Arrest Records for Spencer County, Indiana

When you have a specific name to look up, Spencer County arrest records flow through two parallel systems: the court docket, accessible statewide through MyCase, and the Sheriff’s booking records, held by the Spencer County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Austin Hagan. Court case filings are handled by the Spencer County Clerk’s Office, reachable at the Spencer County Courthouse by calling (812) 649-6028 (verify before calling). County offices run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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

Searching for records beyond Indiana

A Spencer County search covers local arrests and court filings, but it won’t surface records from neighboring states, federal cases, or arrests that predate the county’s digital records window. A nationwide database search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave — particularly if the person you’re researching has lived in multiple states or has prior names on file. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

Sponsored: Nationwide Criminal Background Check (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.

How to look up arrest records in Spencer County

Records created after Spencer County’s courts moved to the statewide digital system are searchable online right now. Older paper-based records — particularly anything predating the county’s transition to the MyCase platform — require a direct request to the Clerk’s Office or the Sheriff, often with a per-page fee. The Spencer County Clerk’s Office has not published a specific cutoff year online; call (812) 649-6028 to confirm what’s available digitally versus what requires an in-person or written request.

MyCase — court docket records. Indiana’s statewide portal, MyCase, covers Spencer County Circuit Court and Superior Court filings. Search by name or case number. You’ll see charges filed, hearing dates, dispositions, and attorney of record. MyCase reflects court-side data only — it does not show Sheriff’s booking entries. Note that portal updates may lag behind actual court activity by a day or more.

Spencer County Sheriff’s Office — booking records. The Spencer County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Austin Hagan maintains booking records separately from the court docket. These include the arrest date, charges at booking, and any associated booking photo. The Sheriff’s Office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Payments are accepted in cash or money order. To request records, contact the Sheriff’s Office directly — the county’s in.gov search tool at Spencer County Sheriff search results may surface some information online.

Spencer County Clerk’s Office — court records request. For certified copies of court records, go through the Spencer County Clerk’s Office. The Clerk handles criminal case filings, expungement petitions, civil filings, and related documents. Call (812) 649-6028 to confirm the current per-page fee and whether your request can be handled by mail or requires an in-person visit to the Spencer County Courthouse.

Indiana Department of Correction — state prison records. If the person you’re researching served or is serving time in a state facility, the Indiana Department of Correction offender search covers IDOC-managed inmates. This is a separate system from Spencer County’s local jail and will not show county-level detainees.

Federal cases. Spencer County falls within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Federal criminal cases do not appear in MyCase or the Sheriff’s system. The Southern District’s case alert and search tools cover federal docket activity for this jurisdiction.

Are Spencer County arrest records public?

Booking records in Indiana became presumptively public well before the digital era — the Access to Public Records Act has governed this since its original enactment. Under Ind. Code § 5-14-3, arrest records, booking photos, and related law-enforcement records are open to the public by default. Spencer County’s records follow this framework without local deviation.

The default-open rule has narrow exceptions. Sealed or expunged records are removed from public view after a court order takes effect — the Spencer County Clerk’s Office processes these under Indiana’s Second Chance Law. Juvenile records are not public; arrests involving minors are handled through a separate confidential process. Victim-identifying information in certain cases — particularly domestic violence and sexual assault matters — may be redacted before release under Indiana law. Active investigative records may also be withheld if disclosure would jeopardize an ongoing investigation.

A record that appears in MyCase or a Sheriff’s booking log is public regardless of whether charges were ultimately filed or resulted in a conviction. An arrest entry does not equal a finding of guilt. Indiana law does not automatically remove arrest records when charges are dropped — that requires a separate expungement petition, described in the section below.

Requesters do not need to state a reason to access public records under Ind. Code § 5-14-3. The Spencer County Clerk’s Office and Sheriff’s Office are both obligated to respond to public records requests within a reasonable time. If a request is denied, the denial must be in writing with a stated legal basis.

What’s in a Spencer County arrest record?

Pull up a booking entry and you’ll see the arrest date and time, the arresting agency (Spencer County Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, or a municipal department), the charges as listed at booking, and the booking number. Sheriff-side records and court-side docket entries are separate documents that live in different systems — what you see in one may not match the other exactly, especially in the early days after an arrest.

On the court side, a MyCase docket entry for a Spencer County case typically shows the case number, the charges as formally filed by the prosecutor (which may differ from booking charges), hearing dates, bond information, attorney of record, and the disposition if the case has concluded. Dismissed cases, acquittals, and plea agreements all appear as disposition entries. The docket is maintained at the Spencer County Courthouse and reflects what the Clerk has entered into the system.

