Search St. Charles Court Records

StCharlesCountyCourt.us is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the FCRA and does not provide consumer reports.
All searches conducted on StCharlesCountyCourt.us are subject to the Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.

  1. St. Charles County Court
  2. St. Charles County Arrest Records

St. Charles County, Missouri Arrest Records

St. Charles County arrest records refer to law enforcement documents created when peace officers detain an individual. Typically, such records are generated during the booking process when details such as the detainee’s name, physical description, photograph, gender, charges, and arresting officer/agency’s information are collated and documented. These records do not contain any details about the detainee’s guilt or innocence but may contain details of court appearances. 

They are created and maintained primarily by the St. Charles County Sheriff's Office, which is responsible for daily arrests. Other law enforcement agencies, such as the St. Charles County Police Department and the O’Fallon Police Department, execute arrests and maintain their records for the two most populous cities. However, the sheriff’s office has a consolidated record because these police departments generally transfer detainees to the county jail as soon as possible. 

According to the Revised Statutes of Missouri § 610.100, arrest records are considered open to the public, while investigative records become accessible when the case becomes inactive. The state also protects access to comprehensive criminal history records according to Revised Statutes of Missouri §§ 43.500–43.543. The Missouri State Highway Patrol maintains a criminal history record for the state, which is not open to the general public. These contain arrest records and other restricted details, which are accessible to criminal justice entities or individuals who meet the requirement for access.

Are Arrest Records Public Information in St. Charles, Missouri?

Yes, St. Charles arrest records are publicly accessible under the Missouri Sunshine Law (Revised Statutes of Missouri § 610.010 et seq.). This law dictates that records maintained by government bodies are presumed to be open and accessible to the public. This includes arrest and booking records, which are maintained by the St. Charles County law enforcement bodies and the court. 

Individuals who wish to request arrest records are not required to be residents of the county. There are also no ID requirements to access public arrest records because a written request is not always necessary. When a request is made, government agencies must reply as soon as possible or within 3 days in St. Charles County. However, records from arrests that were not charged or in cases that were dismissed or acquitted are closed to the public. While inspection access is free, obtaining documents of arrest records will cost $0.10 per page.

What Do Public County Arrest Records Contain?

St. Charles County arrest records contain publicly accessible details of the detainee and the arrest circumstances according to the RSMo § 43.503. These are details that maintain the detainee’s privacy and safety while providing enough information for them to be identified and tracked in the system. Here are some details found in the St. Charles County arrest records:

  • Full name and any known aliases
  • Date, time, and place of the arrest
  • The case disposition
  • The arresting officer or agency’s name
  • Booking information, such as mugshots
  • Bail or bond amount and status
  • Date of birth
  • Gender and physical description

There are also details that are made private by law or to protect the detainee’s privacy and safety. These details may also be withheld or redacted based on the agency’s discretion. Some restricted records include juvenile records, active investigation details, expunged records, and personally identifiable information. Records from arrests that have no conviction are also automatically restricted from public access.

St. Charles County,  Missouri Arrest Search

St. Charles County arrest information can be accessed through state sources like the Missouri Department of Corrections, Court records, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. These agencies can be approached in person or contacted over the phone to request information about an arrest or a detainee. The Department of Corrections maintains an Offender Search website, which allows the public to search for arrest information using the detainee’s DOC ID or their first and last names. 

Online access to Missouri arrest searches is also available through the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Criminal Record Check website. This website features two search links, which are the fingerprint-based search and a name search portal. Arrest information contained in court case documents can be accessed online through the state's Case.net website. This platform provides various search options such as a filing date search, case number search, litigant name search, and scheduled hearing and trials search.

St. Charles County Inmate Locator

St. Charles County inmates can be found through the St Charles County Department of Corrections. This agency is managed and operated by the Sheriff’s Office. Members of the public can approach the corrections center or the sheriff’s office to locate an inmate in person. The public can also find inmates over the phone by calling the corrections center at 636-949-3003 or the sheriff’s office at 636-949-0809. St. Charles County does not maintain a county-level online inmate locator. This means that all attempts to search for an inmate in the county jail will be done through the state’s Offender Search website.

