Find Shelby County Arrest Records
Shelby County arrest records are managed by the sheriff's office in Shelbyville, a county of about 44,000 residents southeast of Indianapolis. The sheriff runs the county jail and maintains booking records for all arrests in the county. The jail division provides information about inmates and booking procedures. Court records from criminal cases are searchable through Indiana's statewide MyCase portal. This page walks through the main resources for arrest data in Shelby County.
Shelby County Quick Facts
Shelby County Sheriff Booking Records
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office processes all arrests and maintains booking records for the county. Arrests made by sheriff's deputies, Shelbyville city police, and other local agencies all result in bookings at the Shelby County jail. Each booking record includes the person's name, charges, bond amount, and the date of arrest. Indiana Code 5-14-3, the Access to Public Records Act, makes these records available to the public.
The Shelby County Sheriff's jail division page provides information about the facility and booking procedures.
The jail division page covers visitation rules, how to post bond, and contact information for the jail.
Shelby County is close enough to Indianapolis that some of its arrest activity reflects the metro area's reach. People traveling through the county on Interstate 74 or other highways sometimes end up in the Shelby County system. Local crime also generates a steady stream of bookings. The jail processes both types of cases.
To get copies of booking records or arrest reports, contact the sheriff's office in Shelbyville. You can call for basic information like whether someone is in custody. For formal copies of documents, a written request or in-person visit is usually needed. The staff can walk you through the process.
Note: Shelby County's proximity to Marion County (Indianapolis) means some people have records in both jurisdictions. If you are doing a thorough search, check both counties or use the statewide ISP search.
Shelby County Court Records
Criminal cases from Shelby County arrests are filed in the Shelby Circuit Court or Shelby Superior Court in Shelbyville. The clerk of courts handles all filings and maintains case records. You can search court records for free on MyCase, Indiana's online court records portal.
MyCase lets you search by name or case number. The results show charges, hearing dates, case status, and outcomes including convictions, dismissals, and sentencing. You do not need an account and there is no fee. Both felony and misdemeanor cases are covered.
The MyCase portal is the best free tool for checking court records in Shelby County and across Indiana.
Search results show the filing date, charges, case status, and scheduled hearings for each case.
Court records provide more depth than booking logs. They track the case from filing through resolution. If charges were reduced, dropped, or resulted in a conviction, the court record has that detail. For the complete picture of a Shelby County arrest, check both the booking data and the court record.
- Shelby Circuit Court and Superior Court handle criminal cases
- MyCase is free and requires no login
- Search results include charges, hearings, and outcomes
- Felony and misdemeanor cases are both covered
- Older records may require a request to the clerk's office
Statewide Arrest Records Search
The Indiana State Police criminal history service runs statewide arrest checks that include Shelby County. Each name search costs $15, or $15.70 by credit card. Results cover felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests from the state criminal history repository, spanning all 92 Indiana counties.
The ISP search is useful when you need to check for records across multiple counties. With Shelby County being so close to Indianapolis and other metro-area counties, a statewide search can catch records that a county-level search might miss. It is a more thorough approach for comprehensive background checking.
Other state tools worth using include the Indiana DOC offender locator for state prison inmates and the INjail portal for county jail data statewide. Both are free and can supplement your Shelby County search.
Note: The ISP criminal history search relies on data reported by local agencies. Shelby County's reporting is generally reliable, but some older records or minor offenses may not be in the state repository.
Expungement in Shelby County
Indiana Code 35-38-9 provides a process for sealing certain arrest and conviction records. In Shelby County, you file a petition in the court that handled the original case. Arrests without charges are the easiest to expunge. Dismissed cases also qualify. Some misdemeanor and felony convictions can be sealed after waiting periods that depend on the offense.
The judge reviews the petition and weighs the offense type, time passed, and any new criminal history. If granted, the record is sealed from public access. MyCase and the ISP criminal history search will no longer show it. Standard background checks from employers or landlords will not find the sealed record.
Attorneys in Shelbyville or the greater Indianapolis area can help with the expungement petition. The Shelby County Clerk of Courts provides the required forms. Indiana law limits each person to one expungement petition per lifetime, so it is important to include all eligible cases in your filing.