Booking photos are a separate question. Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act generally treats booking photos as public records, but individual agencies have some discretion in how they release them. For Spencer County’s current mugshot release practice, contact the Spencer County Sheriff’s Office directly — the policy isn’t posted online.

One practical note: the Sheriff’s booking record and the court docket may show different charge descriptions for the same incident. Booking charges reflect what the arresting officer documented; filed charges reflect what the prosecutor chose to pursue. Both are public records. If you need a certified copy of either document, request it through the Spencer County Clerk’s Office at the Spencer County Courthouse, (812) 649-6028.

How to expunge an arrest record in Spencer County

If the arrest you’re researching resulted in no conviction — or if enough time has passed since a conviction — petitioning to seal that record in Spencer County is a routine legal procedure under Indiana’s Second Chance Law. The governing statute is Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”), and the Spencer County Clerk’s Office has a dedicated expungements page that covers local filing requirements.

Arrests with no conviction. An arrest that never led to a conviction — charges dropped, case dismissed, or acquittal at trial — is the most straightforward path. A dismissal or acquittal is expunged automatically under Indiana law, with the order taking effect no sooner than 60 days after entry. For other non-conviction arrests, you can petition one year after the arrest date. The petition goes to the Spencer County Circuit or Superior Court — the court in the county where the arrest occurred.

Misdemeanor convictions. A misdemeanor conviction becomes eligible five years after the conviction date, provided you meet the clean-record requirements the statute sets out. Indiana courts must grant a qualifying misdemeanor petition — the judge does not have discretion to deny it if eligibility is met.

Class D / Level 6 felony convictions. The waiting period is eight years from the conviction date. As with misdemeanors, the court must grant a qualifying petition.

More serious felonies. The court may grant expungement after the later of eight years from conviction or three years from completing the sentence. The most serious felonies — and those involving sex offenses, violent offenses, or official misconduct — require the prosecutor’s written consent and face the longest waiting periods. Some offense categories are excluded from expungement entirely under Ind. Code § 35-38-9.

How to file. The Petition to Seal is filed at the Spencer County Clerk’s Office, located at the Spencer County Courthouse. Indiana requires that all petitions in a given county be filed together in a single filing — you cannot file separate petitions for separate cases in Spencer County at different times. This makes timing critical: if you have multiple cases, you need to be eligible on all of them before you file. Indiana effectively allows one expungement petition per lifetime, so confirm your eligibility carefully before submitting.

The Clerk’s Office can tell you the current filing fee and whether a fee waiver is available for indigent petitioners. If your situation is straightforward — a single non-conviction arrest past the one-year mark — self-petitioning is manageable with the forms available through the Clerk. More complex situations involving multiple cases or felony convictions are worth reviewing with a licensed Indiana attorney. Find one through the Indiana Roll of Attorneys, or ask about public defender eligibility through the Indiana Public Defender Commission.

After expungement, law enforcement agencies retain access to the sealed record. The public — including background-check databases that draw from court records — will no longer see it. Confirm the current statute text or ask the Spencer County Clerk before filing, as waiting periods and eligibility rules can change.

Frequently asked questions about Spencer County arrest records

What charges appear on a Spencer County arrest record, and where do I find them?

A Spencer County arrest record carries two sets of charges that may differ from each other. The booking charges — recorded by the Spencer County Sheriff’s Office at the time of arrest — reflect what the arresting officer documented. The filed charges, which appear in the court docket on MyCase, reflect what the Spencer County prosecutor chose to formally pursue. Prosecutors sometimes add, reduce, or drop charges after booking. To see both, check MyCase for the court-side record and contact the Sheriff’s Office for the booking entry. If the case was dismissed or resulted in an acquittal, the court docket will show that disposition — but the arrest entry itself remains unless expunged under Ind. Code § 35-38-9.

What happens next if I want a Spencer County arrest record expunged?

Petitioning to seal a Spencer County arrest record means filing a verified petition at the Spencer County Clerk’s Office, located at the Spencer County Courthouse. The timing depends on the outcome: a non-conviction arrest is eligible one year after the arrest date; a misdemeanor conviction becomes eligible five years after conviction; a Class D or Level 6 felony after eight years. Indiana requires all petitions in Spencer County to be filed together in a single submission — you cannot file separately for different cases at different times. Because Indiana allows effectively one expungement petition per lifetime, confirm your eligibility under Ind. Code § 35-38-9 before filing. Call the Clerk at (812) 649-6028 to ask about the current filing fee and whether a fee waiver applies to your situation.