Ionia County Arrest Records

Law enforcement agents in Ionia County, Michigan, are permitted to arrest and take offenders into custody under the law. This authority is granted to law enforcement under Chapter IV of the Code of Criminal Procedure in Michigan Compiled Law. This section covers several aspects of the arrest procedure, such as when an arrest is authorized, who can make an arrest, and where it can be made.

Offenders arrested in Ionia County are housed at the county jail operated by the county sheriff. After the arrest, the offender will usually be booked and processed at the facility before their arraignment to stand before a judge. Offenses in Michigan are generally categorized as felonies or misdemeanors, and the severity of the crime may determine if the suspect is released on bail or remains in custody.

The information generated by local law enforcement during an arrest is part of the suspect’s criminal record. This arrest record is public information and can be obtained from its custodians according to public record laws. The local judiciary also has access to these criminal records as part of Ionia County Court Records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Ionia County?

In Ionia County, arrest records are considered public under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Unless specifically mentioned by law, custodians of arrest records are required to allow access to members of the public.

However, not all the information in an arrest record is open to public access. Some information may be restricted or exempted from disclosure. A record may be exempted completely or released with restricted parts removed or redacted. Below are some examples of information restricted under the Freedom of Information Act.

• Information sealed by a court order
• Information described and exempted by federal or state statutes
• Information that could prevent fair or unbiased court proceedings
• Personal information in the record that, when released, would be an unwarranted violation of personal privacy
• Information that may endanger the lives or safety of law enforcement agents

The general public may be unable to access exempted records, but law enforcement agents and prosecutors may be able to obtain the full record.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

An arrest record in Ionia County typically contains information about the offender and a summary of the arrest. Although the exact format may differ between jurisdictions, the record usually contains the following.

• Personal information from the suspect including full name, date of birth, gender, race, and physical descriptions such as height, weight, eye color, and hair color
• Fingerprints, mugshots, and other biometric data
• Description of the crime, including the charges brought and the statute violated by the crime
• Details of the arrest, including the location, date and time, arresting agency, and arresting officers

Sometimes, the arrest record may include court case details and outcomes such as docket information, bail bond details, court location, court dates, and the outcome of the case if available.

Ionia County Arrest Statistics

The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office submits arrest data to the FBI, which is available online on the FBI Crime Data Explorer. The statistics submitted in 2020 show that about 320 arrests were reported by the sheriff’s office, minus arrests from traffic offenses. This total includes 32 arrests for simple assaults, 48 arrests for driving under intoxication, 12 arrests for drug-related offenses, 8 for aggravated assaults, eight arrests for larceny, eight arrests for burglary, five arrests for vandalism, and one arrest each for robbery, arson, and embezzlement.

Find Ionia County Arrest Records

Ionia County arrest records may be available from the Records Division of the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office. Record seekers may make inquiries about obtaining arrest records and inmate records by calling Sheriff Records at (616) 527-5737 or the Jail/Inmate Information line at (616) 527-5390. They may also choose to visit the Sheriff’s Office in person, but it may be prudent to call before the visit. Information such as the subject’s or inmate’s full name and date of birth is required when requesting arrest records.

Arrest records and inmate information may be available online via the Michigan Department of Corrections Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS). The system only provides records about inmates, parolees, and probationers arrested and sentenced to serve jail time in prisons operated by the state Department of Corrections.

Free Arrest Record Search in Ionia County

Interested parties may be able to arrange a free Ionia County arrest record search by contacting the records department of the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office. Record seekers may visit the office in person at:

Ionia County Sheriff’s Office

133 Adams Street
Ionia, MI 48846.

They may also call ahead at (616) 527-5737 to inquire if they may inspect the record for free at the records department. It should be noted that although inspection of records may be free, obtaining physical copies will usually incur a copy fee.

Ionia County arrest records may also be available for free online from third-party websites. These websites compile public records from different jurisdictions and offer access online. However, most of them do not have any affiliations with official government resources.

Ionia County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Criminal records and arrest records are both records that are created by a person's interactions with law enforcement. While arrest records mainly consider the individual’s arrests, criminal records are more extensive.

An individual’s criminal records document all aspects of their criminal history including arrests, warrants, bookings, court case information, verdicts, and any jail time served. They consist of different documents from various agencies and can be quite extensive.