Active Warrant Search in St. Charles County

An arrest warrant refers to a legal document issued by a judge or magistrate to authorize the detention of a named individual by peace officers. This document is issued after a law enforcement officer or prosecutor satisfies the court with evidence that there is probable cause to believe the named individual is guilty. After this, the judge signs the warrant as they are issued through the Circuit Court. 

An arrest warrant will usually contain the suspect’s name, description, name and signature of the issuing judge, the date it was issued, and the charge or charges. This document will remain enforceable after it is issued. Arrest warrants will only become inactive when the case is resolved or the suspect is arrested. The court can also recall an arrest warrant and cancel it. 

St. Charles County arrest warrants can be searched through the Circuit Clerk’s office. This office maintains criminal summons and warrants records for cases that have been filed in court. Members of the public can remotely search the Missouri CaseNet portal to confirm the search for active warrants through case records. The St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department will also help with active arrest warrant searches. 

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in St. Charles County

St. Charles County arrest records are mostly accessible for free. Anyone can approach the Circuit Court or the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department to search arrest records in person. Requesters can also find arrest records through any of these agencies by phone at no cost. This applies to simple requests to identify or locate inmates, confirm bail or bond status, and other simple searches. 

Members of the public can also use the state’s CaseNet website to search statewide case records, which contain arrest information. There is no ID requirement for free access to arrest records in the county. Free searches through the state’s online platform and county archives will not provide access to redacted, sealed, or older arrest records.

St. Charles County Arrest Report

Arrest reports refer to a narrated account of how the arrest was executed. This account is written by the arresting officer after the arrestee has been detained. It is different from arrest records because the latter refers to a database of details about detainees and their arrest circumstances. 

Arrest records are documents containing highlighted facts that identify the arrestee and provide information about why they are detained, bail information, as well as court details. This document is transferred to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s central criminal history repository according to the Revised Statutes of Missouri § 43.503. The arrest report is a more detailed account of the event and is stored separately because it usually contains sensitive information. Arrest reports are not accessible through public platforms where arrest records can be obtained. However, after the investigation related to an arrest report becomes inactive, the report becomes publicly accessible.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in St. Charles County

Missouri laws allow qualified individuals to expunge arrest records according to the Revised Statutes of Missouri § 610.140. This law states that a court order of expungement will close the record and restore the affected individual to their legal status before the trial, plea, conviction, or arrest. The expungement process is initiated through the Circuit Court in the county. After an expungement, standard background checks will not be able to access the arrest record. To qualify for this process, you must meet these requirements:

  • For felony convictions, you must satisfy a waiting period of 3 years from the date all sentence conditions were fulfilled
  • For misdemeanor convictions, infractions, and municipal violations, there is a waiting period of one year
  • If an arrest does not lead to a conviction, there is an 18 month waiting period before filing
  • You must not have any subsequent felony or misdemeanor convictions when filing the petition, aside from most traffic offenses
  • There is a maximum of 2 felonies and 3 misdemeanors that can be expunged in a lifetime, according to the Revised Statutes of Missouri § 610.140.13

There are also classes of offenses that are automatically ineligible for expungement in St. Charles County. They include Class A felonies, offenses requiring registration as a sex offender, any felony that leads to a death, DUI or DWI, and offenses committed while holding a commercial driver’s license.

How Do You Remove St. Charles County Arrest Records From the Internet?

The first step to removing an arrest record from the internet is to file a petition for expungement. If it is successful, the order of expungement will be issued by the court. This court order will be sent to the relevant government agencies to effect the arrest record removal from online and local digital directories. While this applies to government agencies, third-party platforms can also be contacted to take down your arrest records. You can support your request with the court order of expungement. According to Revised Statutes of Missouri § 407.1150, payment of any fee must not be made to anyone who publishes a mugshot for the removal or modification.