you are initiating the criminal docket inquiry through the BCI, you will have to send a $22 money order or business check drawn in favor of “Treasurer of State of Ohio.” If you need an FBI/ nationwide criminal check done, the fees are slightly higher at $24, but the procedure remains unchanged.

Now, the thing to remember here is that the BCI needs the fingerprinting done either on its cards or digitally. So, if you are living outside OH, call the agency at 877-224-0043 to have the cards mailed to you. Alternatively, you can go to one of the Webcheck vendor locations. The list is available at https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Business/Services-for-Business/WebCheck/Webcheck-Community-Listing. Vendors will charge an additional service fee, which can hike your cost by $10-$15.

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Can I get a criminal background check done locally in Ohio?

Yes, you can, and all it takes is a trip to the sheriff’s office of the area to get the criminal records you need. The best part is that the police will often accept name based criminal check inquiries, and they don’t charge as much. Typically, the costs are as low as $3/criminal search.

The catch here is that not all agencies entertain third party inquiries. Also, the information offered can vary. For instance, a criminal lookup through the BCI gets you the RAP sheet or the report of arrests and prosecutions.

What this means is that you/ an employer can also know about arrests that did not result in a conviction and those linked to matters that are still in the trial stage. In contrast, third party criminal public records often only reflect arrests that resulted in a conviction.

Now, if you remember, I did discuss the option of accessing criminal court records with you. So, if you do end up with data that is limited to conviction records, you can always fill in the gaps by doing a criminal court docket search through the clerk of court’s website. Having said that, let me give you a few examples here so that you get a gist of what is on offer from various law enforcement agencies of the Buckeye State.

  1. Criminal check for Logan County: The Sheriff’s Office of Logan County does not charge for a local criminal background search. But, you will have to visit the agency office at 284 County Road 32 S. Bellefontaine, OH 43311 to initiate the inquiry. They also perform a BCI criminal case search for you. But, you will end paying a bit more at $27 for the statewide criminal lookup and $30 for the FBI check.

You can get the results of the local check almost immediately, while the RAP sheet for the BCI criminal search will be sent to a location of your choice. You will have to offer a valid, state issued ID card to file a request for the inquiry.

  1. Criminal records from Marion County: You cannot get a local background check from the Marion County Police. However, you can access police reports and the BCI criminal check facility. The Criminal Division of the agency only offers this service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 AM and 2:45 PM at 889 Marion-Williamsport Rd E, Marion, OH 43302. They charge $32 for the BCI criminal search and $34 for FBI criminal records.
  2. Shelby County public criminal records: The local law enforcement office offers fingerprint services for a fee of $30, but this facility is only available on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 12 PM and 3:45 PM. For a BCI check, you will have to pay $35 and an FBI criminal search will set you back by $30. Local criminal records can be obtained for just $3. You can get in touch with the agency at 555 Gearhart Rd, Sidney, OH 4536 for the local background search but for the BCI check, you will have to go to the Medina County Jail at 555 Independence Drive, Medina, Ohio 44256.
  3. Medina County criminal docket inquiry: The Sheriff’s Office of Medina County does not offer local background checks. However, like other law enforcement agencies, they do provide BCI’s Webcheck facility. You have to make an appointment by using the website of the sheriff at http://www.medinasheriff.com/Webcheck.htm. Additional information about the criminal check procedure is also available on the webpage.

Is there any other way to find criminal court records from OH?

Yes, there is, and the best part is that this facility allows you to find criminal records online. The catch, in this case, is that you only get information about criminal cases that resulted in a conviction. But, the good news is that you won’t have to pay anything to initiate the criminal case search and you can conduct the inquiry discreetly.

This facility is made available to you courtesy of the Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at https://appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch. If your subject has ever spent time in an Ohio penitentiary, you can find information about him/her through this tool.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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