Adams County Booking Reports

Adams County booking reports are kept by the Sheriff's Office in Decatur, Indiana. These records show who was booked into the Adams County Jail, what charges were filed, and when the arrest took place. The Adams County Sheriff's Office handles all booking records for the county and makes them available to the public under Indiana law. You can search for recent arrests, get copies of jail logs, and look up current inmates through the methods listed on this page. Adams County processes all local arrests through a single booking facility on Jefferson Street in Decatur.

Adams County Sheriff Booking Records

The Adams County Sheriff's Office is the main source for booking reports in the county. It sits at 313 S. Jefferson St. in Decatur. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. You can walk in and ask to see booking records during those hours. Staff at the Records Division will help you find what you need. There is no fee to look at records in person, though copies do cost money.

Phone requests are also an option. Call (260) 724-5345 during business hours and ask for booking report details. Give the staff a name or a date range and they can look it up. Mail requests go to the same address: 313 S. Jefferson St., Decatur, IN 46733. Put your request in writing, include the name and date of the arrest if you know it, and allow 3 to 5 business days for a response. The email address for the Adams County Sheriff's Office is sheriffsoffice@co.adams.in.us.

Note: Photo ID is required for all in-person records requests at the Adams County Sheriff's Office.

What Adams County Booking Reports Show

A booking report from Adams County lists the facts of an arrest. The law spells out what must be in it. Under IC 5-14-3-5, every booking report must include the name, age, and address of the person arrested. It also shows the charges, the time and place of the arrest, and which officer or agency made the arrest. Bond or bail amounts are listed too, if a judge has set them.

Adams County booking reports also contain a booking number, the date of birth, and a photograph of the person. The arresting agency is listed along with the specific statutes cited in the charges. All of this is public record. Anyone can ask to see it. You do not need to give a reason for your request under Indiana's Access to Public Records Act.

Online Booking Records in Adams County

Adams County does not run its own online jail roster at this time. The county has a smaller jail and limited web tools compared to some of the larger counties in Indiana. For current inmate status, your best bet is to call the jail at (260) 724-5345. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody and what their charges are.

You can also check VINELink for custody status updates. VINELink is a free service that lets you search for people held in Indiana jails. It covers Adams County and all other counties in the state. You can sign up to get alerts when someone's custody status changes. The toll-free number for VINE is 1-866-959-8463.

The Indiana MyCase portal is another way to search for court case details tied to Adams County booking reports. It shows case filings, charges, and court dates. This can help fill in the gaps if a booking report alone does not give you enough details about a case in Adams County.

Note: Adams County booking records from active investigations may be withheld under IC 5-14-3-4.

Adams County Booking Record Fees

Looking at booking reports at the Adams County Sheriff's Office costs nothing. You can walk in and inspect records for free. Copies are where fees come in. Incident reports cost $5 per report. Accident reports are also $5 each. Certified copies run an extra $1 per page on top of that.

Under IC 5-14-3-8, copy fees for public records in Indiana are capped at $0.10 per page for standard black and white copies. Color copies can cost up to $0.25 per page. The fee only covers paper and machine costs. Labor and overhead cannot be charged. Adams County follows these state rules for all booking record copy requests.

Your Right to Adams County Arrest Records

Indiana law is clear about public access to booking reports. The Access to Public Records Act, found at IC 5-14-3-3, says any person may inspect and copy public records during regular business hours. This includes all booking reports in Adams County. The agency cannot ask why you want the records. That is your right under state law.

IC 5-14-3-5 goes further. It lists the exact data that must be released when someone is arrested or booked into jail. The name, age, address, charges, time and location of arrest, arresting officer, and arresting agency must all be made public. If someone is placed in the Adams County Jail, the reason for their stay, the date and time they were received, and any bond amount must also be shared. These are not optional disclosures. The law says the Adams County Sheriff's Office "shall" make this data available.

There are limits. Juvenile records are not public. Records from an active investigation can be held back under IC 5-14-3-4. Some documents may need a subpoena. But the basic booking report for any adult arrest in Adams County is a public record and must be given to anyone who asks.

Daily Arrest Log for Adams County

The Adams County Sheriff's Office keeps a daily arrest log as required by IC 5-14-3-5(c). This log lists all suspected crimes, accidents, and complaints reported to the agency. It must show the time, substance, and location of each complaint, along with how the agency responded. The log must be created within 24 hours of the report.

You can ask to see the daily log at the Sheriff's Office in Decatur. It may also be posted on the Adams County Sheriff website or their Facebook page when available. The log is updated each day and includes basic details about every arrest that took place in Adams County.

Expungement of Adams County Records

Some booking reports in Adams County can be removed from public view through expungement. Under IC 35-38-8, Indiana allows people to petition the court to seal certain records. The waiting periods depend on the outcome of the case. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction can be expunged after one year. Misdemeanor convictions require a five-year wait. Felony convictions need eight years before you can file.

If a record has been expunged, it will not show up in a booking report search from Adams County. The Indiana State Police handle expungement processing at the state level. Contact them at Expungement@isp.IN.gov or call (317) 234-4427 for questions about the process.

Note: Expunged records are removed from public databases but may still exist in sealed court files.

State Resources for Adams County Records

Several state agencies hold records that tie to Adams County booking reports. The Indiana Department of Correction Offender Locator shows people currently in state prison. If someone was booked in Adams County and later sent to a state facility, you can track them there. The Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History search shows felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests across Indiana. It costs $15 per search.

Under IC 5-14-3-9, any public agency in Indiana must respond to a records request within seven days. This applies to the Adams County Sheriff's Office and every other agency in the state. If they need more time, they must tell you and give a reason. You can also submit formal requests through the state APRA portal.

Nearby Counties

If you are not sure which county handled a booking, check the arrest location. These counties share borders with Adams County and each has its own booking process.