Mason County Arrest Records

Under the Michigan Code of Criminal Procedure, a peace officer in Mason County may arrest an individual under various circumstances. This includes when a person commits an offense in the officer's presence, when the officer has reasonable cause to believe that a specific individual is responsible for an offense, even if the offense occurred in their absence, or when there is an active warrant. After the arrest, the individual must be brought before a magistrate in the judicial district where the person is being charged, along with a formal complaint stating the charge against the person.

However, not all arrests result in a trial. An arresting Sheriff or local police officer may choose not to pursue charges where appropriate. When charges are filed and the case goes to court, the proceedings become part of the Mason County Court Records. If the court trial results in a conviction and the arrested individual is sentenced to prison, the conviction will also become part of the inmate's records. Individuals convicted in Mason County are typically held at the Mason County Jail, 302 N Delia Street, Ludington.

Are Arrest Records Public in Mason County?

All arrest logbooks and data in the Sheriff's custody are public records. The Michigan Freedom of Information Act guarantees the right of every adult citizen to inspect and copy public records, including arrest records. To enable the department to locate the record, a written request describing it must be submitted. The arrest record will be released, provided no existing statute, ordinance, or rule exempts the file from public disclosure.

Mason County Sheriff's Office
302 N. Delia St.
Ludington, MI 49431
email: sheriff@masoncounty.net
main line (231) 843-3475
fax admin (231) 843-1814

Note: Confidential details may only be disclosed if public interest in the disclosure outweighs the public interest in non-disclosure.

Mason County Arrest Statistics

According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data, the Sheriff's Office recorded 17 violent crimes in 2018, which included 3 cases of robbery, nine aggravated assaults, five rape, and no murders. In the same year, property crimes totaled 119, with 30 burglaries, 80 thefts, nine motor vehicle thefts, and zero arson cases recorded.

Find Mason County Arrest Records

Individuals seeking arrest or inmate information in Mason County may contact the Mason County Sheriff's Office at (231) 843-3475 or by email to receive an FOIA Request Form. They can also stop by the Sheriff's Office at:

302 N Delia St. Ludington,
MI 49431

Requesters are advised to have their report number ready when filling out the FOIA Request Form.

Since the court system is primarily responsible for issuing sentences and administering jail time, arrest and incarceration details may be found among the Mason County court records. For arrest records related to court proceedings, MICOURT Case Search offers a convenient platform for accessing them remotely.

To obtain a record, a user must follow this procedure:

• Review and accept the terms of service
• Tick the "I'm not a robot" checkbox and complete the follow-up task by selecting the appropriate images until a green arrow appears.
• Click continue
• Enter a party name or a file number, then click submit.
• Once the search results load, users can scroll through the list and click a specific file number to view the register of actions, or use the available filters to narrow down search results.

The Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) also offers public information about prisoners, parolees, and probationers currently serving time in state prison or being discharged within the last three years.

To search for an inmate, users must first accept the service terms, then proceed to enter the following information in the search field before clicking search to initiate a database query:

• Last Name
• First Name
• MDOC Number
• Sex
• Race
• Age
• Offender Status

OTIS does NOT contain:

• Records exempt under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
• Records of individuals arrested and convicted but not yet sentenced.
• Information about those held in county jails or city lockups, or about offenders who were sentenced to jail only (Jails are run by counties. State prisons are operated by the MDOC)

Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator

The Bureau of Prisons Inmates Locator tool offers convenience to individuals who wish to find records of inmates confined in federal custody. To find an inmate, a user must enter certain details that sufficiently identify the incarcerated subject into the search field. These include the inmate's full name, BOP number, FBI number, and other relevant information that may be required.

Mason County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

An arrest record is an official document that records the apprehension of an individual by a peace officer based on reasonable belief that they may have been involved in a crime. Beyond details reflecting the fact that an arrest occurred, arrest records do not indicate whether the case was prosecuted, the outcome of the court trial, such as conviction or acquittal, or sentencing information. Those details can only be found in a criminal record. A criminal record documents not just the arrest, but the outcome as well.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Information about an individual's arrest may stay on record forever, unless the conviction is expunged (set aside) by the sentencing court or by operation of law.
Under the Michigan Legislature MCL 780.621 and 780.621g, an arrest record that resulted in a conviction will automatically become expunged by operation of law, without the filing of an application, if:

• It is a misdemeanor conviction, and 7 years have passed since the sentencing date.
• For felony convictions, if 10 years have passed after the sentencing date or the completion of the sentencing, whichever comes last.

Only two felony convictions and four misdemeanor convictions recorded and maintained in the Department of state police database may be set aside during an individual's lifetime. The expungement limit does not apply to misdemeanors for which the maximum punishment is 92 days or less.

Some arrests or convictions stay on record forever and cannot be expunged:

• An assaultive crime.
• A serious misdemeanor.
• A crime of dishonesty.
• Offenses punishable with an imprisonment term of 10 or more years.
• Crimes involving a minor, vulnerable adult, or resulting in injury or serious impairment, or death.
• Any violation related to human trafficking.

Mason County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a court order directing a law enforcement agency to arrest a person and bring them before the court to answer to the charge alleged in a prior complaint. A district court magistrate has jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants upon the written request of the prosecuting or municipal attorney.
The court must issue a summons, instead of a warrant, unless certain conditions apply:

• The complaint is for an assaultive crime or an offense involving domestic violence
• There is reason to believe that the person against whom the complaint was made will not appear upon a summons
• The issuance of a summons poses a risk to public safety
• The prosecutor requested a warrant

If none of these circumstances exist, the court must issue a summons.
A typical arrest warrant contains:

• The name of the person to be arrested
• The description of the crime
• The signature of the committing magistrate

Do Mason County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Once issued, an arrest warrant stays valid and enforceable until the person named in the warrant is apprehended or the court formally cancels or quashes it.

Expunge Mason County Arrest Records

For a conviction to be set aside, the following conditions must be present:

• The waiting period required has elapsed.
• No criminal charges are pending in the state police database against the applicant.
• The applicant has not been convicted of any criminal offense recorded and maintained in the Department of State police database during the applicable period.