Elkhart County Arrest Records Lookup
Elkhart County arrest records are kept by the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office in Goshen. With around 206,000 residents, Elkhart County is one of the most populated counties in northern Indiana. The county includes the cities of Elkhart, Goshen, and parts of the Michiana metro area near the Michigan border. Multiple police agencies operate in the county, including the Elkhart Police Department, Goshen Police, and the sheriff's office. All booking records flow through the county jail.
Elkhart County Quick Facts
Elkhart County Sheriff and Jail
The Elkhart County Sheriff's Office is headquartered in Goshen and operates the Elkhart County Correctional Complex. This is the main booking facility for everyone arrested in Elkhart County, regardless of which agency made the arrest. The Elkhart Police Department, Goshen Police, Nappanee Police, and county deputies all bring their arrestees to this facility for processing.
Each booking creates a record that includes the person's full name, date of birth, charges, bond amount, arresting agency, and booking date. These records are public under Indiana Code 5-14-3, the Access to Public Records Act. Anyone can request them without having to state a reason.
You can view current inmates through the state INjail portal.
Select Elkhart County on the INjail site to pull up a list of people currently in the county jail.
The Elkhart County jail has a large capacity to match the county's population. It typically holds several hundred inmates at any given time. Given the high volume, the jail roster changes frequently throughout each day. For the most current information about a specific person, call the jail directly. Online rosters may lag by a few hours.
The sheriff's office also has a records division that handles formal requests for booking data, arrest reports, and incident reports. You can contact them by phone, in person, or by email. For bulk records requests or media inquiries, they may ask you to submit a written request under the APRA.
Note: Elkhart County processes a high number of bookings daily, so searching for a common name may return multiple results.
Elkhart County Court Records
Criminal cases from Elkhart County arrests are filed in the Elkhart Circuit Court and Elkhart Superior Courts in Goshen. The county has multiple court divisions to handle its significant caseload. When someone is arrested and the prosecutor files charges, a case is created in the court system.
The MyCase portal offers free access to Elkhart County court records.
Search by name or case number to find charges, hearing dates, and case dispositions.
Court records from Elkhart County are detailed. You can track a case from the initial filing through any motions, hearings, plea negotiations, and the final outcome. MyCase shows the current status of active cases and the final disposition of closed ones. The system is free and does not require an account.
For certified copies of court documents, contact the Elkhart County Clerk's Office at the courthouse in Goshen. Copy fees apply. If you need records for a legal proceeding, request certified copies rather than regular ones. The clerk's staff can explain the difference and the costs involved.
Elkhart County also runs specialty courts, including drug court and mental health court. Cases handled through these programs may follow a different track than standard criminal cases, though records are still accessible through MyCase.
Statewide Records Resources
The Indiana State Police criminal history check covers Elkhart County and every other county in the state. The cost is $15 per name. Results include felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests reported to the state repository. Given Elkhart County's size, the reporting to the state system is generally thorough.
Start a statewide search on the ISP Criminal History Services page.
Register for an account, enter the person's information, and pay $15.70 by credit card.
Elkhart County sits right on the Michigan border. People in the area may have records in both states. Indiana's tools only search Indiana records. For Michigan arrests, you would need to check Michigan's ICHAT system separately. Within Indiana, these additional tools can help:
- MyCase for court records statewide
- INjail for current jail inmates across Indiana
- Indiana DOC offender locator for state prison inmates
- Indiana Sex Offender Registry for registered offenders
- ISP Criminal History Services for formal background checks
Elkhart County Expungement
Indiana Code 35-38-9 gives people with certain arrest or conviction records the right to petition for expungement. In Elkhart County, you file the petition in the court where the case was handled. Different records have different waiting periods. Arrests without conviction can be sealed after one year. Misdemeanor convictions typically require five years, and felony convictions have longer waits depending on severity.
The petition must include your case number, the offense, a statement of your criminal history since the case ended, and an explanation of why you qualify. The Elkhart County prosecutor can respond and object if they choose. The judge then makes the decision.
Elkhart County has legal aid resources that can help with expungement. The Legal Aid Society of Elkhart County and Indiana Legal Services both serve the area. Some private attorneys in Goshen and Elkhart handle expungement petitions for flat fees. Once sealed, the records no longer appear in public searches on MyCase or through ISP background checks.
Note: Under Indiana law, you can only file one expungement petition in your lifetime, so make sure to include all eligible records.
Cities in Elkhart County
Elkhart County includes the city of Elkhart, which has a population over 25,000. Arrest records for the city of Elkhart are handled by the Elkhart Police Department for incidents within city limits, with bookings processed at the county jail. Goshen is the county seat but falls below the population threshold for a dedicated page. The nearby city of Mishawaka in St. Joseph County is also accessible from parts of Elkhart County.