Sioux County Arrest Records

Section 804.5 of the Iowa Code describes an "arrest" as the act of taking someone into custody due to the suspected performance of a criminal offense. Adults arrested in Sioux County are typically processed at the nearest police station and held in custody until they post a bond or resolve the charges. Juveniles may be admitted into a juvenile detention or placement facility while they undertake the court process.

Local peace officers create Sioux County arrest records after executing arrests. These records present a formal narrative of a person's apprehension and are valuable for charging suspects, uncovering offender patterns, and researching a person's background. However, for comprehensive background checks, the Sioux County court records offer in-depth information about a person's prosecution (or lack thereof) for a specific crime.

Are Arrest Records Public in Sioux County?

Yes, arrest records are disclosable to the public in Sioux County. Chapter 22 of the Iowa Legislature (also known as the Iowa Public Records Act) facilitates the general circulation of official paperwork produced from enforcement actions, such as arrests. Even so, the public cannot view or copy records deemed confidential by law or a court decision. Examples include

• A person's birthdate, driver's license number, and Social Security information
• Peace officer investigative reports, excluding an incident's circumstances, date, time, and location
• Identifying information about child victims (§ 915.1 et seq.)
• Psychological examination results
• Confidential informant communications
• Records tied to an active investigation

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Publicly available arrest records in Sioux County include the following information:

• Arrestee's complete legal name, age, and address at the time of arrest
• Arresting agency
• Date and location of arrest
• Section of law the arrestee is alleged to have violated and the charge description
• Incident and warrant numbers
• Bond amount and type (e.g., cash, surety, personal)
• Release date and reason

Sioux County Arrest Statistics

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, deployed by the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS), is the state's central crime and arrest data repository. According to the UCR Arrest Reports, Sioux County recorded 367 arrests in 2023 (a 17.25% change from the previous year) and an arrest rate of 1022.68 per 100,000 population.

Adults were the most commonly apprehended, with 342 incidents reported. Meanwhile, the total number of juvenile arrests in Sioux that year was 25.

Driving under the influence (130), drug/narcotic violations (43), and simple assault (20) constituted the county's top arrests.

Find Sioux County Arrest Records

Members of the public seeking Sioux County arrest records can approach the specific police agency that made an arrest (if known) or the Sioux County Sheriff's Office. Typically, the requester will need to possess the full name and date of birth of the arrested person or the location of the arrest to enable record retrieval. They will also need to pay any associated processing fees and may be required to provide a valid government-issued ID.

If a person were arrested but taken to the Sioux County Jail, the inquirer may contact the Sheriff's Office for jail information at (712) 737-3131. The Sheriff also provides a Jail Inmate Roster to find different categories of inmates in the local jail, including pre-trial, pre-sentenced, sentenced, and Federal or Other Agency Holds.

Anyone searching for an inmate who has already been transported to a state or federal penitentiary can access the Offender Search tool (operated by the Iowa Department of Corrections) or the Federal Inmate Locator (operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons). Both systems are searchable with an inmate's last name or assigned identifier.

Free Arrest Record Search in Sioux County

A free arrest record search in Sioux County can be achieved by accessing the local Sheriff's Press Arrest Log. This log lists arrests made by law enforcement agencies in Sioux, such as the Sheriff's Office, municipal police departments like the Orange City and Hawarden PDs, and the Iowa State Patrol.

However, the log only covers arrests made within the most recent month. Individuals seeking earlier records may need to contact the specific arresting police agency or the local Sheriff's Office. A nominal fee may apply for searches.

Citizens can also opt for third-party aggregator databases to conduct free arrest record searches. These databases are hosted on public websites and can typically be searched with a person's first and last name, at a minimum. However, while many sites allow free basic searches, payment may be required to view complete results.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests are often enduring components of a person's criminal history record, able to be examined or copied by anyone so long as a law or judicial order does not limit access. Of course, police department records in Sioux County may be subject to record retention schedules, meaning that documents may be destroyed after their administrative or historical value ends.

However, police departments also transmit arrest information to other criminal justice agencies, such as the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), which maintains statewide criminal history data often permanently. For that reason, a person's arrest record may exist across multiple agency databases, and the only adopted procedure for removing or hiding these records from public review is an expungement.

Expunge Sioux County Arrest Records

Iowa Code § 901.1 defines an expungement as the removal (sealing) of a criminal record from public access. This method of relief is available to individuals who were arrested, charged, or convicted of a crime in Iowa, including in Sioux County, provided they are eligible by law. Eligible defendants generally include those who received a not-guilty verdict from the court, those whose charges were dismissed, those convicted of eligible misdemeanors, and those who received a deferred judgment.

Parties can file for expungement by completing the appropriate application form (available under the "Expunge Court Record" section). They will also need to pay all applicable court fees/costs, have no pending charges, and satisfy all other requirements listed on the relevant form. Expungement petitions are submitted to the Sioux County District Court. It is worth noting that the court can also order the expungement of a dismissal or acquittal on its own motion.

Sioux County Arrest Warrants

Sioux County arrest warrants are judicial directives issued by magistrates to law enforcement officers to guarantee a particular person's arrest, usually because they stand accused of a crime or disobeyed a court order. These writs state who must be arrested and their specific offense, as well as the issue date, the county/city where issued, and the issuing magistrate's name of office and signature (Iowa Code § 804.2).

Many arrests in Sioux County occur because of an active or outstanding warrant. However, such warrants cannot be approved without probable cause, i.e., reasonable grounds for suspecting a crime has occurred, and a specific person should be held accountable.

Per Iowa Code § 804.1, it is the duty of the affiant (the law enforcement official who requests the arrest warrant) to establish probable cause via a complaint and affidavit, and it is the court's duty to ensure those facts or grounds are legitimate.

Do Sioux County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, Sioux County arrest warrants never expire. They remain active indefinitely to prevent people from fleeing criminal prosecution.

Authorities usually recommend that anyone aware of an outstanding warrant in Sioux County surrender to their nearest police station to avoid the inconvenience of a formal arrest. However, it may be prudent to seek legal counsel beforehand to understand the charges and one's rights.