Columbia County Arrest Records

Arrest records in Columbia County are legal documents that serve as evidence of an individual’s arrest. It documents the reason for the arrest or temporary detention, the nature of the arrest, the charges (if any), and all ensuing interactions with the law enforcement officer/agency.

In Pennsylvania, arrest records are generated by state and local law enforcement agencies (police department, Sheriff's office) and transferred to and maintained by detention centers within the state, courts, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole.

Columbia County arrest records and other related arrest information are accessible at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH), and through Columbia County Court Records (criminal case records) at the county courthouses.

Are Arrest Records Public in Columbia County?

Yes. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know-Law is a body of laws designed to protect and ensure the public’s right of access to public records in the custody of state and local government agencies. The law defines records as information, whether in physical form or otherwise, that documents the activity or transaction of a public agency that is created, received, and retained in line with the law and relation to public business. Public records are records of a local agency that are not exempt under section 708 of the law and are also not exempt from being disclosed by court order or under any federal or state law or regulation.

Per section 708 of the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know-Law, the following records are exempt from public access and may not be disclosed upon request, except in a manner provided by law:

• Any record where such disclosure would reasonably compromise the safety or security of an individual
• Any record or information maintained by any agency in Pennsylvania in connection with law enforcement, public safety and military, and homeland security, where disclosure may threaten public safety
• Medical records
• Personal identification information (social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, personal financial information, email address)
• Confidential or privileged information
• The identity of an undercover law enforcement officer
• The identity of a confidential informant
• Records relating to a criminal investigation
• Any record identifying the name or other personal information of a child 17 years of age or younger

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Public arrest records in Columbia County generally include the information outlined below:

• The identity of the arrested person: their full name, alias (if any), date of birth, and age.
• Physical description of the arrestee: sex, race, height, scars, tattoos, and eye color.
• Mugshot (photograph of the arrested individual)
• Arrest information: Arrest and booking time and date, arresting agency, arrest county, bail amount, place of incarceration, and release information.
• Booking ID
• Charges: A brief description of the charges and the offenses the arrestee/defendant is charged with
• Warrant information (if any)
• Bail and bond information
• Court details: Scheduled court dates
• Holding facility

Columbia County Arrest Statistics

Based on statistics extracted from the FBI Crime Data for Pennsylvania, in 2023, law enforcement agencies in Columbia County made a total of 4005 arrests. 68.6 percent of the arrested persons were male offenders (2746 male-identified arrestees), and the other 31.4 percent were female offenders (1259 female arrestees). The most popular crimes in Columbia County for that year were crimes against society (drug-related offenses) and property crimes. The most prevalent offenses were Drug/Narcotic offenses, driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, larceny, simple assault, aggravated assault, stolen property offenses, and weapon law violations.

Find Columbia County Arrest Records

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is the primary repository for arrest records for its jurisdiction. Arrest records and other law enforcement records are created, received, and retained by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with other city/town/municipal police departments like the Benton Area, Bloomsburg, Catawissa, Hemlock, Locust, and Main Township Police Department, and others.

Researchers may visit or contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for assistance in obtaining arrest and incarceration information. The Sheriff’s Office also maintains an Active Warrant List that includes the names of wanted persons, case number, age, date of birth, type of warrant, and date of issuance.

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office
35 West Main Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
Phone: (570) 389-5622
Fax: (570) 389-5625
tchamberlain@columbiapa.org

Additionally, members of the public may find arrest information online at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Crimewatch website. The Crimewatch website has a section for arrests, including a summary of the incident, warrants, most wanted persons, and other important security information.

A final important resource is the state law enforcement agencies; records of all persons arrested and in the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC), including parolees, may be accessed at the DOC’s Inmate and Parolee Locator. Interested individuals can find state inmate records by searching their names, inmate/parole number, gender, county of arrest, current location (place of incarceration), release date (for parolees), citizenship, and date of birth.

