Marion County Arrest Records

In Marion County, Kentucky, law enforcement officers are legally required to make an arrest in either of two circumstances, which are: when the court orders a person's arrest via an arrest warrant, and when they have probable cause to believe a person has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a criminal offense.

The Marion County Sheriff, along with other law enforcement agencies operating within the county, is primarily responsible for making arrests in Marion County. These agencies maintain a record for each arrest, documenting everything that occurred from the point of initial contact with the suspect.

However, arrest records maintained by law enforcement officers are often limited in scope. They may not include essential details regarding the case outcome, such as the date of release, the sentence imposed, and the amount of time served in the Marion County Detention Center. Records relating to conviction and sentencing records are generally maintained separately and can be found in the Marion County Court Records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Marion County?

Arrest records are public in Marion County. The state has an open records policy that provides citizens with access to government records, including initial arrest and incident reports, upon request. However, the public's right of access is subject to certain limitations under the Kentucky Open Records Act (KRS 61.870 to 61.884). These include:

• Unfiled reports, affidavit, and informant identities
• Anonymous tips and classified witness statements
• Mugshots

If an individual needs to inspect restricted records, they must first obtain a court order directing the record custodian to release the record. To obtain the order, they may need to prove to the court that permitting access to the record is likely to do more good than harm.

Note: The Marion County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency in the county.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office
223 N Spalding Ave, Suite 101
Lebanon, KY 40033
Phone: (270) 692-3051

Marion County Arrest Statistics

Marion County Sheriff's Department made 4,244 arrests from 2013 to 2023. 92% of all arrests were for low-level, non-violent offenses. More specifically, in 2021, the total arrests made by law enforcement were 374. Three hundred forty-six of those arrests were for low-level crimes, and 28 were for other types of crimes. In 2022, 325 arrests were made. Two hundred ten were for low-level crimes, while 115 were for other types of crimes. In 2023, the total number of arrests made was 303. Two hundred eighty-three of those arrested were for low-level crimes, and 20 were for other crimes. Marion County jail incarceration rate is set at 310 average daily population, and 24 per 1,000 residents.
Low-level offenses include drug offenses, public drunkenness, and other alcohol-related offenses; vagrancy, loitering, gambling, disorderly conduct, prostitution, vandalism, and other minor non-violent offenses. These offenses are typically categorized as misdemeanors. Low-level offenses exclude all arrests for violent crimes, simple assault, crimes against families and children, weapon offenses, sex offenses, and all arrests for property crimes except vandalism.

Find Marion County Arrest Records

Find out who is in the Marion County jail by visiting the Marion County Detention Center website.

• Visit the website.
• Select inmate information at the top of the page.
• Click on “current inmates” to go to the jail tracker page.
• Researchers can locate an inmate by browsing the open list or searching more specifically by entering the offender's name or ID number in the designated field.
• Provide the intake date range; and
• Click search to initiate a query.

Kentucky State has a statewide offender search tool known as KOOL—Kentucky Online Offender Lookup. The KOOL search tool provides a searchable online platform for looking up inmates held in counties across the state, including Marion. Through KOOL, interested individuals can find out an inmate's whereabouts and keep up with their incarceration status pending release.

To do this:

• Visit the KOOL website
• Enter the offender's last name, first name, or middle name in the appropriate field.
• Click the search data to initiate a database query
• Search result displays a list of offenders with matching names.
• To streamline search results even further, researchers can make use of the advanced search option on the left-hand side of the page. Advanced search allows the individual to enter additional data, like the County of supervision, offense type, and date of conviction, to narrow down searches.

Marion County Sheriff also provides record access services at their office situated at:

Marion County Sheriff’s Office
223 N Spalding Ave, Suite 101
Lebanon, KY 40033
Phone: (270) 692-3051

Marion County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records are created and maintained strictly by law enforcement agencies. They document everything relating to an arrest from the point of initial contact with the suspect to arraignment, though typically stopping short of the details of arraignment.

In contrast, criminal records have a much broader scope. They are often a uniform compilation of an individual's arrest report, trial information, and jail record, reduced into one single record with a consistent chronology.

Note: if an individual was merely arrested but was never arraigned or prosecuted for the crime, their arrest record will suffice as a criminal record.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Per the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, once an arrest is formally reported and entered into the State's centralized criminal history record information system, the record will stay on the individual's criminal history forever unless they successfully apply to have the record expunged.

Unfortunately, not all offenses can be expunged, given that the process is subject to some eligibility requirements. To have an arrest record expunged:

• The charge must have been dismissed or resulted in an acquittal
• The applicant must have been conviction-free for at least 3 years.
• They must have no pending criminal case against them

Marion County Arrest Warrants

Probable cause is a mandatory precondition for lawful arrest. Accordingly, any arrest made by law enforcement without the requisite facts or circumstances establishing probable cause is illegal. Nevertheless, the law allows a peace officer to seek out the court's consent to arrest in situations where immediate probable cause is not present.

When granted, the court's authorization takes the form of a written warrant containing an order to arrest a named individual, and signed by a judge.
An arrest warrant typically contains:

• The law enforcement officer to whom it is addressed
• The suspect's name
• The judge's signature
• The alleged offense

Before an arrest warrant can be granted, law enforcement typically has to present cogent circumstantial evidence leading to the irresistible conclusion that the accused committed the offense.

Do Marion County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Given that arrest warrants are usually issued with the sole intention of bringing the suspect into custody, they do not have an expiration date. Their expiration, if any, is contingent on the suspect being arrested and brought before the court.

Expunge Marion County Arrest Records

Expungement is a legal remedy that offers those with a record a pathway to have their arrest records removed from the centralized criminal history record.

The process is governed by KRS 431.076, KRS 431.078, and KRS 431.073, depending on the nature of the arrest or conviction. To have a record expunged in Marion, individuals may need to follow these steps:

• Obtain an expungement certification from the Marion County Sheriff's Department (it can be obtained online or in person for $40)
• File an expungement petition at the Circuit court Clerk's office—forms vary depending on whether the arrest led to an acquittal, dismissal, or conviction.
• Await court review (courts typically grant the request without a hearing when the relevant authority does not object to the petition).
• Additional fees of up to $250 may be required to complete the process.
• Once expunged, the record is erased from the individual's criminal history. Legally, it's as if the offense never occurred. The individual can lawfully say that they have never been convicted.