Clearfield County Arrest Records

Law enforcement agents in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, must have reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime before they can make an arrest. In some circumstances, the police officer will have reasonable suspicion to detain the suspect at the scene of the alleged crime. In other cases, after receiving a crime report, the police begin an investigation and subsequently make an arrest.

Clearfield County arrest records detail why a person was arrested, for what crime, and the circumstances leading to an arrest. A comprehensive arrest record also serves as a means of initiating criminal proceedings and could provide information about an individual's criminal history. These records are typically held by law enforcement but may also be featured within Clearfield County court records, especially if the arrestee is eventually indicted.

Are Arrest Records Public in Clearfield County?

Yes, arrest records are public per the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act and according to Title 18 Subchapter C of the Pennsylvania legislature. The Right to Know Act allows arrest records, including arrest data, affidavits, and incident reports, to be made available to interested members of the general public if they are legally requested. Arrest records also fall under "criminal records information" and, per the state legislature, can be disseminated to the general public. State law, however, exempts specific categories of arrest records from public access. Some exempt records include:

• Juvenile arrest records
• Arrest records that indicate the victims of child abuse
• Records relating to protection from abuse

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The following information is recorded as part of a Clearfield County arrest record and is made available to members of the public:

• The name of the arrested individual (including any aliases)
• The number of arrests and dates of arrest (if multiple)
• A mugshot of the detained person
• Charges associated with arrest
• Age of the suspect
• Height
• Date of birth
• Arresting agency
• Gender
• Name of holding facility
• Name of the county where the suspect is held
• Incident report regarding arrest

Clearfield County Arrest Statistics

Statistics from the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting show that 717 arrests were made in 2023 by all the law enforcement agencies in the county, a 37% decrease from the previous year. Most of the arrests made were for simple assault (440), which made up 53% of the arrests made by law enforcement. The second most arrests were for theft (159), which makes up 22% of the recorded arrests. Other prevalent crimes during that year were burglary (43) and aggravated assault (49), which made up 6% and 7% of the arrests made, respectively.

The least number of arrests was for murder, robbery, and rape, with only 1, 3, and 7 arrests made for these crimes, respectively.

Find Clearfield County Arrest Records

Interested persons may find Clearfield County arrest records by visiting law enforcement agencies in the county. These agencies include state police, city police, sheriffs, and campus police divisions. In Clearfield county, they maintain arrest records for persons apprehended and charged by the agency. A crime reporting system is also used to publish arrest records across different agencies; hence, individuals can request arrest records from one agency through another. A few city police in the county maintain online arrest logs that can be used to get limited arrest record information.

Each office has a records room that responds to requests for arrest records in person. Interested persons may also call the police department to inquire about the availability of these records and to check if the arrest records of interest are publicly available. Most departments also allow mail-in requests for arrest records.

While requesting arrest records, requestors will need to provide the following information to make the request:

• The name of the person on the arrest record
• The date and time of the arrest
• Arrest record number(if known)
• A valid means of identification

Anyone arrested and held at any facility in Clearfield County can be looked up using the Pennsylvania inmate lookup tool. Individuals can search using the name of the person of interest and narrow the search by the name of the exact jail. Those held at the Clearfield County jail can also be looked up online by visiting the county jail webpage.

Clearfield County arrest records can also be found by doing a criminal case docket search of the county's courts. However, the records found will be limited to only arrest records leading to charges and convictions.

Free Arrest Record Search in Clearfield County

A free arrest records search can be performed at the office of law enforcement agencies in Clearfield County. Police departments can waive search fees if individuals cannot afford them. Persons who qualify will be asked to sign a waiver form and a poverty affidavit to document their inability to pay the fee.

An alternative means to perform a free arrest record search is through third-party websites. Third-party sites are online databases run by non-government agencies. Users may search these sites using the person's name on the arrest record and can receive the records. Most free searches from these sites provide limited information to inquirers but can give some valuable arrest record information.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

An arrest will remain on a person's record as long as they live in Clearfield County. Unlike other states in the US, Pennsylvania does not have an Automatic expungement statute. However, a temporary detention record or an arrest record that did not lead to a criminal charge and conviction may be removed from public access per the Pennsylvania police records retention schedule Pa. Code § 15.59. The only way to remove an arrest from a record is to have it expunged per state law.

Expunge Clearfield County Arrest Records

If they qualify, people can choose to have their Clearfield County arrest records sealed or erased; however, sealing and expungement are two different processes. Nonetheless, the applications used to initiate the two procedures are similar.

The legal process of expungement involves removing a person's criminal history records, including arrest records, from public view. Either a single arrest or the complete arrest history may be expunged. In Pennsylvania, arrest warrants can only be erased for the following types of offenses and individuals.

• If no conviction resulted from the arrest
• A person may be eligible for expungement if they have been convicted of a summary offense and have served their sentence without facing any further criminal charges for at least five (5) years.
• A person's arrest records may be expunged if they are above 70 and have not been the subject of any criminal proceedings for at least ten (10) years.
• A person can also have their records expunged if their charges were dismissed.

To apply for the expungement of a record, individuals need to download the Form for Expungement Petition, fill it out, and submit it to the Clearfield County Court of Common Pleas, where the case will be heard per Pa.R.Crim.P. 790. If the application satisfies the stringent requirements set forth by Pennsylvania law, the court will issue an order to effect the expungement.

The arrest record will be deleted once the arresting agency has received the court order signed by a Commonwealth Court judge and signed by the Clerk of Courts.

Even when an arrest record is expunged, law enforcement must maintain a non-public record to identify persons in criminal investigations and determine grading for future offenses.

Clearfield County Arrest Warrants

A Clearfield County arrest warrant is a legal document that permits a law enforcement official to arrest a person of interest in a crime. A judge grants it in a court of law.

To obtain a warrant, a law enforcement officer must apply to a judge and show probable cause to issue a warrant. According to Pennsylvania Code Rule 210, police cannot detain or arrest someone without first demonstrating to a judge that they have reasonable cause to believe that person has committed a crime.

A Clearfield arrest warrant contains the following information:

• The name of the person making the allegations
• The name, date of birth, and address of the suspect
• A statement ordering that law enforcement apprehend the suspect
• The day on which the alleged offense was committed.
• The location of the alleged offense.
• The date the warrant was issued
• The signature of the judge

Interested persons can obtain lists of active arrest warrants by visiting the Clearfield County Sheriff's Department or any police department in the county. Individuals may also find a list of the most wanted persons on official law enforcement websites. Law enforcement agencies in Clearfield County also work with independent online publications to publish active warrants issued by the Clearfield district court.

Do Clearfield County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, once a Clearfield arrest warrant is issued, it remains active until a law enforcement officer executes it. The issuing judge can also recall and make an arrest warrant inactive in light of new evidence.