Find Shelby County Arrest Records

Shelby County recent arrests are booked at the Shelby County Jail in Shelbyville, managed by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. This page covers how to find current inmates, search court records, request public documents, and use statewide tools for Shelby County arrest data.

Shelby County Sheriff's Office and Booking Process

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is at 107 W Washington St, Shelbyville, IN 46176. The main number is 317-392-6310. Deputies handle arrest and booking for the entire county, and the jail at that address holds people arrested by county, city, and state law enforcement agencies. Booking creates a formal record of the arrest under IC 36-2-13-5.

Each booking record captures the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, bond amount, and the exact date and time of arrest. IC 5-14-3-5 makes these records public in Indiana. That means you can request or search for them without any special authorization. Arrest records are not proof of guilt. They document that law enforcement took someone into custody and filed charges. Courts determine guilt or innocence separately.

The Shelby County Sheriff's website at shelbycountysheriff.org has department contact information, inmate search tools, and updates from the office.

Online Arrest and Inmate Search Tools

The INjail portal at public.indianajail.gov covers the Shelby County Jail. It is free and updated in real time from the jail management system. You can search by name and filter by county. Each result includes the person's name, booking date, charges, bond amount, and custody status. This is the fastest way to check whether someone is currently in the Shelby County Jail.

The Shelby County Sheriff's own website at shelbycountysheriff.org may also have a direct inmate search feature. Check the site for a roster or inmate lookup link. When both tools are available, the county site and INjail will generally show the same data since they pull from the same booking system.

Neither tool shows dismissed cases or records that have been expunged. They reflect active bookings and current custody. For older records or case outcomes, use the court system tools described in the next section.

Shelby County Court Records via MyCase

Indiana's public court portal, MyCase, is at public.courts.in.gov/mycase. Shelby County has a Circuit Court and a Superior Court. Both are searchable through MyCase. You can find criminal cases by defendant name or case number. Results show charges, hearing dates, motions, and case outcomes.

MyCase is free and requires no account. It is useful when you want to see what happened after an arrest. If someone was booked last month, their case may already have hearings scheduled. MyCase shows those hearings and any rulings the judge has made. Court records and jail records complement each other - the jail roster shows current custody, while MyCase shows the full case timeline.

For civil cases - things like small claims, protective orders, or civil debt matters - MyCase also covers those. Protective order records are public in Indiana, so if you need to check whether someone has had a civil protection order filed against them, MyCase is where to look.

What Shelby County Arrest Records Include

Under IC 5-14-3-5, Indiana arrest records must be available to the public. A Shelby County arrest record will include the person's full legal name, date of birth, the charges at time of booking, the arresting officer or agency, booking number, date and time of arrest, and bond information. Photographs taken at booking are also public record.

Records do not include sealed or confidential material. Juvenile records are not public. Medical information collected at intake is protected. But the standard booking data is open. Third-party websites often pull from jail rosters and republish booking data with photos. That information comes from the public record originally created at booking.

Indiana State Police Criminal History Search

The Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History (LCH) search at in.gov/ai/appfiles/isp-lch2 gives a broader look at a person's record statewide. This tool covers Shelby County arrests that were charged and entered into the state's criminal history system. The cost is $16.32 per search. You pay online and get results immediately.

The LCH covers convictions, pending charges, and some dismissed cases depending on how long ago they occurred. It does not replace the jail roster for checking current custody - it shows history. The ISP LCH is commonly used by employers, landlords, and others who need a full background check. Private citizens can also use it.

The ISP LCH is one of the most thorough public criminal history tools in Indiana.

VINE Inmate Notifications for Shelby County

VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) is a free service that sends alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. Register at vinelink.com or call 1-866-959-VINE. You can set up notifications for anyone held at the Shelby County Jail. If they are released, transferred, or escape, you get an alert by phone, text, or email.

VINE also lets you check current custody without registering. Just enter the person's name, select Indiana, and choose Shelby County. You'll see their current status. Registration is required only if you want automatic alerts. The service runs 24 hours a day and is available in multiple languages.

Requesting Records Under Indiana's Access to Public Records Act

Indiana's Access to Public Records Act, IC 5-14-3-3, gives you the right to inspect or copy public records held by government agencies. Booking records, incident reports, and jail logs kept by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office are public records. You can request them by calling 317-392-6310 or visiting the office at 107 W Washington St, Shelbyville.

When you make a request, be specific. Name the record you want - for example, a booking report for a specific date or an incident report from a particular event. The office has seven days to respond. If they deny the request, they must say why in writing. Copying fees may apply. For most arrest records, access is straightforward. The sheriff's office is not allowed to charge for the time it takes to search unless the request involves a large volume of records.

Expungement of Arrest Records in Shelby County

Indiana's expungement statute, IC 35-38-8, lets eligible people petition to have arrest and conviction records restricted from public access. For arrests that did not result in a conviction, the waiting period is typically one year. For convictions, it depends on the severity of the offense - misdemeanors have a shorter wait than felonies.

Petitions are filed in the Shelby County court that handled the original case - either Circuit or Superior Court. The judge reviews the petition and any objections from the prosecutor. If granted, the record is sealed from public searches including MyCase and the INjail portal. Law enforcement agencies retain access. Once expunged, a person generally does not have to disclose the arrest on most job applications.

For free legal help with expungement, Indiana Legal Services serves Shelby County residents who meet income guidelines. You can reach them at indianalegalservices.org. The Indiana State Bar Association's referral service can also connect you with a private attorney if needed.

Cities in Shelby County

Shelbyville is the county seat and largest city in Shelby County, with a population of around 20,000. No city in Shelby County meets the 100,000-person threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Shelbyville residents can use the tools on this page to find arrest records. Other communities in the county include Morristown, Waldron, and St. Paul, all of which funnel arrests to the Shelby County Jail.

Nearby Counties

Shelby County borders seven counties across central Indiana. Check arrest records in neighboring counties using the links below.