Fountain County Criminal History

Fountain County criminal history records are housed at the Clerk's Office in Covington, a small community in west-central Indiana. The county has about 16,500 residents and handles criminal cases through its local circuit court. You can get records in person at the courthouse or search online through the Indiana State Police and MyCase portals. The Clerk's Office processes requests for case files, certified copies, and basic case lookups for anyone who needs criminal history information from Fountain County courts.

Fountain County Criminal History at the Clerk's Office

The Fountain County Clerk's Office is at 301 4th St in Covington. This is where all criminal court records are stored. The Clerk keeps files on every case that comes through the circuit court. Felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions all end up here. You can walk in and ask to see a case file or request a copy.

Staff at the Clerk's Office will search for records by name or case number. They can make copies of documents in the file, including charging papers, plea agreements, and sentencing orders. Certified copies cost more than plain copies but carry an official seal that some agencies need. Under IC 10-13-3, the state of Indiana defines criminal history record information broadly. It covers arrest data, charges, court proceedings, and outcomes. The Fountain County Clerk follows these state guidelines when handling public requests for criminal history records.

Call (765) 793-6233 to check on a case or ask about copy fees before you make the drive to Covington. The office keeps normal business hours on weekdays.

Search Fountain County Criminal Records Online

The MyCase website is a free way to search for criminal cases in Fountain County. The Indiana courts run this portal. You can look up cases by name, case number, or filing date. Results show basic details like charges, court dates, and case status. It covers all trial courts in the state, so Fountain County cases show up alongside records from other counties.

MyCase is handy for quick lookups. But it is not the official record. The data may have gaps or errors. If you need something that holds up in court or at a government office, get a certified copy from the Clerk in Covington. For a formal statewide criminal history check, the ISP Limited Criminal History search is the better choice. It costs $15.70 per search and covers felonies and Class A misdemeanors from across Indiana. The results come as a PDF. Save or print the PDF within 14 days or it expires.

Statewide Criminal History Tools

The Odyssey system connects Indiana courts including Fountain County into one statewide network.

This system lets judges and court staff share criminal case data across county lines. The public-facing version of Odyssey is the MyCase search portal.

Public Access to Criminal Records in Fountain County

Indiana's public records law makes most criminal case files open to anyone. Under IC 5-14-3, the Access to Public Records Act gives every person the right to see government records. You do not need a reason to ask. Criminal case files in Fountain County are part of this. Just go to the Clerk's Office or send a written request.

Some exceptions apply. Sealed and expunged records will not be released. Under IC 35-38-9, Indiana allows people to petition for expungement of certain criminal records. If a judge approves the petition, the record gets removed from public access. Juvenile records are always sealed. So if you search for someone's criminal history in Fountain County and find nothing, it could mean the records were expunged or that the person has no criminal history in this county.

Note: The ISP criminal history search may also miss records if Fountain County has not fully reported all cases to the state database.

Fountain County Sheriff's Office Records

The Sheriff's Office at 216 Union St in Covington keeps arrest records and booking information for Fountain County. This office is separate from the Clerk. The Sheriff handles the law enforcement side of criminal records. This means arrest logs, booking photos, and incident reports. For court case files, you go to the Clerk. For arrest data, you go to the Sheriff.

You can call the Fountain County Sheriff at (765) 793-3545 to ask about records. The office can tell you about active warrants in Fountain County too. If you need a complete picture of someone's criminal history that goes beyond Fountain County, the ISP Limited Criminal History search is the tool to use. It pulls from law enforcement agencies across the whole state and includes data that local agencies have reported. The fee is $15.70 per search, and results come in PDF form.

Criminal History Law in Indiana

The main law that governs criminal history records in Indiana is IC 10-13-3. It sets the rules for how agencies collect, store, and share criminal history data. The Indiana State Police acts as the central repository. Local agencies like the Fountain County Clerk and Sheriff report their data to the ISP.

Records stay in the state system for a long time. A person's criminal history is kept until they die or reach age 99 and have had no criminal activity for 15 years. This means old cases from Fountain County can still show up in a search decades later. Misuse of limited criminal history information is a Class A misdemeanor under Indiana law. The state takes this seriously. If you access someone's criminal history through the ISP portal, you must use that information only for the purpose you stated when you ran the search.

Cities in Fountain County

Fountain County is mostly rural. Covington and Attica are the two main towns. Neither meets the population threshold for a separate city page. All criminal cases in the county go through the Fountain County courts in Covington.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Fountain County in west-central Indiana. Double check the county before you request records.