Grant County Arrest Records

In Grant County, Kentucky, the process of bringing a suspected offender to justice typically begins with a law enforcement officer arresting the suspect and placing them in detention pending posting of bail. The process of placing suspects in Grant County Detention Center (the primary holding facility in the county) is called "booking" and involves documenting the inmate's personal information, taking their fingerprints, and photographs to form an arrest record.

Grant County arrest records are essential to administer the jail and serve important purposes to the judiciary. For example, prosecutors rely on arrest records to a significant extent to establish probable cause, determine bail recommendations, and gather evidence for trial. Defense attorneys may also find arrest records useful in identifying inconsistencies that place shadows of doubt on the prosecutor's case. Furthermore, Grant County arrest records make up a significant part of the broader Grant County court records.

Apart from law enforcement agencies and criminal justice outfits, members of the public often request an individual's arrest records for various reasons, including:

• Facilitating criminal background checks
• Policy formulation
• Legal education and research

Note: The Grant County Detention Center is administered by the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Are Arrest Records Public in Grant County?

Yes. Kentucky's Open Records Act, in furtherance of the state's policy to promote transparency in government affairs, makes arrest records open to "residents of the Commonwealth" who request them. In practice, any member of the public can obtain these records at will through online platforms provided by the sheriff's office. However, individuals who wish to obtain arrest records through other official means may be required to declare their residency status.

Meanwhile, the sheriff's office reserves the right to deny requests for records that fall under the exemptions highlighted in applicable statutes, such as:

• Public records containing information of a private nature
• Records confidentially disclosed to the agency for scientific research
• Law enforcement records generated in the course of detecting and investigating violations (regulatory or statutory)
• Public records that are likely to threaten public safety if disclosed
• Preliminary correspondence with private individuals
• Any record that is exempted from public disclosure by any applicable law

Per the Act, exempt records will only be subject to inspection upon the order of a competent court.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Grant County arrest records contain a wealth of information regarding the arrestee and the circumstances surrounding the arrest, such as:

• Arrestee's mugshot
• Arrestee's personal information (full name, sex, age, alias, height, weight, hair color, race, and sex)
• Booking date
• Release date
• Case/bond information
• Charges
• Arresting officer and agency
• Arrest date and time
• Court information
• Inmate classification

Grant County Arrest Statistics

According to the 2023 Crime in Kentucky report published by the Kentucky State Police (KSP), Grant County made a total of 1,670 arrests in that year. The highest number of arrests (246) were made for drug/narcotic offenses. This is followed by:

• Assault offenses - 151 arrests
• Driving under the influence - 103 arrests
• Drunkenness - 61 arrests
• Larceny/theft - 40 arrests

Find Grant County Arrest Records

As official custodian of Grant County arrest records, individuals can query the Grant County Sheriff's Office for information regarding arrestees in the county. Fortunately, the sheriff's office makes arrest searches easy by providing an online searchable online database for tracking arrestees in Grant County Detention Center. Interested parties may find an inmate by inputting the inmate's first and last names and clicking on the "search" icon below the search boxes.

Individuals may also send a public records request to the Grant County Detention Center by filing out a public records request form and submitting it in person at the agency's physical address during administrative hours. The form requires the requester to input their name, mailing address, email address, records to be inspected, signature, and date. Requesters are also mandated to indicate their residency status under the "statement regarding residency" section.

Note: Requesters may also contact the Grant County Detention Center at (859) 824-5191 for information regarding an inmate or inmate status.

The Kentucky Online Offender Lookup tool is another online platform for searching Grant County arrest records, howbeit, on the state level. Individuals are to use the offender search platforms by inputting the subject's name in the appropriate search boxes. Parties are also allowed to conduct an advanced search by clicking on the " show advanced options" icon below the offender search page. Interested persons may also send a public records request to the Kentucky Department of Corrections in writing to correctionsopenrecords@ky.gov.

Finally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) maintains records of Grant County arrestees incarcerated in federal prisons. Interested persons can send an FOIA request to the agency to request such records or look up an inmate using the BOP's inmate locator. Federal law enforcement agencies also keep records of arrestees, so they are another convenient source to obtain arrest records on the federal level.

Free Arrest Record Search in Grant County

The online platforms above allow free arrest record searches. Furthermore, individuals can access public records at no cost if they intend to view them. However, record custodians often charge a fee for copies and certification of documents.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

It depends on the circumstances of the case. Generally, arrest records do not disappear automatically from an individual's criminal record and will remain accessible to the public until the subject completes an expungement process. However, an exception exists for cases that were dismissed with prejudice or acquitted on or after July 15, 2020, excluding traffic cases. Such cases are expunged after 30 days without the need for a court petition or individual action.

Note: Expungement is a legally recognized process for permanently removing an arrest, charge, or conviction from an individual's criminal record.

Expunge Grant County Arrest Records

There are different kinds of expungement in Kentucky, depending on the type of crime—misdemeanor and felony expungement. Individuals can apply to expunge most misdemeanor charges as many times as they want. However, they must have completed their sentence and waited 5 years from the time of completion to do so. If there is an enhancement period for the offence, they must complete that time to be eligible.

Meanwhile, only class D felonies are eligible for expungement in Kentucky, save a few exceptions. Eligible felonies include theft of a legend drug, forgery of a prescription, marijuana cultivation, burglary in the 3rd degree, theft by deception, identity theft, eavesdropping, and bigamy.

To obtain an expungement, eligible applicants must first obtain an expungement certificate by registering at the registration site, completing an online request form, downloading a certification packet, and filing documents and petitions with the Office of the Circuit Court clerk in Grant County. Applicants can make in-person requests for an expungement certification and details of this process, along with the procedures for expunging a felony charge are available on the Kentucky Court of Justice' Expungement Certification Process page.

Note: Felony charges originally filed in the district court and did not result in an indictment by the grand jury can be expunged per KRS 431.076. Eligible applicants are to file an expungement petition no sooner than 6 months after the district court's decision to hold the matter to the grand jury. No filing fees are assessed for this process.

Grant County Arrest Warrants

In Kentucky, law enforcement agents can arrest a person if they have probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed by that individual. However, where there are no exigent circumstances or in many cases where a misdemeanor crime was not committed in the officer's presence, law enforcement agents must seek the court's permission to arrest the suspect. Such permission is called a Grant County arrest warrant if it was issued by a magistrate in the county.

Grant County arrest records typically contain the following information:

• Case information (indictment number, case number, court and county)
• Defendant's description (name, address, sex, race, birthdate, height, weight, etc)
• An instruction to all peace officers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to arrest the named defendant and bring them before the issuing circuit court to answer the indictment
• Details of the offense
• Date of issue
• The judicial officer's signature

Outstanding Grant County arrest warrants are accessible through the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Do Grant County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Generally, arrest warrants issued in Grant County do not expire and law enforcement agents can take action on them at any time. It is important to note, however, that arrest warrants can only be executed once before it becomes invalid. Also, the issuing court reserves the right to recall or quash a warrant at any time.