St. Joseph County Arrest Records
St. Joseph County arrest records are public documents held by the Sheriff's Office in Centreville and by the courts that serve this part of southwestern Michigan. These records cover bookings, charges, and case outcomes tied to arrests made within county lines. Residents and researchers can look up arrest data through local and state sources, including the Michigan ICHAT system for criminal history and the state court case search portal. This page explains where to find St. Joseph County arrest records and how each source works.
St. Joseph County Overview
St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office
The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office handles arrests and jail bookings throughout the county. When a person is arrested and booked into the county jail, a record is created that includes the person's name, date of birth, the charges filed, and the arresting agency. Many of these booking records become part of the public record once the case enters the court system. You can reach the Sheriff's Office directly at 269-467-4611 to ask about recent arrests or to get general information about the jail. The office is based in Centreville, the county seat.
Not every detail from a booking is public. Michigan law gives agencies some room to withhold records when a case is still open or when release would harm an ongoing investigation. But in most cases, basic arrest information is available. The Sheriff's website at stjosephcountymi.org may list current jail population or recent bookings, depending on what the county posts at any given time. It is worth checking there first before making a phone call or a formal records request.
Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, found at MCL 15.231 et seq., gives the public the right to request government records. The Sheriff's Office must respond within five business days of getting a request. You can submit a written FOIA request asking for arrest logs, booking reports, or incident reports tied to a specific case or date range.
Michigan ICHAT Criminal History Search
ICHAT stands for Internet Criminal History Access Tool. It is the main statewide system for looking up criminal history in Michigan and is run by the Michigan State Police under MCL 28.241. Anyone can run a search on a named individual. The cost is $10 per search. Results show arrests, charges, convictions, and dispositions that have been reported by agencies across the state, including St. Joseph County.
ICHAT pulls from records submitted by local law enforcement and courts, so it tends to be fairly complete for cases that went through the system. That said, it is not a perfect record of every arrest. Minor local incidents or cases that were dropped early may not always appear. ICHAT is best used for confirmed criminal history rather than raw booking data. You can access it at the Michigan state apps portal. You will need to set up an account and pay the $10 fee with a credit or debit card.
ICHAT results are not the same as a full background check. They reflect what has been reported to the state, and records from other states or federal courts will not show up. If you need a broader search, you may need to combine ICHAT with other sources.
The screenshot below shows the ICHAT offender search portal maintained by the Michigan Department of Corrections. This is one of the key statewide tools for locating criminal history tied to individuals arrested in counties like St. Joseph.
Michigan OTIS Offender Search Portal
OTIS is the Michigan Department of Corrections offender tracking system. It shows current and past incarceration records for people who have served state prison time. If someone arrested in St. Joseph County was later sentenced to state prison, their record will appear here. OTIS is free to use and does not require an account.
Court Case Search for St. Joseph County
The Michigan court system maintains a public case search tool that covers circuit, district, and probate courts across the state. St. Joseph County cases filed in the 45th Circuit Court or the local district courts are included in this database. You can search by name, case number, or filing date. Results include case type, charges, and court events like hearings or sentencing dates.
Court records and arrest records overlap but are not the same thing. An arrest record shows that a person was taken into custody and booked. A court record shows what happened after that. Once charges are filed, the case moves into the court system and a court record is created. Both can be useful depending on what you are looking for. For a full picture of someone's history in St. Joseph County, it helps to check both the sheriff's records and the court database.
The screenshot below shows the Michigan court case search interface, which covers St. Joseph County circuit and district court filings.
Court case searches are free. You do not need to register or pay a fee to search. The system is maintained by the Michigan Supreme Court and is updated regularly as cases move through the courts.
Sex Offender Registry
Michigan maintains a public sex offender registry through the Michigan State Police. The registry is called PSOR, short for Public Sex Offender Registry. It is free to search and available at mspsor.com. You can look up registered offenders by name, zip code, or address. Results include current address, registration status, and offense details.
If you are looking up arrest records related to sex offenses in St. Joseph County, the PSOR is a good starting point. It includes people who were convicted and required to register. Keep in mind this is a registry of registered offenders, not a raw arrest log. Someone arrested for a sex offense but not convicted would not appear here.
Clean Slate and Record Set-Asides in Michigan
Michigan passed the Clean Slate law, which took effect April 11, 2023. Under MCL 780.621g, certain convictions can be automatically set aside after a waiting period. This means some older records may no longer appear in public searches, including ICHAT. Misdemeanors and some felonies qualify, though serious violent crimes do not.
If you run a search on someone and get no results, it does not always mean the person has no arrest history. A set-aside removes the public-facing record, but the underlying record still exists for law enforcement purposes. For most public users doing a standard lookup, set-aside records will not be visible.
This is worth knowing when using ICHAT or court searches for St. Joseph County. Older cases may have been set aside automatically without the person filing any paperwork. If a conviction is not showing up that you expected to find, the Clean Slate law may be the reason.
How to Request Arrest Records in St. Joseph County
To get a specific arrest report or booking record from St. Joseph County, you have a few options. The most direct is to contact the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office at 269-467-4611 and ask what records are available. Many agencies will tell you what you can get and how to request it before you file anything formal.
For a formal request, you submit a written FOIA request under MCL 15.231. Include the subject's name, the date of the arrest if known, and the type of record you want. The agency has five business days to respond. They may provide the records, ask for payment to cover copying costs, or deny the request with a written explanation. If denied, you have the right to appeal.
- Call 269-467-4611 to ask what is available before filing
- Submit a written FOIA request for specific reports or logs
- Use ICHAT for statewide criminal history at $10 per search
- Search Michigan court records for free at courts.michigan.gov
- Check OTIS if the person served state prison time
Online tools handle most common searches. A formal FOIA request is usually needed only when you want a specific document, like a full arrest report or a booking photo, that is not available through any public database.
Nearby Counties
St. Joseph County borders several other Michigan counties and northern Indiana.