Pike County Arrest Records

Any person found or suspected of committing a crime in Pike County, Pennsylvania, faces the possibility of an arrest and detainment at the Pike County Correctional Facility until they see a judge, post bail, or are released.

For each arrest event that takes place locally, the arresting department creates a record to mark down the offender's details, fingerprints, DNA (if necessary), and offense. The resulting arrest record is typically forwarded to several criminal justice agencies, like the prosecutor's offices, which require such records to press charges formally. Every day, citizens can also see arrest records while conducting background checks or perusing the documents to discover the circumstances surrounding a person's loss of liberty.

Still, an arrest record will not reveal the final disposition of a court regarding a criminal matter. Individuals can review the Pike County court records instead for those details.

Are Arrest Records Public in Pike County?

Yes. Arrest records in Pike County are considered public information under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), Pennsylvania Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), and other relevant statutes. This effectively means any interested party can walk into a law enforcement agency or contact an agency's records unit to see or copy arrest information.

Notwithstanding, the law excludes some information/records from public scrutiny in order to balance privacy rights and uphold the justice system's integrity. These include:

• Juvenile arrest records
• Medical, psychiatric, or psychological files
• Personal identification information, such as a personal phone number or Social Security number
• The identity of a confidential informant
• The identity of a suspect not yet charged but to whom confidentiality was promised.
• Records exempt by judicial order or law or protected by privilege
• Victim information, including that which would threaten a victim's safety
• Records whose disclosure would hinder an agency from securing an arrest, prosecution, or conviction

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Public arrest records in Pike County refer to the sections/portions of an arrest record that can be released to anyone. These records include the following information:

• The legal name of the person who was apprehended, as well as any known aliases
• The arrestee's birthdate, sex, race, last known address, and physical descriptors (such as weight or height)
• The offense(s) for which arrested, including the grade and description
• Booking date, time, and location
• Arrest date and time
• Arresting agency and officer
• Bond type and amount

Pike County Arrest Statistics

The Crime in Pennsylvania Dashboard, maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), provides comprehensive data on offenses and arrests within Pennsylvania's counties. As per the reported statistics, Pike County recorded 579 Part 1/index crime arrests in 2023, representing a significant 43.32% increase compared to the previous year's 404 arrests.

Simple assault (387 arrests), larceny-theft (138 arrests), and aggravated assault (42 arrests) constituted offenses that had the highest number of arrests in the county. A similar trend was observed in the preceding year, with simple assault (244), larceny-theft (112), and aggravated assault (26) all showing greater recurrences compared to other Part 1 crimes.

Additionally, law enforcement in Pike County reported 847 Part 2 offense arrests in 2023, a 0.36% increase from last year's 844 arrests. Among the Part 2 offenses, driving under the influence (338), disorderly conduct (152), and drug abuse violations (143) saw more people apprehended in the county.

Find Pike County Arrest Records

One method for obtaining arrest records in Pike County is to inquire at the police agency that made an arrest. Such departments may disclose basic arrest details to any member of the public upon request. However, complete records are usually not releasable unless to authorized entities, such as a criminal justice agency or subject of record. Costs may apply to acquire a copy of a document.

Another way to view public arrest information generated in Pike is to access public criminal docket sheets through the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal. This system is searchable with various criteria, including a defendant's name, and is provided free of charge. However, it only reveals arrest information for cases that made it to court.

If a person was detained in Pike County following an arrest, a party may call (570) 775-5500 (the office line of the Pike County Correctional Facility) to inquire about the confinement. Should the person have been transferred to a state prison, the Inmate and Parolee Locator provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) can be searched by name, inmate number, committing county, or other parameters to find records about the inmate or a direct request can be made to the DOC.

However, for persons transferred to a federal facility, the place of inquiry is the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). This agency provides a Federal Inmate Locator to obtain basic information about a federal inmate, with the option to retrieve additional details by submitting a FOIA request.

