Arrest Records for Martin County, Indiana

If you have a name in mind and need the arrest record behind it, Martin County keeps those records in two separate systems: court-side filings live on Indiana’s statewide MyCase portal, and booking-side records sit with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, reachable through the Martin County Sheriff page on IN.gov. The Martin County Clerk handles court filings and can assist with records requests during weekday business hours at the Martin County Courthouse in Shoals. Confirm current hours and any records-request fee before making the trip.

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

Searching for records beyond Indiana

A Martin County arrest record won’t show charges filed in neighboring Davies or Lawrence County, federal cases, or arrests predating the online portal’s coverage window. A nationwide search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave — particularly if the person you’re researching has lived in multiple states or used different name variants. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

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How to look up arrest records in Martin County

Martin County’s Circuit Court went digital well before many rural Indiana counties, so cases filed in recent years appear on the statewide MyCase portal at Indiana MyCase docket search — search by name, case number, or date range at no cost. Older paper-only records, particularly those predating the court’s transition to electronic filing, require a direct request to the Martin County Clerk of Court; the Clerk’s office is located at the Martin County Courthouse in Shoals, Indiana. Call to confirm current weekday hours and the per-page copy fee before visiting, as those details aren’t published online.

For the court side, the Indiana Judicial Branch: Martin County page links directly to local court contacts and the Indiana Judicial Branch: Public Records guidance. MyCase shows case numbers, charge descriptions, hearing dates, and dispositions for most criminal matters. It does not show sealed or expunged cases, and juvenile records are excluded entirely.

Booking records — the Sheriff’s side of the transaction — live separately from court filings. The Martin County Sheriff page on IN.gov is the county’s official source for jail and booking information. If you’re requesting a specific booking report or incident report, bring valid photo ID to the Sheriff’s Office; based on local practice, cash or check may be the only accepted payment forms, so confirm before arriving. The parking lot at the Sheriff’s facility can fill up during busy periods — arriving early helps.

For state-level corrections records — if someone served time at an Indiana Department of Correction facility — use the IDOC offender search. That database covers IDOC-managed facilities statewide and is separate from the Martin County Jail roster. Confirm numbers and hours before visiting or calling any Martin County office.

Are Martin County arrest records public?

Does an arrest in Martin County automatically become a public record? Under Indiana law, yes — with narrow exceptions. Ind. Code § 5-14-3, Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, establishes that booking records, including booking photographs, are open to the public by default. An arrest record is a public record from the moment it’s created; it doesn’t require a conviction to be accessible.

Conviction records are also public, but they’re maintained separately. The Sheriff’s Office holds booking entries — the arrest itself, charges at intake, and booking date. The Martin County Circuit Court holds the docket — what happened after the arrest, including charges filed by the prosecutor, plea entries, trial outcomes, and sentencing. Both are public under Indiana law, but you retrieve them from different offices using different tools.

The exceptions to default-public status are specific. Juvenile records are confidential under Indiana law and won’t appear on MyCase or in response to a public records request. Cases that have been expunged under Ind. Code § 35-38-9 are removed from public view — the court and law enforcement retain access, but the general public does not. Victim-identifying information in certain offense categories may be redacted before a record is released. Active investigations may also have limited disclosure during the investigative phase.

Practically speaking: if you search MyCase by name and a case doesn’t appear, it may have been expunged, it may be a juvenile matter, or it may predate the portal’s online window and exist only in paper form at the Clerk’s office. A missing result on MyCase is not the same as no record existing.

What’s in a Martin County arrest record?

“Booking records are public records” under Ind. Code § 5-14-3 — but what that means in practice depends on which system you’re looking at. The Sheriff’s booking entry and the court docket are two distinct documents, and they don’t always show the same fields.

A Sheriff’s booking entry for Martin County typically includes: the arrestee’s full name and date of birth, the booking date and time, the arresting agency (Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, or a municipal department like the Loogootee Police Department), the charges at intake (which may differ from what the prosecutor ultimately files), and the booking number. The Martin County Sheriff page is the county’s official source for this information. For Martin County’s mugshot release policy, contact the Sheriff’s Office directly — the policy isn’t posted online, and practices vary by county.

