Shiawassee County Arrest Records
Shiawassee County arrest records are kept by the sheriff's office in Corunna and through state databases that are open to anyone with internet access. The county sits in south-central Lower Michigan between Lansing and Flint, and Corunna serves as the county seat. Arrests here are processed at the county jail, and records move into both local court files and state criminal history systems. This page covers the main tools for finding what you need.
Shiawassee County Overview
Shiawassee County Sheriff's Office and Jail
The Shiawassee County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement county-wide and operates the jail in Corunna. You can reach the sheriff at 989-743-3411. When someone is arrested in Shiawassee County, they are taken to the jail for booking. That booking record is the first public document created in the case, and it shows the person's name, arrest date, date of birth, and the charges listed at the time of booking.
The county website at shiawassee.net may have links to online inmate tools or additional resources for the public. For a current custody check, calling the sheriff's office directly is the fastest approach. Staff can tell you whether a specific person is in the jail right now and what charges are on file. If you want copies of records, a FOIA request is the proper route.
Shiawassee County sits between two major metro areas. People arrested here sometimes have records in Genesee or Ingham counties as well. ICHAT, which is described in the next section, handles multi-county searches in one step. That makes it more useful than checking individual county systems if someone has moved around the region.
ICHAT: Michigan Statewide Criminal History
ICHAT is the Internet Criminal History Access Tool run by the Michigan State Police under MCL 28.241. It costs $10 per search and is available at apps.michigan.gov. You enter the person's full legal name and date of birth, pay by card, and get a PDF result right away. The system covers felony and misdemeanor convictions from all 83 Michigan counties, including Shiawassee.
For Shiawassee County specifically, ICHAT pulls from convictions reported by the 35th Circuit Court in Corunna and the local district court. But because the county is between Lansing and Flint, many residents have lived in neighboring counties too. A single ICHAT search returns all in-state conviction records regardless of which county handled each case. That is a real advantage when someone has moved around the south-central Michigan region.
ICHAT does not show arrests without convictions, cases that were dismissed before trial, or records cleared through Michigan's Clean Slate law. For those, the Michigan court case search gives more complete case history. Both tools used together give the most thorough picture available online without a trip to the courthouse.
The Michigan court case search at courts.michigan.gov/case-search is free and open to anyone. The screenshot below shows what the interface looks like. Shiawassee County's 35th Circuit Court and district court records both appear in the search.
Search by name and filter by court or county to narrow results to Shiawassee County. No account or payment is required to use the tool.
OTIS: Corrections Records for Shiawassee County
OTIS is the Michigan Department of Corrections offender tracking system, free at mdocweb.state.mi.us/otis2. If a Shiawassee County felony case ended in a state prison sentence, the person's record appears in OTIS. The database covers people currently in prison, on parole, or on MDOC-supervised probation.
Search by name or MDOC number. Results include a photo, the offenses of conviction, current status, and facility or supervision location. OTIS does not cover people who served only county jail time or who were convicted of misdemeanors. It is for state-level corrections only. For a county that borders the Flint and Lansing regions, OTIS often shows a broader record picture for serious felony cases that resulted in prison.
MDOC updates OTIS regularly. The data is official and sourced directly from the department's records, not a third-party service.
35th Circuit Court and Court Records
Felony cases in Shiawassee County are handled by the 35th Circuit Court in Corunna. Misdemeanor cases and civil infractions go to the Shiawassee County District Court. Both courts keep complete records of all case activity from the first filing through final disposition. Court records are more detailed than jail booking logs because they show every step that happened after the arrest.
You can search Shiawassee County court cases for free at courts.michigan.gov/case-search. Enter a name and filter results by court or county. You will see charge descriptions, case numbers, hearing dates, bond entries, and final outcomes. A case can end in conviction, a plea to a lesser charge, outright dismissal, or acquittal. The court record shows which outcome occurred, while a booking record only shows what charges were there at the time of arrest.
For certified copies or older records not yet fully indexed online, contact the circuit or district court clerk at the Shiawassee County Courthouse in Corunna. Certified copies are needed for legal filings or government applications and carry an official court seal. The clerk can tell you the fees and typical processing time for your type of request. The county's location near larger metro areas means court staff are generally experienced with public records requests.
Michigan Sex Offender Registry in Shiawassee County
The Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry at mspsor.com is free to use under MCL 28.721. It covers all 83 Michigan counties. Search by name, zip code, city, or county to find registered sex offenders in or near Shiawassee County. Results include address, photo, and the offense that required registration.
Michigan law requires people convicted of certain sex crimes to register with the state and keep their information current. The registration period is either 15 years or lifetime depending on the offense. The Shiawassee County Sheriff works with the Michigan State Police to enforce registration requirements and report changes. Registrants must update the state when they move, change jobs, or enroll in school. Failure to do so is a separate crime under Michigan law.
FOIA Requests for Shiawassee County Records
Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231 et seq., gives the public the right to request records from government agencies. That includes arrest reports, booking logs, and incident documentation held by the Shiawassee County Sheriff's Office in Corunna. Written requests are standard. Describe exactly what you want, including the person's name, the date of the incident, and the type of document. The more specific you are, the faster the process goes.
The agency has five business days to respond. They can approve the request, deny it with a written explanation, or ask for more time on a complex request. Any fees must be disclosed before the agency begins pulling records. You can cap your request or narrow the scope if the fee is more than you want to pay. Denials can be appealed to the head of the agency. If that does not resolve it, the matter can go to court under the FOIA statute.
Court records from the 35th Circuit Court or Shiawassee County District Court are not covered by FOIA. They are accessed through the clerk under the Michigan Court Rules. Public access is still available for most records. Ask the clerk about the fee schedule and how to submit a request. The Michigan State Police also operates a FOIA portal at michigan.gov/msp/services/foia for records held at the state level, such as MSP investigative files tied to Shiawassee County incidents.
Michigan Clean Slate Law and Expungement
Michigan's Clean Slate law, MCL 780.621g, allows qualifying people to petition for expungement of arrests and convictions. Expunged records are removed from ICHAT and most public databases. Some convictions qualified for automatic expungement in 2023 without any filing needed. Others require a formal petition and a hearing before a circuit court judge. For Shiawassee County felony cases, the petition goes to the 35th Circuit Court in Corunna.
Eligibility depends on the offense type and time elapsed. Serious violent crimes, major traffic offenses, and most sex offenses are excluded from expungement. Arrests that did not result in conviction are a separate issue and may still appear in some systems. Because Shiawassee County is near the Lansing metro area, access to private attorneys and legal aid organizations familiar with Michigan expungement law is better than in more remote areas. Anyone with questions about their specific record should consult an attorney before filing.
Nearby Counties
Shiawassee County is in the south-central Lower Peninsula, bordered by several counties in the Lansing-Flint corridor.