Clinton County Arrest Records
Clinton County arrest records are public documents held by the Sheriff's Office in St. Johns and by Michigan state agencies. This page explains how to search arrest histories, criminal backgrounds, and court case data for people in this south-central Michigan county just north of the Lansing metro area.
Clinton County Overview
How to Search Clinton County Arrest Records
Clinton County is a mostly rural county located just north of Lansing in south-central Michigan. St. Johns is the county seat. Despite its rural character, Clinton County is part of the greater Lansing metro area and sees a mix of agricultural communities and commuter towns. Law enforcement here includes the Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police, and several small-town police departments.
For a statewide criminal history, use ICHAT at apps.michigan.gov. This tool is run by Michigan State Police under MCL 28.241 and costs $10 per search. It covers all 83 counties and is the fastest way to get a broad view of someone's Michigan record. For Clinton County-specific records, including arrest reports and local booking data, contact the Sheriff's Office at 989-224-5200 or visit clinton-county.org.
Because Clinton County borders Ingham County, where Lansing is located, some people with records in the Lansing area may also have records in Clinton County. The two counties have separate courts and records systems, so a thorough search may need to cover both. ICHAT pulls from both counties at once, which makes it a useful starting point when you're not sure which county holds what.
Clinton County Sheriff's Office
The Clinton County Sheriff's Office in St. Johns is the primary law enforcement and records agency for the county. They patrol rural areas of the county, run the jail, and handle records requests for county-level incidents.
| Office | Clinton County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 1347 E. Townsend Rd., St. Johns, MI 48879 |
| Phone | 989-224-5200 |
| Website | clinton-county.org |
Arrest and incident records from the Sheriff's Office are accessible under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231. To request records, submit a written FOIA request to the office. They have five business days to respond. Copying costs and reasonable staff time fees are allowed, but must be itemized. Requests can be submitted in person or by mail. Check clinton-county.org for the current FOIA process and any required forms.
Not all records are public. Active investigation materials, juvenile matters, and certain personal information are exempt. Most completed arrest reports and booking records that don't fall into those categories should be accessible through a properly submitted FOIA request.
Clinton County Jail and Inmate Search
The Clinton County Jail in St. Johns holds people who have been arrested locally and are waiting for court appearances or serving shorter sentences. To find out if someone is currently detained, call the Sheriff's Office at 989-224-5200.
For people serving time in a Michigan state prison or under MDOC parole and probation, use the OTIS database. OTIS is the Offender Tracking Information System maintained by the Michigan Department of Corrections. It's free and searchable at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2/otis2.html. Search by name to get information about sentence length, current location, and projected release date. County jail inmates do not appear in OTIS. Only people under MDOC supervision show up.
Michigan Court Case Search for Clinton County
Court records for Clinton County are available through the statewide Michigan Courts portal at courts.michigan.gov/case-search. This system covers circuit and district courts across Michigan, including those in Clinton County. You can search by name or case number to find criminal, civil, and traffic cases.
Clinton County felony cases go through the 29th Circuit Court in St. Johns. District courts handle misdemeanors and traffic matters. The online portal shows case status, charges, and hearing dates. For actual documents, contact the circuit court clerk. The online system provides an overview but does not always include full case file documents.
The Michigan court search tool shown below covers all Michigan counties. Clinton County cases appear alongside any other Michigan jurisdiction where the person has a case history.
A name search returns results from across Michigan. If someone has cases in both Clinton and Ingham counties, both show up in the same search.
ICHAT Criminal History Search
ICHAT is Michigan State Police's online criminal history database. It costs $10 per search and covers all 83 counties under MCL 28.241. Access it at apps.michigan.gov. Results show felony and misdemeanor convictions from across the state.
ICHAT does not show every arrest. Cases that were dismissed, did not result in charges, or ended in acquittal may not appear. Records set aside under Michigan's Clean Slate law, MCL 780.621g, may also be absent. For Clinton County, ICHAT is a solid starting point. The county is mid-sized and the case volume is manageable in search results.
Pay by credit card when you run the search. Results come back quickly. If ICHAT shows a conviction and you need more detail, follow up with the Clinton County Circuit Court Clerk or the Sheriff's Office for additional case-level information.
Michigan FOIA for Clinton County Records
MCL 15.231 gives you the right to request public records from any Clinton County government agency. This includes the Sheriff's Office, St. Johns Police Department, DeWitt Township Police, and other local offices. Each agency handles FOIA on its own. Submit your written request to the agency holding the records you need.
Response time is five business days. Extensions of up to ten days are allowed with written notice. If a request will cost more than $50, the agency must give you a written estimate first. Fees must be itemized. You can appeal a denial to the agency head, then to the circuit court if needed.
For records from MSP troopers who patrol Clinton County roads, use the MSP FOIA portal at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia. MSP and local agencies are separate. A local FOIA submission will not get you MSP records and vice versa.
The MSP FOIA portal shown below is the starting point for any request involving state police records from Clinton County or anywhere else in Michigan.
Submit carefully. Sending a FOIA request to the wrong agency causes delays and means starting over with the correct one.
Sex Offender Registry in Clinton County
Michigan's Sex Offender Registry, governed by MCL 28.721, covers all Michigan counties including Clinton. The registry is maintained by Michigan State Police and searchable at mspsor.com. You can search by name or by location, including Clinton County cities and townships like St. Johns, DeWitt, and Bath. The advanced search at mspsor.com/Home/Search allows filtering by zip code or community.
Registry profiles include current address, offense type, photo, and tier classification. Tier levels determine registration duration and check-in frequency. The registry is updated as registrants report changes. Non-compliance with registration requirements is a felony in Michigan.
Clean Slate and Expungement
Michigan's Clean Slate law, MCL 780.621g, allows for the automatic set-aside of many convictions after a waiting period. Most misdemeanors become eligible after seven years without new offenses. Some felonies qualify after ten years. No filing is required for eligible records. The process happens automatically through the court system.
Serious violent felonies, crimes involving children, and certain traffic offenses are excluded from automatic set-aside. For Clinton County residents who want to manually petition for expungement, the 29th Circuit Court in St. Johns handles those filings. A local attorney can help determine whether a specific conviction qualifies for set-aside under current law.
When a record is set aside, it may no longer appear in ICHAT or public court searches. An absence of results in those systems does not always mean someone has no criminal history. It could mean older records have been cleared under Clean Slate.
Additional Research Tools
Third-party aggregator sites like michigan.staterecords.org compile public record data from Clinton County and across Michigan. These sites can be useful for an initial search, but they are not official and may not reflect recent changes. Always verify what you find on third-party sites through official tools like ICHAT, OTIS, or the Michigan Courts case search.
Nearby Counties
Clinton County borders several other Michigan counties, each with separate records systems.