Free Arrest Record Search in Pike County

Individuals seeking a free arrest record search in Pike County can access the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal, provided charges were filed against the suspect in court. Otherwise, they may query the arresting police department for the record. If the record is available publicly, the requester may not have to pay for inspection, but fees may be charged for copies.

Parties interested in a free arrest record search can also access aggregator (third-party) websites provided by private businesses. Such websites are available to anyone with an internet connection and at least an arrestee's name (other information may be required to filter a search). However, while these websites allow free searches—some even provide basic arrest information at no cost—the user may incur charges to access detailed records about the search subject.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. No law in Pennsylvania prescribes a timeline for deleting arrest records created in Pike County. These records remain on a person's criminal history until they obtain an expungement from the court.

Expunge Pike County Arrest Records

An expungement is a legal remedy available to eligible defendants under Title 18, Chapter 91, Subchapter C of the Pennsylvania legislature, specifically 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 (adult records) and 18 Pa.C.S. § 9123 (juvenile records). This procedure allows people to remove their arrest and court records from the public's perusal. Notwithstanding, a record expunged in Pike is not physically destroyed and will remain accessible to courts and law enforcement departments.

According to 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122, an adult may qualify to expunge their criminal history record information (CHRI), including arrest records, in the following circumstances:

• No disposition was received or recorded in the central repository within 18 months after an arrest date, and the court certifies to the repository's director that no disposition is available and no pending action exists.
• A court order requires the expungement of the non-conviction data. Generally, a person's CHRI may be expunged when they reach 70 years old and have been free of arrest or prosecution for 10 years following the final release from confinement or supervision. The record may also be expunged if the subject has been dead for three years or if the subject is seeking expungement for a summary offense and has been free of arrest/prosecution for five years after the conviction.
• The individual [the record subject] was granted an unconditional pardon for the offense.
• The individual was acquitted.

Note that the court cannot expunge a defendant's arrest record if they were placed on Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition for certain offenses where the victim was a minor, such as rape, indecent exposure, statutory sexual assault, prostitution and related crimes, and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Where a defendant was acquitted or pardoned, they may receive an automatic expungement from the court. In all other cases, the defendant will need to file a petition with the Court of Common Pleas in the county where the arrest or charge originated.

Eligible defendants can obtain the expungement packet and filing requirements from the Pike County Clerk of Courts at 412 Broad Street, Milford, PA 18337. Subsequently, they should complete and file the expungement petition with the Clerk's office. The court will inform the prosecuting attorney (who represents the Commonwealth) of the expungement petition, and the attorney will have a particular time frame to challenge the petition. If no objection is presented, the court may grant the expungement. However, if the Commonwealth objects, the court will hold a hearing to decide the case.

Pike County Arrest Warrants

Pike County arrest warrants are formal orders from a judge or magistrate commanding the capture of a person alleged to have violated the law or disobeyed a judicial directive, such as failing to respond to a court summons. These warrants identify the persons to be apprehended, state their alleged offense, and reveal the issuing authority and jurisdiction.

The US Fourth Amendment and Pa. R. Crim. P. 513 highlight "probable cause" as the fundamental requirement for the issue of an arrest warrant in Pike. Probable cause for arrest defines a set of circumstances that would cause someone of ordinary care and prudence to believe that a particular person is culpable for a criminal offense. Under the law, the official requesting the warrant (e.g., prosecutor or investigating officer) is responsible for setting forth these reasonable grounds in a complaint or affidavit submitted to the court. If the judicial authority finds such grounds exist, they will issue the arrest warrant.

Do Pike County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Pike County arrest warrants stay valid until their subjects are brought to justice. Any person named on an arrest warrant in Pike County can surrender themselves to the authorities to resolve the underlying legal issue. It is generally advised that one be fully aware of their rights, alleged crime, and settlement options before taking any legal action (consulting a lawyer may be beneficial in these cases). Those unaware of an outstanding warrant in Pike or who know of the warrant but actively attempt to evade the authorities should note that they leave themselves open to an arrest any time they make contact with law enforcement officials.