Find Benzie County Arrest Records
Benzie County arrest records document law enforcement activity in this small northwestern Michigan county on Lake Michigan. The county seat is Beulah, a village on Crystal Lake. Arrest records here are kept by the Benzie County Sheriff's Office and are also available through Michigan's ICHAT criminal history system, the Michigan court case search portal, and FOIA requests. This page walks you through how to access arrest records in Benzie County.
Benzie County Overview
Benzie County Arrest Records: Where to Start
Benzie County is one of Michigan's smaller counties. It sits along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan in the northwestern lower peninsula. The county is bordered by Grand Traverse County to the east, Manistee County to the south, Leelanau County to the north, and Antrim County to the east as well. Beulah is the county seat. The nearby village of Frankfort is the county's largest community and sits on the Lake Michigan shore.
Because Benzie is small and rural, the number of arrests each year is modest. But records still exist and follow the same Michigan public records rules as any other county. Your main access points are the Benzie County Sheriff at 231-882-4484, Michigan's ICHAT system online, the Michigan court case search, and FOIA requests to local or state law enforcement. More info on the county is available at benzieco.net.
Benzie County does not appear to have a live online jail roster. For current custody information, the fastest approach is calling the sheriff directly at 231-882-4484.
Benzie County Sheriff's Office
The Benzie County Sheriff's Office in Beulah serves as the primary law enforcement and jail authority for the county. The phone number is 231-882-4484 and county information is at benzieco.net. The sheriff handles patrol throughout the county, warrant service, and jail operations. When someone is arrested and booked into the Benzie County Jail, a booking record is created that is public under Michigan FOIA law.
To get a booking record or arrest report from the Benzie County Sheriff, submit a written FOIA request under MCL 15.231. Your request must identify the records you want -- include the person's name, approximate date of arrest, and any other details that will help locate the file. The sheriff's office must respond within five business days. Standard arrest information (name, date, charges, booking number) is generally public. Active investigation files and victim details may be partially withheld.
The sheriff can also check on current jail population by phone. If you need to know whether a specific person is currently in the Benzie County Jail, call the sheriff's office directly. This saves time compared to a formal FOIA request just to confirm custody status.
Benzie County also has some Michigan State Police activity. MSP posts in the area cover US-31 and M-22, which run through the county. Incidents on those routes may produce MSP records rather than county sheriff records. Both sources can be useful depending on where the arrest took place.
ICHAT: Statewide Michigan Criminal History
ICHAT is Michigan's Internet Criminal History Access Tool, operated by the Michigan State Police. It runs under the authority of MCL 28.241 and covers all 83 Michigan counties including Benzie. A search costs $10 and is done online at apps.michigan.gov. Enter name and date of birth. Results come back quickly and include the person's full Michigan criminal history.
An ICHAT report includes convictions and charged offenses from courts statewide. If someone lived in Benzie County but also had cases in Grand Traverse or Manistee counties, it all shows up together in one report. This makes ICHAT more useful than trying to search each county separately, especially for people who have moved around Michigan.
ICHAT does not include arrests where no charges were filed. Juvenile records are excluded. Records set aside under Clean Slate law are also removed. Keep these limits in mind when reviewing a report. ICHAT reflects formal criminal history, not every police contact.
The Michigan Sex Offender Registry above is the official source for registered sex offenders in Benzie County. Search by county or zip code.
Michigan Court Case Search for Benzie County
Benzie County felony cases go through the 19th Circuit Court, which serves Benzie and Manistee counties. Misdemeanors and traffic cases are handled by the Benzie County District Court. Both levels appear in the free Michigan public court case search at courts.michigan.gov/case-search/.
Search by name or case number. No fee is required. Results show case type, charges filed, hearing dates, and outcome. This is a good tool for tracking a case you already know exists. If you know someone was arrested in Benzie County and want to see how their case progressed, the court search will show each step from arraignment to sentencing.
