Lenawee County Arrest Records
Lenawee County arrest records are held by several agencies in southeastern Michigan, including the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office and the 39th Circuit Court in Adrian. These records document bookings, criminal charges, and court outcomes for incidents that took place in the county. Michigan law gives the public access to many of these records through state databases and local office requests. This guide covers where to search, what you can find, and how to get copies of the records you need.
Lenawee County Overview
ICHAT Criminal History Search: Lenawee County
The Internet Criminal History Access Tool, known as ICHAT, is the main online tool for searching Michigan arrest and conviction records. It is run by the Michigan State Police and covers all 83 counties, including Lenawee. Each search costs $10 and returns a report built from fingerprint-backed state records. If you need to check whether someone has a criminal history connected to Lenawee County courts or anywhere else in Michigan, this is a solid starting point.
You can run an ICHAT search at apps.michigan.gov. The system is governed by MCL 28.241, which sets rules about who can access records and what the results can show. Reports include arrest dates, charges filed, case numbers, and disposition data when it has been entered into the state system. Not every older record is in the database, so a clean ICHAT result does not always confirm that no history exists. If the case predates the digital record system, you may need to contact the court clerk directly.
ICHAT is self-service. You pay online and get results right away. No account is needed to run a search.
Lenawee County Sheriff's Office
The Lenawee County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county and handles bookings at the county jail in Adrian. When someone is arrested in Lenawee County, the sheriff's office generates an arrest record at that point. You can reach the office at 517-264-5360 for questions about jail status or records requests. The county website at lenawee.mi.us may also have inmate lookup tools or contact forms for records inquiries.
Copies of specific arrest reports are available through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, codified at MCL 15.231 et seq. This law gives the public the right to request records held by government bodies. The sheriff's office must respond within five business days, either providing the records, denying the request with a stated legal reason, or asking for additional time. Some records may be partially redacted if a case is open, involves a juvenile, or falls under another exemption. There is no cost to submit a FOIA request, but the office may charge for copying or staff time to locate and compile documents.
Written requests submitted by mail or in person tend to get faster responses than phone inquiries for records.
The Michigan State Police maintains its own FOIA portal for records tied to state police activity in Lenawee County and across Michigan.
State police FOIA requests for Lenawee County incidents can be filed online at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia.
39th Circuit Court Case Records
Felony arrests in Lenawee County lead to cases in the 39th Circuit Court, which is based in Adrian. District courts in the county handle misdemeanor charges and preliminary felony hearings. Court records from these cases are generally public and include charging documents, hearing dates, plea entries, verdicts, and sentencing details. They provide more context about what happened after an arrest than a booking record alone.
Michigan's statewide court case search tool lets you look up case information from any location. Search by name or case number at courts.michigan.gov/case-search/. Results may include current case status, upcoming hearing dates, and the charges on file. Older cases may not appear in the online system, especially those resolved before the database was fully built out. For those, contact the 39th Circuit Court clerk's office in Adrian directly and ask about paper records or archived filings.
The Michigan courts online case search portal is a free tool that covers Lenawee County criminal and civil cases.
Use this tool to verify whether charges from a Lenawee County arrest moved forward to conviction or were dismissed at some stage in the process.
OTIS Offender Tracking System
OTIS is the Michigan Department of Corrections' offender tracking database. It covers people who are currently under MDOC supervision or who were supervised in the past, including those in prison, on parole, or on probation. If someone was arrested in Lenawee County and later sentenced to state custody, you can find their record in OTIS. The tool is free at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2/otis2.html and searchable by name.
OTIS records show the person's name, MDOC number, current supervision status, offense description, and expected release dates where applicable. This is useful when you want to know whether someone followed an arrest with state prison time. It does not cover people who were arrested and released without serving any state sentence. County jail terms of less than one year, for example, would not appear in OTIS.
The OTIS search interface from the Michigan Department of Corrections is shown in the screenshot below.
Search OTIS when you need to confirm whether a Lenawee County arrest led to state correctional supervision at any point.
Sex Offender Registry Searches
Michigan's Public Sex Offender Registry, often called PSOR, lists individuals required to register under MCL 28.721. Registrants in Lenawee County appear in the database with their address, photo, and offense information. You can search by name, zip code, or map view at mspsor.com. The registry is free to use and is updated on a regular basis by the Michigan State Police.
Some people listed for Lenawee County were arrested in other counties or states but now reside in the county. Others were charged locally and remain in the area. Registration is based on where a person currently lives, not where the original offense happened. If you know someone is subject to a registration requirement, PSOR gives you direct access to their current status and address information.
Michigan Clean Slate Expungement
Michigan's Clean Slate law, codified at MCL 780.621g, expanded expungement eligibility significantly. Many people with Lenawee County arrest or conviction records may now qualify to have those records set aside. Automatic expungement applies to certain lower-level offenses after a waiting period if the person has not reoffended. A petition process is available for cases that do not qualify for automatic relief but may still be eligible under the statute's broader criteria.
Once a record is expunged, it will not show up in most public searches, including ICHAT. However, law enforcement and courts can still access expunged records in limited circumstances. People who were arrested in Lenawee County but never convicted may also have options under Michigan law. A Michigan attorney familiar with MCL 780.621g can review the specific facts and advise whether a particular record qualifies for expungement.
Expunged records are not fully destroyed. They remain accessible to certain agencies even after relief is granted.
Ohio Border and Cross-Jurisdiction Records
Lenawee County shares a southern border with Ohio. This is relevant for records research because some individuals have criminal histories in both states. An arrest that took place on the Ohio side of the border will not appear in Michigan's ICHAT or in Michigan court databases. Ohio has its own records access system through the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which operates separately from Michigan's tools. Federal arrests are tracked in federal court records and are searchable through PACER at pacer.gov.
If you are researching someone with known connections to both Michigan and Ohio, plan to check both states' records systems. Michigan's ICHAT only covers Michigan offenses. Running searches in both states gives you a more complete picture of someone's criminal history, especially if they have lived or worked near the state line in Lenawee, Monroe, or adjacent Ohio counties. Federal cases, such as drug trafficking charges handled by the DEA, require a separate federal court search.
Nearby Counties
Lenawee County is in southeastern Michigan along the Ohio state line, bordered by several Michigan counties that use similar court systems and records processes.