Clinton County Arrest Records

Clinton County arrest records are formal documentation of arrests in the county. Law enforcement agencies generate these records with the authority to make arrests within Clinton County. These include local law enforcement agencies like the County Sheriff's Office and municipal police department, as well as other relevant state and federal agencies.

Generally, Clinton County arrest records are significant because they have numerous applications. For instance, they may be reviewed for legal research and criminal investigations. Arrest records are among several types of criminal justice records that provide information about an individual's criminal past in the county. As a result, arrest records may come up during background checks along with other records, like Clinton County Court Records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Clinton County?

Yes. Per the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), codified in Pennsylvania Statutes (PS) §§ 101 to 3104, records of government entities are presumed public records. Clinton County arrest records are subject to the law. Hence, most arrest records are public and accessible to anyone upon request.

However, exempt records under PS § 708 are protected by a privilege and are not publicly available under the RTKL. Examples of these records include records of ongoing investigations, juvenile records, and expunged records.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Public arrest records in Clinton County usually contain the following information:

• The arrestee's full name and age
• The arrestee's physical features, including height, weight, race, gender, and eye and hair color
• The arrestee's mugshot
• Description of the alleged offense and applicable statute
• Arrest date, location, and reference ID
• The arresting officer and agency's details
• Charges details
• Bail/bond details, such as the bail amount.

Clinton County Arrest Statistics

According to the Arrest Distribution Report provided by the Pennsylvania UCR Program, 961 arrests were made in Clinton County in 2023. Of this total, 140 (14.6%) were juvenile arrests, and 821 (84.4%) were adult arrests. Overall, Clinton County saw a 15.7% decline in arrests in 2023 compared to 2022, when there were 848 total arrests reported, with juveniles and adults accounting for 10% (85) and 90% (763) of arrests, respectively.

Find Clinton County Arrest Records

As alluded to, local law enforcement agencies generate and maintain Clinton County arrest records. Hence, record seekers can direct requests for arrest records to these agencies, which include the Clinton County Sheriff's Office and local police departments. Note that these agencies can only provide public records of arrests they are responsible for conducting or facilitating. Therefore, record seekers must ascertain which agency was responsible for the arrest whose record they seek to direct their request for Clinton County arrest records properly.

Local police departments are usually the first point of contact between law enforcement and Clinton County's communities. As a result, they are usually responsible for most arrests made within the municipality over which they have jurisdiction. For instance, interested persons can contact the Lock Haven Police Department for arrests within the City of Lock Haven and the Pine Creek Police Department for arrests conducted within Pine Creek Township.

Most local police departments accept in-person requests for arrest records they maintain. Meanwhile, some agencies may accept other remote request methods, like mail-in requests, for those who can not come in person. It is generally advised to contact an agency to inquire about what they allow. Nonetheless, record seekers must supply some information about the record they wish to request to assist in locating the records. These include basic information about the arrest, such as the arrestee's name, location, and approximate date.

The Clinton County Sheriff's Office and state or federal law enforcement agencies may also make arrests within Clinton County. In such cases, the arrestee may be booked into the Clinton County Correctional Facility or housed in the facilities the arresting agency operates. Hence, record seekers can contact the arresting agency to make queries about arrest records or the County Correctional Facility's admin to inquire about recent bookings.

Free Arrest Record Search in Clinton County

Interested persons can access or conduct a free search for Clinton County arrest records online through certain third parties. These sites are accessible through popular search engines like Google, and they are usually viewable as a list or searchable by the subject's full name and city. In most cases, these third-party websites may only provide basic information about an arrest for free, while more detailed reports are hidden behind a paywall.

It is worth noting that some law enforcement agencies may allow records seekers to inspect public arrest records for free on-site at their station or office. In such cases, interested persons can visit the agency during regular office hours to request records. Notwithstanding, these agencies may charge requesters a fee for copies of arrest records they request.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. According to the Pennsylvania Municipal Record Manual, local police departments in Clinton County can retain arrest records connected to Homicide/Suspicious Deaths cases for 75 years. However, these records are usually shared with other government agencies with varying retention schedules. Hence, unless an arrest record gets expunged, it can permanently remain on an individual's criminal record.

Expunge Clinton County Arrest Records

Expungement entails erasing a subject's criminal history, such as an arrest or conviction. In Clinton County, arrest records may be expunged or sealed under PS § 9122. The statute outlines the eligibility requirement for expungement. According to the statute, a person may be eligible to have their record expunged if:

• They are over 70 years old and have been free from criminal proceedings for the past 10 years.
• They were convicted of a summary offense, and five (5) years have passed since they completed their sentences.
• They were offered a chance to participate in an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program instead of a conviction, and they have completed the program.
• Their criminal charges were dismissed or withdrawn.

Meanwhile, individuals convicted of certain misdemeanors may also be eligible to have their records sealed under PS § 9122. This is limited to 2nd-degree, 3rd-degree, and ungraded misdemeanor offenses, with certain exceptions. Additionally, the subject of the record must wait ten (10) years after completing their relevant sentencing without any additional criminal proceedings before they can become eligible for sealing.

Note that there is a significant difference between sealing and expunging a record. Sealed records are inaccessible to the general public and do not come up during background checks, but they are accessible by eligible government entities, such as criminal justice agencies. Meanwhile, expunged records are typically destroyed and are unavailable to anyone or entities.

In Clinton County, the arrest record expungement process begins with prospective petitioners obtaining their full arrest record and reviewing it to determine whether they are eligible for expungement. Interested persons can obtain their full arrest report through the Pennsylvania State Police Central Repository (RCPU) using Form SP 4-170. Requesters can complete and submit the form with other required items to the RCPU. These required items include

• A $20 fee (via a certified check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)
• A copy of the requester's government-issued photo ID
• A legal affidavit or letter of representation (if applicable)

The completed Form SP 4-170 and other required items should be mailed to the RCPU at:

Pennsylvania State Police
Central Repository – RCPU
1800 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758

The RCPU will return the requesters' complete arrest records as soon as their request is processed. Following a proper examination of their arrest records, prospective petitioners can contact the Clinton County Clerk of Court office for instruction on petitioning the appropriate court for expungement if they discover they are eligible. The petition process usually entails completing and filing the proper expungement court form and paying the required filing fee ($154) to the Clinton County Court of Common Pleas. Subsequently, the court may grant or deny the petition.

Clinton County Arrest Warrants

A Clinton County arrest warrant is an enforceable court order that grants law enforcement officers the right to arrest an individual due to an alleged crime. An arrest warrant may be issued when a police officer submits an affidavit to a judge accusing a defendant of a crime. If the judge is convinced that the affidavit contains sufficient probable cause to believe the accused committed the crime, they may issue an arrest warrant. Information a valid arrest warrant must contain includes:

• The defendant's name or a detailed description can be used to identify them with reasonable certainty.
• A description of the alleged crime and probable cause merited the warrant issuance.
• The issuing judge's signature.
• The warrant date, time of issuance, and the host city and county.

Do Clinton County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Clinton County arrest warrant remains active until its subject is arrested, dies, or the issuing judge recalls or quashes the warrant.