Court records in Benzie County are public for adult criminal cases unless sealed by court order. If you need a certified copy of a court record for legal purposes, contact the circuit court clerk in Beulah. The clerk's office can pull physical records, including older cases that predate online records, and provide certified copies for a fee.
FOIA Requests and MSP Records for Benzie County
Michigan's FOIA law (MCL 15.231) applies to all government agencies. This includes the Benzie County Sheriff and Michigan State Police posts that serve this area. You can submit a written FOIA request to either agency for arrest records, incident reports, or police reports from Benzie County.
For MSP records from the Traverse City post or other posts covering northwestern Michigan, use the MSP FOIA portal at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia. The MSP FOIA phone number is 517-241-1934. Submit your request in writing with as much detail as possible about the incident and date. The MSP responds within five business days.
The MSP FOIA portal shown above handles requests for state police records including incidents on US-31 and M-22 in Benzie County.
OTIS: State Prison Records for Benzie County
OTIS is the Michigan Department of Corrections' Offender Tracking Information System. It is available free to the public at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2/otis2.html. If someone arrested in Benzie County was convicted of a felony and sent to state prison, their MDOC record appears in OTIS. Search by name to see photo, commitment offense, sentence details, and current custody or supervision status.
OTIS does not include county jail inmates. People held in the Benzie County Jail are local, not state prisoners. Only those who entered the MDOC state prison system appear in OTIS. Given Benzie County's small size, OTIS results tied to this county will be limited, but the tool is still the right place to look for anyone who served state prison time after a Benzie arrest.
Sex Offender Registry in Benzie County
The Michigan Sex Offender Registry is maintained by the Michigan State Police under MCL 28.721. It is publicly searchable at mspsor.com. Filter by county to find all registered sex offenders currently listed in Benzie County. The registry shows name, photo, address, conviction offense, and registration tier. All registrants in Benzie County must check in with local law enforcement on a set schedule.
The MSP registry is updated as registrants check in or as address changes are reported. This is the most accurate and current source for sex offender information in Benzie County. Third-party sites may lag behind the official registry. If you are verifying whether someone in Frankfort or another Benzie County community is a registered sex offender, use the MSP site directly.
Use the search form above to look up registered sex offenders in Benzie County by filtering by county or entering a local zip code.
Clean Slate: Expungement in Benzie County
Michigan's Clean Slate law (MCL 780.621g) made it easier to get records set aside starting in 2021. Many misdemeanors and some felonies are now eligible. Lower-level offenses may be set aside automatically after several years if there are no new convictions. When a record is set aside, it comes off ICHAT and most public databases. The person can generally say they have no conviction for that offense.
For Benzie County residents, expungement petitions go to the 19th Circuit Court. The clerk's office in Beulah has the forms. There is a filing fee. If you are unsure whether your conviction qualifies, read the Clean Slate statute at legislature.mi.gov or consult with a local attorney. The statue spells out eligibility based on offense type, number of convictions, and time since sentencing.
A set-aside does not mean the record is fully gone in every context. Law enforcement can still access sealed records under specific circumstances. But for most public purposes, including standard background checks, a set-aside effectively removes the record from view. This can be a meaningful benefit for Benzie County residents with older or minor convictions.
Additional Resources for Benzie County Records
The Michigan Legislature website at legislature.mi.gov publishes all Michigan statutes for free. This includes the FOIA law (MCL 15.231), the ICHAT law (MCL 28.241), the sex offender registry statute (MCL 28.721), and Clean Slate (MCL 780.621g). Reading the actual law is useful when you want to know exactly what the rules say about records access or your rights.
Third-party aggregators like michigan.staterecords.org compile data from various Michigan public record sources. They can be a convenient starting point for a broad search. But for accurate, current information on any specific person's Benzie County arrest or criminal history, use the official tools: ICHAT, the court case search, the sheriff, or the MSP FOIA portal.