Carroll County Arrest Records

In Carroll County, one of the official duties of peace officers is making arrests to ensure the maintenance of law and order. An arrest involves a peace officer temporarily restraining an individual suspected of committing a criminal offense. Per Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Chapter 2935, an individual can be arrested pursuant to an arrest warrant or without an arrest warrant when there is reasonable cause to believe they committed a specific offense.

Carroll County arrest records are offical documentation of arrests within the county. The arresting agency typically creates these records after an arrest. They contain pertinent information about an arrest, such as the arrestee’s personal information, a description of the alleged offense, the arresting officer or agency’s information, the arrest location, date, and time.

Due to the wealth of information that arrest records contain, they are used in numerous capacities to serve different purposes. For instance, interested persons can review them to find out the reason for an arrest and what took place during the arrest. A prosecutor can also use an arrest record to initiate criminal charges against an individual. Furthermore, arrest data are used to compile crime statistics and an individual’s criminal history records. As a result, arrest records are usually featured in different government records, including Carroll County Court Records and criminal history records maintained by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

Are Arrest Records Public in Carroll County?

Yes, Under Ohio Sunshine Laws, most records generated or maintained by government entities are considered public records, including those held by law enforcement agencies, such as arrest records. Thus, law enforcement agencies in Carroll County must make the arrest records they generate or maintain available to the public upon request.

However, Ohio Sunshine Laws are subject to different exemptions that limit or restrict public access to arrest records. In these cases, the exempt records are typically only available to eligible individuals or entities, such as the record’s subject and criminal justice agencies. Records exempt from public access include those whose release may jeopardize an ongoing law enforcement investigation or legal proceeding, as well as juvenile records and sealed records.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The following details are typically found in public Carroll County arrest records:

• The arrestee’s personal information: full name, home address, and age
• The arrestee’s physical features: height, weight, race, gender, hair, and eye color.
• Arrest details: the arrest date, time, location, and the arresting officer or agency’s information
• Charges: type (i.e, misdemeanor or felony) and description.
• Bond details: type and amount (if applicable)
• Warrant information (if any).

Carroll County Arrest Statistics

According to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, Carroll County law enforcement agencies made 95 arrests in 2023—a decrease of 11.88% from the 107 arrests reported the previous year. Of the total arrests in 2023, 81 involved adult offenders, while 14 involved juvenile offenders. Furthermore, the offenses with the highest number of arrests that year included simple assault (40), drug/narcotic offenses (20), and weapon law violations (3).

Note that the above arrest statistics only represent arrests made by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and the Carrollton Police Department.

Find Carroll County Arrest Records

Carroll County arrest records are generated and maintained by local law enforcement agencies. Therefore, interested individuals can find arrest records by querying the agency that made the arrest or generated the record. Some examples of these agencies include the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and municipal police departments. Each agency’s methods and procedures for accessing or requesting copies of public records it maintains may differ. Nonetheless, record seekers may provide sufficient information to identify the sought-after arrest record to search for and request a record. This information includes the arrestee’s name, arrest location, time, date, and any other relevant details about the arrest.

Using the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office as a case study, record seekers may request arrest records that the agency generates and maintains electronically, by mail, or in person. Interested individuals can use the agency’s Public Records Request form for electronic requests. A downloadable version of the request form is also available for mail-in requests. Requesters can complete the request form and mail it to the County Sheriff’s Office with a self-addressed stamped envelope to enable mail-back copies of the arrest report once found. The agency also has a file room that requesters can visit during regular working hours (Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM) to request arrest records in person at:

43 Second St. SE
Carrollton, OH 44615
Phone: (330) 627-2141
Fax: (330) 627-2143

Free Arrest Record Search in Carroll County

Most Carroll County law enforcement agencies allow free in-person access to arrest records they maintain. Hence, record seekers can visit these agencies during regular business hours to conduct free arrest record searches in their file/record room, if one is provided. Note that record seekers may be charged a fee for copies of records they request.

Alternatively, third-party news and aggregate websites can also be used to find Carroll County arrest records. However, these websites typically only provide basic arrest information for free, while access to comprehensive records is subject to a fee.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. Once an arrest record is created and added to a person’s criminal history record, it typically remains there until it is sealed or expunged. However, local law enforcement agencies in Carroll County usually have record retention schedules that determine how long they preserve arrest records internally.

Expunge Carroll County Arrest Records

A Carroll County arrest record may be eligible for expungement or sealing under ORC Chapter 2953. Expungement entails destroying a record, making it as if it never existed. Meanwhile, sealed records are removed from public view, rendering them inaccessible to the general public. However, like most criminal justice agencies, eligible entities and individuals are still permitted access to sealed records.

The procedures and eligibility requirements for applying for arrest record expungement or sealing in Carroll County vary depending on the type of offense and the circumstances surrounding the arrest. If an individual was arrested but not charged, they can submit a written request to the police chief in the community where they were arrested, asking to have the arrest record sealed. However, if an arrest results in a conviction, the arrestee must wait for some time after the "final discharge" of their conviction’s sentence before they can apply for expungement. These waiting periods vary depending on the type of conviction, and per ORC § 2953.32, they include:

• Three (3) years for a felony conviction
• One (1) year for a misdemeanor conviction

Note that arrests resulting in certain convictions are not eligible for expungement or sealing according to ORC § 2953.32. These include, but are not limited to:

• First and second-degree felony convictions
• Convictions for offenses where the victim was less than 13 years old
• Certain third-degree felony convictions.

Meanwhile, if an arrest record leads to a grand jury issuing a no-bill of charges against the arrestee, the waiting period before the arrestee can apply for expungement is one (1) year. Conversely, there is no waiting period for arrests that result in acquittal. In these cases, the arrestee may petition for expungement immediately after their trial concludes.

In Carroll County, eligible individuals can petition to expunge or seal records of arrests that resulted in a conviction, the issuance of a no-bill of charges, or an acquittal by following these steps:

• Visit the office of the clerk of court for the court(s) that handled the case(s) being petitioned to obtain the necessary information. This includes case numbers, the name and degree of each offense, the conviction dates (if applicable), and the sentence completion date.
• Request sealing or expungement application forms from the court. The Carroll County Common Pleas Court’s Application to Seal a Criminal Record is an example. Complete the sealing or expungement application form, make personal copies, and submit the original to the court that handled the case.
• Pay the required fee. This includes $50 for each application to seal a conviction. Meanwhile, applications to seal dismissals, or "No Bills," are free. Petitioners who cannot afford the required expungement fee when filing their application may request a fee waiver by submitting a notarized "Poverty Affidavit" form with their application.

After successfully submitting an expungement or sealing application, the presiding court schedules a hearing within 45 to 90 days. If a judge approves the application after the hearing, a court order to seal the petitioned criminal record will be issued. However, it may take up to six (6) months for the court and other government agencies to implement the court order.

Carroll County Arrest Warrants

A Carroll County arrest warrant is a formal document that allows peace officers to arrest a specific person. According to Ohio Rev. Code § 2935.08, a judge, clerk, or magistrate can issue an arrest warrant upon receiving an affidavit or complaint according to Ohio Rev. Code § 2935.05 or 2935.06. Carroll County arrest warrants typically contain the following information:

• The defendant’s full name or any name or description that can be used to identify the defendant with reasonable certainty
• Description of the alleged offense or charges that necessitated the issuance of the warrant
• The warrant issuance date and county
• The issuing judge’s signature

Do Carroll County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, A Carroll County arrest warrant may remain active until it is executed, the subject dies, or the issuing court recalls or quashes it.