Arrest Records Lookup: Crawford County, Indiana

Crawford County arrest and court records live in two distinct systems: the statewide MyCase public case search maintained by the Indiana Judicial Branch, and the physical records held by the Crawford County Clerk of the Circuit Court at 715 Judicial Plaza Drive, English, IN 47118. Pull up MyCase to see case numbers, charges, and dispositions for Crawford County Circuit and Superior Court filings going back years. For booking-level records held by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department — reachable at (812) 338-2802 — a written public-records request to the Sheriff or Clerk is the direct path. The county’s main government line is (812) 338-2601; confirm Clerk office hours before visiting.

If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Crawford County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.

If your person has a history in other states

A Crawford County search covers only Indiana filings — it won’t surface arrests made in neighboring states, federal cases, or records predating the portal’s online window. A nationwide criminal database search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave, including name variants and records from prior addresses across multiple states. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

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How to look up arrest records in Crawford County

Court case records for Crawford County are searchable statewide through MyCase, Indiana’s unified public case-access portal — it covers all 92 counties, including Crawford County Circuit Court and Crawford County Superior Court filings. MyCase shows case numbers, charges, hearing dates, and dispositions. What it does not show is the booking-level record held by the Sheriff: that document originates at the jail, not the courthouse, and lives in a separate system.

For court-side records, the Indiana Judicial Branch Crawford County courts page links directly to local court contact information and confirms which courts are active in the county. The Clerk of the Circuit Court at 715 Judicial Plaza Drive, English, IN 47118 maintains the physical case files. Call the county’s main government line at (812) 338-2601 to reach the Clerk’s office and confirm current weekday hours and any records-request fee before visiting. Confirm numbers and hours before visiting or calling.

For booking records — the Sheriff-side document created at intake — contact the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department directly at (812) 338-2802. The Sheriff’s Department is also located at 715 Judicial Plaza Drive, English, IN 47118. A written public-records request under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act is the standard mechanism. The Crawford County Municipal Court forms page hosts a downloadable public records request form you can use as a template or submit directly.

For state police incident data tied to Crawford County, the Indiana State Police Crawford County NIBRS page publishes crime statistics and incident reporting data. This is aggregate public-safety data, not an individual arrest lookup — but it confirms ISP’s jurisdictional presence in the county alongside the elected Sheriff.

If the person you’re researching was sentenced to state prison rather than county jail, the Indiana Department of Correction offender search covers IDOC-supervised individuals statewide. That search is separate from both MyCase and the Sheriff’s booking system. A new booking can take time to appear in any of these systems, so check back if a recent arrest isn’t yet visible.

Are Crawford County arrest records public?

Since Indiana enacted its current open-records framework, booking records have been presumptively public documents. The controlling statute is Ind. Code § 5-14-3, Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, which establishes that records held by public agencies — including the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department and the Clerk of the Circuit Court — are open to inspection unless a specific statutory exception applies.

Arrest records fall squarely within the default-public category under that statute. The booking date, charges, case number, and arresting agency are all disclosable. Indiana courts have consistently treated booking photos as public records as well, though individual agencies retain some discretion over how and when they release them. For the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department’s current practice on booking photo releases, call (812) 338-2802 — the policy isn’t posted online.

Exceptions to the default-public rule are narrow but real. Juvenile records are confidential under Indiana law and do not appear in public searches. Records that have been expunged under Indiana’s Second Chance Law are removed from public view — the court, Clerk, and law-enforcement agencies must restrict access after an expungement order takes effect. Victim-identifying information, including addresses and contact details for crime victims, is redacted before public release. Ongoing investigations may also allow agencies to withhold certain records temporarily if disclosure would jeopardize the investigation.

A case that was dismissed or resulted in an acquittal does not automatically disappear from public view immediately — the arrest record remains accessible until an expungement order is entered. Indiana law does provide an automatic expungement path for dismissals and acquittals, but the order takes effect no sooner than 60 days after it is entered. Until that order issues and takes effect, the record is still public.

What’s in a Crawford County arrest record?

Pull up a name in MyCase and you’re looking at the court-side docket — not the same document the Sheriff created at booking. Understanding which system holds which fields saves time.

The Sheriff’s booking record, created when a person is processed into the Crawford County jail at 715 Judicial Plaza Drive, English, IN 47118, typically contains: full legal name, date of birth, booking date and time, arresting agency (Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, or a municipal department such as the Crawfordsville Police Department for arrests transferred to county custody), the charges as written at intake, bond amount if set, and a booking photograph. The booking record is the raw intake document — it reflects what the arresting officer charged, not what the prosecutor ultimately filed.

