Daviess County Criminal History Search

Daviess County criminal history records can be searched through the clerk's office in Washington, Indiana. The county has about 33,000 residents and sits in the southwestern part of the state. Criminal case files from the Circuit and Superior Courts are kept by the Daviess County Clerk. You can search for records in person, by phone, or through Indiana's statewide online systems. Whether you need to look up a past arrest or check on the outcome of a criminal case, the clerk's office is the main point of contact for Daviess County records.

Daviess County Clerk and Criminal Case Files

The Daviess County Clerk's Office is the official keeper of criminal records for the county. This office is on East Walnut Street in Washington. Staff file new criminal cases, store existing records, and provide copies when asked. The clerk handles both Circuit Court and Superior Court files. All felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions filed in Daviess County pass through this office at some point.

When you need a criminal record from Daviess County, call the clerk at (812) 254-8690. Give them the full name of the person or a case number if you have one. They can look it up in the Odyssey system that Indiana courts use. Copies of case documents cost a per-page fee. Certified copies carry the court's official stamp and cost a bit more. The clerk can tell you if a case is active, closed, or has been dismissed. For older cases in Daviess County, it may take more time to find paper files that haven't been scanned into the digital system yet.

Daviess County Sheriff Criminal Records

The Daviess County Sheriff's Office maintains arrest and booking records. When someone is arrested in the county, the sheriff creates a booking record that includes the charge, date, and personal details. These records are separate from court files but often tie to a criminal case at the clerk's office.

You can reach the sheriff at (812) 254-1060. The office is at 101 NE 4th Street in Washington. Ask for the records division if you want arrest data or booking logs from Daviess County. Under Indiana law, some arrest records are public while others may be held back if an investigation is ongoing. The rules on access come from IC 10-13-3, which governs criminal history data across the state. The sheriff can tell you what they are able to release for a specific request.

Note: Arrest records from the sheriff may not show how a case ended, so always check with the Daviess County Clerk for the final disposition.

Search Daviess County Criminal History Online

Two state-run tools let you search for criminal records from Daviess County without leaving home. Both are run by Indiana agencies and cover all 92 counties in the state.

MyCase is the free option. Run by the Indiana courts, it lets you look up any case by name or case number. Criminal cases from Daviess County show up here with charge details, hearing dates, and outcomes. The data feeds in from the Odyssey system that the Daviess County Clerk uses. It is not an official court record, though. If you need certified copies or want to confirm details, contact the clerk's office directly. MyCase works well for a quick check on someone's Daviess County criminal history.

The ISP Limited Criminal History search is the paid option. It costs $15.70 per name and returns felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests from Indiana, including Daviess County. You get a PDF report that you can print. The report stays active for 14 days. Even if no records are found, you still pay the fee. This search only covers Indiana data and depends on how well each county reports to the state system.

The ISP portal above is where you can run a paid criminal history check that covers Daviess County and all other Indiana counties.

Daviess County Criminal Record Access Laws

Indiana law makes most criminal records available to the public. Court files at the Daviess County Clerk's office are open for anyone to see. You do not need to give a reason to look at a case file. The Access to Public Records Act at IC 5-14-3 is the main law that protects this right. It says that all people are entitled to full information about government actions.

There are some limits. Sealed cases and expunged records will not appear in a Daviess County search. Juvenile cases are typically closed to the public. Active investigation files held by the sheriff may also be withheld. The law at IC 10-13-3 sets specific rules about criminal history data from law enforcement. Under IC 10-13-3-27, anyone who misuses data from the state criminal history system can face a Class A misdemeanor charge.

If you want records from the Indiana State Police rather than the local Daviess County clerk, the same rules apply. The ISP follows IC 10-13-3 for all criminal history requests. You can learn more about the process at the ISP Criminal History Services page.

Expungement of Daviess County Records

Some criminal records in Daviess County can be expunged or sealed. Indiana's expungement law is at IC 35-38-9. It lets people ask the court to remove certain offenses from their public record. The petition goes to the same court that handled the original case. For Daviess County cases, that means the Circuit or Superior Court in Washington.

Not every record can be erased. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction can be expunged right away. Misdemeanor convictions have a five-year wait. Lower-level felonies may be expunged after eight years. Serious violent crimes and most sex offenses cannot be expunged at all. Once a Daviess County record is expunged, it should stop showing up in both MyCase and the ISP system. The clerk removes it from the public view, and the state police update their database.

Note: You can only file for expungement once under Indiana law, so make sure to include all eligible records in a single petition.

Daviess County Criminal Court Structure

Daviess County has both a Circuit Court and a Superior Court. The Circuit Court is the main trial court and handles serious felonies and major criminal cases. The Superior Court takes on misdemeanors, infractions, and some lower-level felonies. Both courts feed their records to the same clerk's office.

This means you only need to check one place for Daviess County criminal records. The clerk keeps files from both courts in the same system. Whether a case started in Circuit or Superior Court, the records are stored together. On MyCase, you can see which court handled a specific case by looking at the case number prefix. This setup makes it easier to do a thorough search of someone's criminal history in Daviess County without having to visit multiple offices.

Cities in Daviess County

Washington is the county seat and the largest city in Daviess County. Other towns include Montgomery, Odon, Elnora, and Plainville. All criminal cases from these communities are filed at the Daviess County courts in Washington. None of the cities in Daviess County meet the population cutoff for a separate city page, but criminal records from each town are available through the county clerk's office described above.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Daviess County. If you are not sure which county handled a case, check where the arrest or incident took place. Criminal records are filed in the county where the crime occurred.