Wharton County Arrest Records

An arrest refers to the actual restraint of an individual by law enforcement officials or their submission to the custody of the officer under the authority of a warrant. In Wharton County, arrests are typically carried out by agencies like the Sheriff’s Office and local police departments when an individual is suspected of involvement in a criminal activity, whether as a participant or an accessory before or after the fact. Following an arrest, the suspect may be booked and detained in the Wharton County Jail.

Booking involves the collection of relevant details about the arrested individual, including their name, address, reason for arrest, fingerprints, and criminal history. These details are compiled into an arrest record, which forms the foundation for creating other public records, such as the Wharton County Court Records. These records are critical for keeping track of the timeline of a case from arrest to resolution.

Are Arrest Records Public in Wharton County?

Under the Public Information Act (PIA), information collected and maintained by governmental bodies in connection with their official business is considered public information. This includes arrest reports maintained by the Wharton County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments. Consequently, law enforcement is mandated to release arrest records upon receiving a request from an interested member of the public.

However, there are exceptions. Arrest information is typically not accessible under the following circumstances:

• Information that would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of a crime.
• Information related to an investigation that did not result in a conviction.
• Information relating to threats against a peace officer or detention officer.
• An internal record prepared by an attorney representing the state in anticipation of or in the course of preparing for criminal litigation.

It is important to note that exempted information may still be accessible if the subject of the record consents to its release or if the person is deceased (or incapacitated).

Wharton County Arrest Statistics

According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data for 2018, the following number of violent offenses were reported by the Sheriff’s Office or County police department in 2018. There were 3 cases of murder, 15 cases of rape, four robbery cases, 47 aggravated assault cases, 229 property crimes, 65 burglaries, larceny was recorded at 146, 18 motor vehicle theft, one arson, and 69 violent crimes.

Find Wharton County Arrest Records

Certain resources can significantly reduce the amount of effort and time required to find arrest reports and incarceration records in Wharton County. At the state level, record seekers can check the custody status of an Offender through the WCSO Detention Center Network (DCN). To do this, they need to:

• Visit the Wharton County, TX website and click on “county offices”.
• Select “Sheriff” in the drop-down menu and navigate to “WCSO Detention Center Network (DCN)”.
• The landing page will provide options to search for inmates by name, charge description, and date range related to the incident.

Alternatively, inquirers can check the custody status of an offender through Vinelink.com. Be prepared to provide either the offender’s name, ID number, or case number.

At the Federal level, the Bureau of Prisons Inmates Locator tool (BOP) allows members of the public to find records of inmates in the federal prison system. Accessing records through this medium requires providing information that sufficiently identifies the specific case, including the first and last names of the inmates and other relevant information that may be required.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

The provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure indicate that information relating to an arrest will remain on a person’s record indefinitely unless expunged. Expungement is a legal remedy that allows former arrestees to delete all information related to their arrest from the state’s database. Legally, it is as if the arrest never occurred.

Individuals arrested for either a felony or misdemeanor may be entitled to have all records and files relating to the arrest expunged if:

• The person was tried for the offense and acquitted.
• The person was convicted but subsequently pardoned or granted relief based on actual innocence.
• The arrestee has been released without being charged or was charged, but the charge did not result in a conviction, and no charges are pending.
• For a class C misdemeanor, 180 days have elapsed without a charge. For class A and B misdemeanors, 1 year has elapsed. For a felony, 3 years have elapsed.
• The court dismissed the charge due to a mistake, false information, or other similar reason indicating the absence of probable cause at the time of the dismissal.
• The offense can no longer be prosecuted because the limitation period has expired.

In Wharton County, once the circumstances surrounding a person's arrest match any of the highlighted criteria, the arrestee is eligible to file for expungement.

Wharton County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a written order issued by a magistrate directing law enforcement to take a person suspected of committing a crime into custody for questioning and investigation. Arrest warrants allow law enforcement to legally apprehend suspects for crimes whose surrounding circumstances at the time of occurrence do not establish probable cause that any specific individual was responsible, but subsequent investigation indicates a serious probability that the suspect is indeed responsible.

To obtain a warrant, law enforcement typically approaches a magistrate with a request that includes presenting evidence sufficient to establish probable cause before the judge that the alleged offender committed the crime. If the magistrate is convinced that it is more likely than not that the suspect committed the offense, she will issue the warrant. This document typically contains this information:

• The name of the person whose arrest is ordered; if unknown, a reasonably definite description.
• The alleged offense.
• The magistrate’s signature.

Once an arrest warrant is issued, law enforcement can arrest the suspect anywhere within state borders. However, they must show the suspect the authority behind the arrest or inform them that they have a warrant out for their arrest. Once arrested, the suspect must be brought before a magistrate within 48 hours.

Do Wharton County Arrest Warrants Expire?

In Wharton, arrest warrants have no expiration date and will remain valid until the individual named in the warrant has been apprehended by law enforcement or the individual is deceased. However, the relevant law enforcement agency is still expected to effectuate the arrest fairly quickly and without unreasonable delay.