The court-side record in MyCase shows what actually happened after the arrest reached the courthouse. That record includes: the case number assigned by the Crawford County Circuit or Superior Court, the formal charges as filed by the prosecutor, all hearing dates and continuances, attorney of record (both prosecution and defense), and the disposition — guilty plea, conviction after trial, dismissal, or acquittal. Docket entries are added as the case moves through the Crawford County Courthouse, so a case that was just filed may show only the initial charging document.

What you will not see in the public version of either record: Social Security numbers, which are redacted before any public release under both state and federal law. Dates of birth are present in booking records but may be partially masked in some public-facing court displays. Witness names and contact information are redacted from publicly accessible filings. Victim addresses and identifying details are withheld under Indiana’s victim-protection provisions.

The gap between the two systems matters practically. A person arrested by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department will appear in the booking record immediately upon intake. That same arrest may not appear as a court case in MyCase until the prosecutor files charges — which can happen days later. Conversely, a case that was dismissed before trial may still show a booking record at the Sheriff’s office even after the court docket reflects the dismissal.

How to expunge an arrest record in Crawford County

Indiana’s expungement statute opens with a clear premise: a person who qualifies under Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”) has a legal right to petition the court to seal their record, and in many tiers the court must grant the petition if the eligibility requirements are met. Petitioning to seal an arrest record in Crawford County is a routine legal procedure — the Crawford County Municipal Court even hosts a downloadable Application for Expungement and Sealing form on its forms page.

The petition is filed at the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the arrest or conviction occurred — for Crawford County matters, that means the Clerk’s office at 715 Judicial Plaza Drive, English, IN 47118. Indiana requires that all petitions in a given county be filed together in a single filing. You cannot file for one conviction now and return later for another from the same county; the statute effectively gives you one lifetime petition per county, so timing matters.

Eligibility depends on what happened with the case. An arrest that never led to a conviction — whether the charges were dropped, the case was dismissed, or you were acquitted — can be petitioned for expungement one year after the arrest date. Dismissals and acquittals are also eligible for automatic expungement, with the order taking effect no sooner than 60 days after entry. A misdemeanor conviction becomes eligible five years after the conviction date, and the court must grant the petition if you meet the requirements. A Class D or Level 6 felony conviction becomes eligible eight years after conviction, and the court must also grant that petition. More serious felonies become eligible after the later of eight years from conviction or three years from completing the sentence — the court has discretion on those. The most serious felonies require the prosecutor’s written consent in addition to meeting the time requirements.

Sex offenses, violent offenses, and official-misconduct offenses are excluded from the Second Chance Law entirely. If your case falls into one of those categories, the statute does not provide a path — confirm your specific charges with a licensed attorney before filing.

On the self-petition versus attorney question: the Crawford County Municipal Court’s downloadable form makes self-filing procedurally accessible for straightforward non-conviction cases. For conviction-based petitions, especially felonies, an attorney familiar with Crawford County practice can help you time the filing correctly and avoid the one-petition limit. The Indiana Roll of Attorneys search lets you find licensed Indiana attorneys by name or county. If cost is a barrier, the Indiana Public Defender Council can point you toward indigent defense resources.

After a successful expungement, the public — including anyone running a standard background check — will no longer see the record. Law enforcement agencies retain access. The record is sealed, not destroyed. Confirm the current filing fee and any indigency waiver process with the Crawford County Clerk before submitting your petition, as fees can change.

Quick-contacts reference

Frequently asked questions about Crawford County arrest records

How do I find out if a Crawford County arrest shows up on a background check?

Whether a Crawford County arrest appears on a background check depends on two things: whether the record has been expunged, and what type of check is being run. An arrest that resulted in a conviction and has not been expunged under Ind. Code § 35-38-9 will generally appear on standard criminal background checks. An arrest that was dismissed or resulted in an acquittal may still appear until an expungement order takes effect — those cases are eligible for expungement one year after the arrest date, or automatically upon dismissal (with the order effective no sooner than 60 days after entry). To see exactly what’s on your own Crawford County record, pull your case history through MyCase and request your booking record from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department at (812) 338-2802. Those two sources together give you the full picture a background check would draw from.

Can I pay a bond or fine online for a Crawford County arrest?

For in-custody detainees at the Crawford County jail, cash bonds must be paid in cash or cashier’s check — personal checks are not accepted at the facility. Online bond payments for in-custody individuals may be available through the allpaid.com platform; confirm current availability directly with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department before attempting an online payment. Court fines and fees assessed by the Crawford County Circuit or Superior Court are a separate matter from jail bonds — contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 715 Judicial Plaza Drive, English, IN 47118, or call the county’s main government line at (812) 338-2601, to confirm accepted payment methods for court-ordered amounts.