A court docket entry on MyCase shows a different layer: the case number assigned by the Martin County Courthouse, the formal charges filed by the Martin County Prosecutor (which may be different from booking charges), all hearing dates and outcomes, attorney of record, bond information, and the final disposition — guilty plea, acquittal, dismissal, or conviction at trial. Sentencing details appear here as well if the case resulted in a conviction.

One important distinction: a booking entry exists even if charges are never filed. If the prosecutor declines to charge, the court docket may show nothing — but the Sheriff’s booking record still exists and is still public. This is why someone can have an arrest record with no corresponding court case.

The Indiana Judicial Branch: Martin County page links to local court contacts for questions about specific docket entries. For older cases that predate electronic filing, the Martin County Clerk can pull paper records — call ahead to confirm availability and any associated copy fees.

How to expunge an arrest record in Martin County

Record sealed, courthouse quiet — that’s the practical outcome when an expungement petition succeeds in Martin County. Under Ind. Code § 35-38-9, Indiana handles all criminal-record relief through a single tiered statute rather than separate sealing and expungement tracks. What remains after sealing matters as much as the sealing itself: law enforcement agencies retain full access to expunged records, but the general public — including anyone running a standard background check — does not.

The eligibility rules depend on what happened with the case. An arrest that never led to a conviction can be petitioned for expungement one year after the arrest date. A dismissal or acquittal is expunged automatically once the court enters the order, with the order taking effect no sooner than 60 days after entry. These non-conviction paths are the most straightforward, and many people handle them without an attorney.

Conviction-based expungements carry waiting periods tied to offense level. A misdemeanor conviction becomes eligible five years after the conviction date, and the court must grant the petition if eligibility requirements are met. A Class D or Level 6 felony conviction becomes eligible eight years after conviction — also a mandatory grant if requirements are satisfied. More serious felonies require either eight years from conviction or three years from completing the sentence, whichever is later, and the court has discretion to grant or deny. The most serious felonies — and those involving sex offenses, violent offenses, or official misconduct — require the prosecutor’s written consent in addition to the waiting period, and some are excluded from expungement entirely.

Indiana’s Second Chance Law gives each person effectively one expungement petition per lifetime. All cases in a given county must be petitioned together in a single filing — you can’t come back later for a case you left out. This makes timing critical. If you have multiple Martin County cases, confirm that all eligible cases are included before filing.

File the verified petition at the Martin County Circuit Court — the court where the conviction occurred, or the court in the county of arrest for non-conviction records. The Martin County Clerk’s office at the Martin County Courthouse in Shoals handles the filing. A filing fee applies; an indigency waiver path exists for those who qualify. Ask the Clerk about the current fee and waiver process when you call to confirm hours.

Self-petitioning is legally permitted and many people do it successfully, particularly for non-conviction cases. For conviction-based petitions — especially felonies — an attorney familiar with Indiana’s Second Chance Law can help ensure the petition is complete and timed correctly. Use the Indiana Roll of Attorneys search to find licensed Indiana attorneys, or contact the Indiana Public Defender Council for guidance on public defender resources. Confirm the current statute text at Indiana Code or ask the Clerk before filing — the law has been amended and timing requirements are worth verifying against the current version.

Martin County records: quick reference

Frequently asked questions about Martin County arrest records

Where can I find my own Martin County arrest record?

Your own Martin County arrest record exists in two places. Court filings — charges, hearings, and dispositions — appear on the MyCase statewide portal if the case was filed electronically. Booking records held by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office are separate and require a direct request. For older cases that predate electronic filing, contact the Martin County Clerk of Court at the Martin County Courthouse in Shoals. Bring valid photo ID for any in-person request.

How do I get a Martin County arrest record expunged?

Petitioning to seal an arrest record in Martin County is a routine legal procedure under Ind. Code § 35-38-9, Indiana’s Second Chance Law. An arrest that never led to a conviction can be petitioned one year after the arrest date. A dismissal or acquittal is expunged automatically after the court enters the order (effective no sooner than 60 days). Conviction-based petitions carry waiting periods: five years for a misdemeanor, eight years for a Class D or Level 6 felony. File a verified petition at the Martin County Circuit Court — all eligible Martin County cases must be included in a single filing. Indiana allows effectively one petition per lifetime, so confirm timing with the Clerk or a licensed attorney before filing. Use the Indiana Roll of Attorneys to find qualified counsel.