Montgomery County Booking Reports

Montgomery County booking reports are kept by the Sheriff's Office in Crawfordsville, Indiana. About 38,000 people live in the county, and Crawfordsville serves as the county seat. When arrests happen here, the booking data becomes part of the public record. You can get these records from the sheriff's office by phone, in person, or through a written request. State databases also provide ways to search for arrest and jail data tied to Montgomery County. This page explains how each method works.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Records

Sheriff Ryan Needham oversees the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at 600 Memorial Dr. in Crawfordsville. The jail sits at the same address. When someone is arrested and booked in Montgomery County, the booking report captures their name, age, address, charges, the arresting officer, and the date and time of the arrest. All of this information is public under IC 5-14-3-5.

Call (765) 362-3740 to check on a recent booking. Staff can tell you if someone is in the jail and what they are charged with. For a formal copy of a booking report, visit the office during business hours. You can also fax a request to (765) 362-3744 or send an email to sheriff@montgomerycounty.in.gov. Written requests should include the person's name and an approximate arrest date.

Accessing Booking Reports in Montgomery County

Indiana's Access to Public Records Act makes booking data open to everyone. You do not need to be related to the person. You do not need a legal reason. The law at IC 5-14-3-3 is clear on this. Any person can inspect and copy public records during regular hours. The Montgomery County Sheriff cannot turn you away because you refuse to explain why you want the booking report.

The agency has seven days to respond to your request. That deadline comes from IC 5-14-3-9. If they need more time, they must notify you. Copy fees are set by IC 5-14-3-8: no more than ten cents per page for standard copies. Color copies can go up to twenty-five cents. These fees only cover the cost of paper and printing. Labor and overhead cannot be charged to you.

If the Montgomery County Sheriff denies your request, they must explain why in writing. The burden is on the agency to show a valid reason for withholding records. Basic booking information has no exceptions. It must be disclosed. If you believe a denial was wrong, the Indiana Public Access Counselor can review your complaint.

Note: Requests sent by email typically get a faster response than those sent by regular mail.

Montgomery County Arrest Records Online

Montgomery County does not maintain its own public inmate lookup tool at this time. However, state-level databases fill some of that gap. The Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History tool lets you run a name search for $15. It covers felonies and Class A misdemeanors. The result shows up as a PDF that expires after 14 days. Even a search that returns nothing is a completed request and costs the full fee.

The Indiana State Police also offers broader criminal history services through their office. You can reach them at (317) 232-8262 or by email at CriminalHistory@isp.IN.gov. For fingerprint-based checks, the provider is Idemia, reachable at (877) 472-6917. These options go deeper than the online tool and may capture records that the limited search misses.

The screenshot below shows the ISP's APRA portal where you can submit formal records requests to Indiana State Police for data that includes Montgomery County arrests.

The MyCase portal from the Indiana courts is free. It covers Montgomery County Circuit Court cases. Search by name to see charges, filings, and case outcomes. This does not give you the booking report itself, but it shows what happened after the arrest.

Montgomery County Daily Crime Log

The sheriff's office in Crawfordsville keeps a daily log of all suspected crimes, accidents, and complaints. IC 5-14-3-5 requires this. The log has to be created within 24 hours of each report. It includes the time, location, and nature of every complaint plus how the agency responded.

This daily log is public. You can go to the sheriff's office and ask to see it. The log gives you a broader view than individual booking reports because it covers everything reported that day, not just arrests. If a crime was alleged, the entry shows the time, date, location, victim name (unless it was a sex crime), a description of what happened, and any injuries or weapons involved. It is a useful tool for anyone who wants to stay on top of what is going on in Montgomery County.

Tracking Montgomery County Jail Inmates

VINELink is a free option for checking custody status in Montgomery County. Search by name to see if someone is in the jail. You can register for phone or email alerts if you want to know when someone gets released. The toll-free number is 1-866-959-8463.

If someone from Montgomery County was sentenced to state prison, the IDOC Offender Locator tracks their location. It shows the facility, projected release date, and basic offense information. This is a free tool that covers all 18 adult prisons operated by the Indiana Department of Correction. For detailed offender records, submit a request through the IDOC APRA Portal. That request becomes part of the public log.

Between VINELink for jail status and IDOC tools for prison records, you can track someone through the system after they leave the Montgomery County jail. These state resources complement the local data you get from the sheriff.

Note: The Indiana Sheriffs' Association at indianasheriffs.org maintains a directory of all county sheriff contacts if you need to reach neighboring offices.

Expunged Booking Records in Montgomery County

Indiana allows certain records to be sealed through expungement. The rules are in IC 35-38-8. If someone's arrest did not lead to a conviction, they can petition for expungement after one year. Misdemeanor convictions have a five-year wait. Felonies take eight years or longer depending on the offense class. Once a Montgomery County booking report is expunged, it disappears from public searches.

This explains why some searches come up empty. If you expected to find a booking report and it is not there, expungement may be the reason. The ISP handles the processing. Their expungement section can be reached at Expungement@isp.IN.gov or (317) 234-4427.

Nearby Counties

Montgomery County borders several west-central Indiana counties. Each county runs its own jail and keeps separate booking reports.