Alternatively, arrest records only cover the individual’s arrests and are generated by the arresting agency. The records usually contain details such as the subject’s person and physical information, specifications of the crimes, and the events of the arrest, such as the location and arresting agency.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Michigan, an arrest will usually remain on a person's record indefinitely unless they take certain steps to seal or expunge it. This will remove the arrest from the record and it will no longer appear during requests or criminal history checks. Michigan has different time frames before crimes can be sealed or expunged. For example, certain felony crimes can only be expunged after ten years.

Expunge Ionia County Arrest Records

Expungement is a legal process to remove a criminal offense from an individual’s public record.

Michigan’s Clean Slate Law from 2021 increased the kinds of offenses that could be expunged and allowed automatic removal for some offenses without a petition.

The process of expungement or setting aside a criminal record is covered by Michigan Compiled Law Sections 780.621 to 780.624. An applicant only qualifies for expungement if they meet certain criteria listed in Section 780.621. By law, the following offenses do not qualify for setting aside or expungement.

• Any offenses punishable by life imprisonment
• Assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct
• Possessing material depicting sexual abuse of a child or committing child sexual abuse
• Felony domestic violence when an applicant has any previous misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence
• Criminal sexual crimes of the second-degree, third-degree, and fourth-degree
• Any offenses related to human-trafficking
• Second-degree child abuse
• Certain traffic offenses, such as any convictions for commercial driver’s license violations, driving while intoxicated, or traffic offenses that caused injury or death
• Terrorism-related offenses, including convictions for attempts to commit such offenses
• Computer-based/online sex crime offenses

Applicants may begin the process by checking their eligibility and downloading the necessary forms using the Applications and Checklists on the Michigan State Expungement Website. The following are general steps for expunging or setting aside misdemeanors or adult felony offenses.

• Use the Michigan State Police's (MSP) Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT) to look through your criminal history and confirm your eligibility.
• Download and fill out all the appropriate application forms
• Contact the court where you were convicted and obtain certified copies of your conviction record
• Obtain a set of valid fingerprints from your local law enforcement agency
• Send the complete application, including forms, certified convictions, and fingerprints, to the convicting court, the Michigan State Police, and the Michigan Attorney General
• Pay the filing fees of $50 in a money order or check payable to the State of Michigan
• Wait for a response from the prosecuting attorney, the Michigan State Police, and the Michigan Attorney General
• Obtain a date for your hearing from the court and attend the hearing where a judge will hear the case and grant or deny the petition
• If the application is granted, make sure to obtain a copy of the expungement order and ensure that the court clerk sends copies of the order to all parties concerned

Applicants should note that the full expungement process could take as many as six months to complete. After an expungement order is granted, the record is expunged and will no longer appear on the person’s record.

Ionia County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are legal documents authorizing law enforcement agents to take the subject of the warrant into custody on suspicion of committing a crime. Section 764 of the Michigan Compiled Laws empowers judges and magistrates of the district court to issue arrest warrants for individuals suspected of committing felonies, misdemeanors, and other crimes.

To issue an arrest warrant, a judge or court magistrate must receive written authority signed by the prosecuting attorney and filed with the judge. This written complaint must show the judge adequate probable cause that the person named on the warrant committed the crime. Complaints and warrants can also be signed and issued using electronic methods. In such cases, the receiving law enforcement agency must verify the warrant is valid before executing it.

When the warrant is issued and verified, law enforcement agents may actively search for the subject, apprehend them, and bring them before a judge.

Ionia County arrest warrants issued in Michigan will generally contain the following details.

• The name and physical description of the suspect on the warrant, including any aliases.
• The crimes committed and the charges against them.
• Instructions for law enforcement agents to apprehend them and bring them before a court in the appropriate jurisdiction.
• The law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions authorized to apprehend the suspect.
• The signatures of the judge/magistrate who issued the warrant and the complainant/prosecutor who requested it.

Do Ionia County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Arrest warrants in Michigan do not expire. This simply means an arrest warrant continues to be active until the subject is caught, surrenders, or dies. Sometimes, a judge may cancel or withdraw a warrant if it is proven to be in error or unfair. This will usually involve a petition by the subject of the warrant or their legal representative and a court hearing.