Free Arrest Record Search in Columbia County

Residents of Columbia County can access arrest records for free at the Sheriff’s Office or the office of the municipal police department responsible for that particular arrest. One may also find arrest information in criminal court records. Columbia County criminal court case records contain basic arrest information as well as details about the criminal trial, sentencing, and verdict of the court. These court records may be accessed in person at the Columbia County Court Clerk’s office or online at the Pennsylvania Criminal Court of Common Pleas case information site. However, the availability of information depends on the nature of the record and whether it is subject to non-disclosure laws.

Another viable option is third-party aggregate public records search sites. These privately owned resources index stat records like arrest, incarceration, and court records from multiple jurisdictions for ease of access for users. Although they are not free, researchers can opt for more affordable payment plans. However, records obtained from such sites must be reviewed to ensure that they are updated, error-free, and complete.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Pennsylvania, arrest records remain on an individual's record indefinitely. However, after a period usually prescribed by the Pennsylvania Code of Criminal Procedure has lapsed, an individual may apply to have the record of their arrest expunged. Only arrests that did not result in a criminal conviction may be eligible for expungement. One may also apply to have their records sealed if the application/petition is granted; the similar result is that such records are subject to non-disclosure laws and will no longer be publicly accessible.

Expunge Columbia County Arrest Records

An arrest record may be expunged when the case has been dismissed, the charges dropped, and no conviction is given or recorded in relation to the case. The court with jurisdiction over the case must also certify to the director of the repository (Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History) that there is no conviction or disposition available for that case and that the case has been closed. An arrest record may also be deleted when an individual has been granted unconditional pardon for an offense in line with the law (18 Pa. C.S. § 9122). No arrest or criminal history record information will be expunged until a court order is granted to that effect.

Generally, an arrest record or criminal history record for a summary offense may be expunged in any of the following circumstances:

• When the subject of the record has attained 70 years of age and has not been arrested or prosecuted for ten years after their final release from incarceration or supervision (parole or otherwise).
• When the subject of the record has been dead for three years, or
• When the defendant petitions the court to expunge a record of summary offense and has not been arrested or prosecuted for any other offense following their conviction for the initial offense

Courts do not have the authority to expunge a defendant's arrest record if the defendant was placed on Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition for the violation of any of the following offenses where the victim is under 18 years of age - Relating to rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent exposure, prostitution, and related offenses, obscene and other sexual materials and performance.

The petition for expungement must take the form prescribed by the law (234 Pa. Code r. 790). Where the judge grants the petition and orders an expungement of arrest information, a notice of expungement is promptly sent to the Pennsylvania Central Repository for Criminal Records (PATCH), which shall, in turn, notify all criminal justice agencies in custody of the information to be deleted. If the judge denies the petition for expungement, the judge will provide an order denying the petition, stating the reasons for the denial.

Columbia County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is an order issued by a judge or magistrate authorizing a police officer to arrest and detain the named defendant. Before an arrest warrant is issued, an officer or law enforcement agency must file a criminal complaint alongside affidavit(s) of probable cause, which must include facts that show that an offense has been committed and that the person named in the complaint committed the offense. If the judge or magistrate finds that there is good cause, they shall grant the request and issue a warrant to that effect (234 Pa. Code r. 513).

The warrant must be executed by a police officer between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. (unless the president judge extends the time).

When a defendant has been arrested on a warrant, the defendant must be promptly arraigned before a judicial officer in the district where the warrant was issued. However, where the defendant is arrested outside the judicial district where the warrant was issued, the defendant must be taken to the proper issuing authority in the district of arrest for the purpose of posting bail, in line with the law (234 Pa. Code r. 517).

Do Columbia County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Arrest warrants issued in Pennsylvania do not expire. They remain executable unless recalled or quashed. An arrest warrant issued in Columbia County may be executed at any place within Pennsylvania (234 Pa. Code r. 515). Law enforcement officers actively work towards executing a warrant as timely as possible because if a warrant goes unexecuted for a significant number of years when the defendant is finally brought before the court, the case may be dismissed if the judge finds that there was an undue delay which may have resulted in prejudice which affects the defendant. On the flip side, it is not advised to hide or wait out a warrant, as this may lead to compound legal consequences.