Texas County Arrest Records

Arrests happen when peace officers lawfully restrict a person's liberty based on probable cause that the person committed a criminal act. The procedure after an arrest in Texas County typically involves transporting the suspect to a nearby police station or the county jail, where officers will collect the individual's biodata, offense details, fingerprints, and photographs and enter all into a computer system (also called "booking").

The arrest record is a product of the booking process, which also creates a few other reports to track an offender through the criminal justice system and provide essential information to criminal justice personnel (law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, etc). The law enforcement agency whose officers made an arrest typically maintains the associated record.

To citizens, an arrest record is useful for monitoring law enforcement activity, investigating crime trends, and assessing potential risks within the community. However, these records do not prove that a person was later convicted or sentenced for a crime, for which the Texas County court records are excellent resources.

Are Arrest Records Public in Texas County?

Yes. In Texas County, arrest records are classified as "open records" under the Missouri Sunshine Law (Chapter 610, RSMo). The Sunshine Law grants widespread access to governmental information, including arrests, ensuring anybody can scrutinize and hold accountable public bodies' activities, operations, or deliberations.

Nevertheless, open access does not imply absolute access, and certain records are not released publicly to safeguard individual privacy, ongoing investigations, and other legitimate government interests. These records, listed in § 610.100, RSMo and other applicable laws, include the following:

• Juvenile offender files
• Graphic crime scene photographs and videos
• Arrest records of persons not charged within 30 days
• Records or portions of records, which, if released, would jeopardize a criminal investigation
• Mobile video recordings and investigative reports of law enforcement agencies until the investigation becomes inactive.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The following arrest information is accessible to the public through a Texas County law enforcement agency:

• Full government name of the arrested person (or arrestee)
• Arrestee's age, sex, and race
• Arrest time, date, and location
• Arresting agency
• Charge
• Holding facility
• Bail amount
• Release information

Texas County Arrest Statistics

According to the Crime in Missouri reports published by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP), Texas County reported 266 arrests in 2024. These arrests were categorized as follows:

• Crimes Against Persons: 94 arrests
• Crimes Against Property: 103 arrests
• Crimes Against Society: 58 arrests
• Group B Offenses: 11 arrests

Within the Crimes Against Property category (which recorded a higher frequency of arrests), shoplifting was the most recurring offense, totaling 40 arrests (38.3% of property crime arrests and 15% of the 2024 arrest total). Burglary/breaking & entering followed with 16 arrests (15.5% of property crime arrests and 6% of the total), and counterfeiting/forgery resulted in nine arrests (8.7% of property crime arrests and 3.4% of the total).

Individuals in the 35-44 age group were arrested most often, representing approximately 27% of all arrests (72 individuals).

Find Texas County Arrest Records

Arrest records in Texas County can be obtained from city arresting agencies—like the Cabool, Houston, and Licking Police Departments—and the Texas County Sheriff's Office.

When submitting an arrest record inquiry to a Texas County agency, the requester is expected to provide sufficient information to aid record retrieval, such as an arrestee's name, birth date, or alias. Requesters are also liable for any copy fees that arise from their requests.

It should be noted that local police agencies do not maintain information about arrested persons who were later transferred to state or federal custody. To find state prisoners, a person can access the Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) Offender Search portal, and federal prisoners can be located using the Bureau of Prisons' Federal Inmate Search system.

Interestingly, criminal history record information requests can also be submitted to the MSHP to obtain Texas County arrest information reported by local agencies to the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. The MSHP provides a Personal Identifier Search (or name-based search) that reveals arrest record information and other open records to paying applicants. The fee is $15 per request. However, subjects of records can also conduct a fingerprint search for $20 per request to obtain closed or complete records. More information is available on the MSHP's Criminal Record Check web page.

Free Arrest Record Search in Texas County

Members of the public can generally inspect arrest records at any Texas County law enforcement department for free. No fees may be assessed to see or view an arrest record.

They can also access private aggregator websites that allow free record searches across numerous U.S. jurisdictions. A search on such third-party sites typically requires a person's first and last name, with additional filters available to narrow search results. However, users may need to pay for comprehensive records.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests may remain on a person's criminal record throughout their lifetime, as no Missouri statute permits the deletion or withdrawal of these records across all agencies once a particular timeline has run. However, certain defendants may qualify to have their records expunged or sealed by the court, which essentially removes such information from the public's view.

Expunge Texas County Arrest Records

In Texas County, arrest records are expunged under §§ 610.122 through 610.126, RSMo. According to these laws, an accused individual can obtain an expungement from the Texas County Circuit Court when:

• The court finds that the arrest was made based on false information, and the following conditions apply:
  • No probable cause exists at the time of the expungement action to believe the defendant committed the offense
  • No charges will result from the arrest, and
  • The defendant received no suspended imposition of sentence for the arrest offense or any related offense.

Or

• The offense for which the defendant was arrested for, or subsequently charged with, is a misdemeanor offense per Chapter 303 or any moving violation, as defined under § 302.010, RSMo, except for an intoxication-related traffic offense, and the following conditions apply:
  • Each related offense or violation was subsequently nolle prossed or dismissed, or the defendant was found not guilty
  • The defendant holds no commercial driver's license and, at the time of the arrest, was not operating a commercial motor vehicle.

Also, in any of the above scenarios, there must be no pending civil action related to the arrest or record(s) being petitioned for expungement, and the arrest must have occurred in Texas County.

Individuals who meet the above criteria can fill out Form CR 145: Petition for Expungement of Arrest Records, identifying all police departments, courts, prosecuting attorneys, central state repositories of criminal records, or others that may have the record(s) on file. This form and the appropriate filing fees should be submitted to the Texas County Circuit Clerk's Office.

Upon filing the petition, the circuit court will set a hearing at least 30 days from the filing date and notify the prosecuting attorney and other officials, agencies, or entities named in the petition. If the court approves the petition, it will enter an order of expungement directing all custodians to restrict public access. Subsequently, the expunged records will be available only to the subject of the record or by court order.

Notably, Missouri provides other kinds of expungements, including those of arrests, pleas, trials, or convictions pertaining to certain offenses (§ 610.140, RSMo). As such, legal counsel is recommended to understand one's options.

Texas County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are written orders from courts to law enforcement agencies. They request the arrest of an individual alleged to have committed a crime or disobeyed a court order and command the police to bring the accused before a magistrate to be dealt with according to law. Such writs identify or describe the accused person; state the offense, issuing date, and issuing county; carry the issuing official's signature, and specify any conditions for release.

Nonetheless, Missouri law and the Fourth Amendment mandate a probable cause determination before a Texas County magistrate or clerk can issue an arrest warrant. These regulations require the requesting law enforcement official to provide sufficient facts and circumstances in a complaint to establish probable cause. The court will only approve an arrest warrant after determining that probable cause for the arrest exists.

Do Texas County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, Texas County arrest warrants never expire. Once issued, they remain in effect until the subjects turn themselves in or are arrested by the police. However, courts have the authority to quash or cancel arrest warrants upon finding good cause.