Wilson County Arrest Records

Wilson County arrest records are official documents created by law enforcement officers to document all instances of the arrest and detainment of an individual suspected of breaking the law. Arrests are often necessary to maintain public safety and ensure that appropriate justice is served when laws are broken.

Arrest records also provide a resource for interested parties to track cases and offenders. Arrests can be made with a warrant authorizing it or without a warrant if the crime is committed in the presence of the officer. After a law enforcement officer takes an individual into custody, they are booked and processed. During booking, the arresting agency creates the individual’s arrest record by collecting information about them, recording the circumstances behind the arrest, and running criminal history checks on them.

The Wilson County Sheriff's Office oversees the county jails and maintains these records along with police departments within the county. Criminal records encompass arrest records, and as they are created as the cases progress in the justice system, they are publicly available along with Wilson County Court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Wilson County?

Yes. The Tennessee Public Records Act authorizes the inspection of all formats of public records created or maintained by the records custodians. The custodians are thereby mandated to make these records publicly available as it is the citizens’ right.

To protect the integrity of an ongoing case or the parties involved in the case, some information may be restricted from unauthorized public access. These restricted records may, however, be available to the record owners or third parties with a court order. Law enforcement agencies, the court system, and certain government agencies may also have legal access to these restricted arrest records if judged necessary to their needs.

Examples of arrest records that are not publicly available include the following:

• Juvenile records or records containing information on minors
• Sealed records
• Non-disclosure records
• Expunged records
• Records of ongoing investigations
• Records with sensitive information (e.g., address, social security number, etc).

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Information contained in publicly available arrest records includes the following:

• Information leading to the arrest
• Date and time of the arrest
• The arrestee's personal information (i.e., name, description, gender, race, and date of birth),
• The arresting agency
• The arresting officer’s name and badge number
• Description of the alleged offense
• Arrestee mugshots (i.e., photographs)
• Booking information (number, time and date)
• Bail or bond information
• The applicable statute that justifies the arrest
• Court information if set (date, court name, and court location).

Wilson County Crime Rate

Per the 2022 NIBRS Report by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Wilson County recorded 1819 arrests for Group A offenses. This marked an increase from the previous year’s total of 1752, according to the 2021 NIBRS Report. The crimes encompass crimes against property, persons, and society. The most popular crimes were drug/narcotic violations (469), simple assault (314), drug/equipment violations (272), and larceny (172).

Wilson County Arrest Statistics

The 2022 NIBRS report also recorded 2554 arrests, an increase from the 2021 total arrests. The Group A crimes with the most arrests include drug/narcotic violations (299) and simple assault (101). There were 1703 arrests for all other offenses.

Find Wilson County Arrest Records

The Wilson County Sheriff's Office can be contacted for county arrest records and they maintain several online resources through which individuals can find arrest records of persons locally incarcerated in the Wilson County Jail. Through the Sheriff's Office website, individuals can view the list of current inmates on the Jail Roster and the list of inmates incarcerated within 24 or 72 hours, and can also use the inmate search tool to find inmate records by first name or last name. For state-level arrest records, individuals can contact the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) or use their Felony Offender Information Search to find arrest records of individuals incarcerated in their facility. The records search can be completed using the inmate’s name. TDOC ID or State ID.

Free Arrest Record Search in Wilson County

Interested individuals can find free arrest records in Wilson County by utilizing one of the following sources:

• Wilson County Sheriff's Office: Using the Jail Roster and Inmate Search Tool available through the Sheriff’s website, individuals can find arrest records for free. With the jail roster, individuals can view the list of recent bookings into the jail and select a result to view their arrest records, including a mugshot, full name, arresting agency, charge, and bond information. To use the inmate search tool, the first or last name of the inmate needs to be entered into the appropriate search field to complete the search.
• Third-party websites: Some third-party companies offer arrest records on their websites and allow individuals to search and retrieve these records for free. To complete a search, individuals should enter the arrestee’s full name in the appropriate search field. Persons using these resources should verify the record’s accuracy and completeness as the site may not be as up-to-date as records from an official government record custodian.

Get Wilson County Criminal Records

Criminal records are official documents recording an individual’s journey through the legal system from arrest to court proceedings and verdict. Although classified as public records since they are created and maintained by public bodies, some information may be restricted from unauthorized public access to protect the case and parties involved. Criminal records are also known as criminal histories in Wilson County.

Interested persons can get Wilson County criminal records from one of the following sources.

• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The TBI maintains the Tennessee Open Records Information Services (TORIS), the state-wide central repository for criminal history information. For access to their criminal records, individuals can fill out the online Requestor information form using details like their name, address, and email. Name-based searches for other people’s records require creating an account and paying a $29 non-refundable fee. A printable request form can also be completed and mailed to the TORIS unit to get criminal records. The contact address of TORIS is as follows:

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation – TORIS Unit
901 R.S. Gass Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37216
Phone: (615) 744-4057

• Wilson County Sheriff's Office: The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office oversees law enforcement within the county and even manages the County jail. They manage the criminal information of arrestees and sex offender information, and make them available online, in person, by mail, and by telephone.
• Police Departments: Police departments within the county manage local arrests and can make criminal records available to interested individuals who are authorized upon request.
• Third-party websites: Some third-party websites offer background check services for free or for a fee using keywords like case numbers, first name, or last name of the arrestee. The criminal records they offer include warrant information, conviction records, parole information, sex offender information, etc. Their records may not be as up-to-date, complete, or comprehensive as government sources as they are not the record's official custodians.

Wilson County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Wilson County criminal records are documents that contain comprehensive documentation of a person's interactions with their legal system. They consist of records from various steps of the legal process from arrest to court records to judgment and sentencing information. Arrest records are documents prepared by law enforcement that document all instances of a person being taken into custody after being accused of a crime. They contain details of the arrest but do not imply guilt as the case is usually not adjudicated when this document is created.

The difference between arrest records and criminal records is that criminal records can be used to determine guilt while arrest records can not. Criminal records contain sentencing information. Thus, during criminal background checks, criminal records are a more dependable proof of culpability.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrest records remain on your record indefinitely unless they are expunged, sealed, or restricted by a non-disclosure order. Individuals with a subpoena or court order, government officials, and law enforcement agencies may still be able to access arrest records even after they have been removed from a person’s record.

Expunge Wilson County Arrest Records

Expunction involves legally removing an arrest record from a person’s criminal history under orders from a court. T.C.A. §40-32-101 stipulates that execution is not automatic. Not all offenses can be expunged according to Tennessee law, and there are applicable fees. Records that are eligible for expunction free of charge include the following:

• Records with the charges against the arrestee dismissed
• Records with a “no true bill” returned by a grand jury
• Records where the arrestee was released without being charged
• Records of cases where the judgment was reversed
• Records of juvenile cases
• Records of cases that went to trial but received a not-guilty verdict
• Records of cases that were nolle prosequi (prosecution did not pursue).
• Records of cases where a successful order of protection defense was denied by a court after a hearing.

The steps for expungement in Wilson County include the following:

• The individual determines that their case is eligible for expunction.
• If the individual is eligible, they file a petition for expunction in the court with jurisdiction over the case
• The individual obtains a copy of their case docket from the Wilson County Circuit Court Clerk
• The individual files their order for expunction along with supporting documents in a self-addressed stamped envelope to receive a mailed copy of the expungement. Multiple charges can be petitioned for but each charge requires its envelope
• If not eligible for a free-of-charge expunction, the individual pays the Clerk of Court a filing fee of $100 along with a statutory $350 expungement fee.
• The Clerk sends the petition to the judge and if successful, a certified copy of the expungement order is sent to you and relevant agencies for expungement.

Wilson County Arrest Warrants

Wilson County arrest warrants are judge-issued orders that authorize law enforcement officers to arrest and detain an individual who commits a crime. Per Rule 4 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure, warrants are only issued where an affidavit that establishes probable cause is filed along with the complaint by the law enforcement officer.

The judge or magistrate who reviews the evidence and determines that there is a substantial basis to prove that a crime has been committed then signs the warrant thereby activating it for enforcement. Arrest warrants are issued for a variety of reasons including to enforce an arrest with established probable cause, to honor a request from the district attorney general, for a person who refuses to honor a court summons, and for probation violation.

An arrest warrant typically contains the following information:

• Signature of the magistrate or clerk
• Name of the defendant or an identifiable description of them
• County where the warrant is issued
• Description of the offense charged as stated in the affidavit of complaint
• An order for the arrest of the defendant.

Wilson County Arrest Warrant Search

The Criminal Warrants division of the Wilson County Sheriff's Office oversees the execution of arrest warrants. Although they do not have an online tool for conducting a warrant lookup, they can be contacted in person or via telephone for assistance in finding active or outstanding warrants. The contact address of the Sheriff's office is as follows:

Wilson County Sheriff’s Office
105 East High Street
Lebanon, TN 37087
Phone: (615) 444-1412
Fax: (615) 453-3406
Email: wcsoadmin@wcso95.org.

Do Wilson County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Arrest warrants in Wilson County do not have an expiry date but remain active until the death of the named defendant or the warrant is executed (the defendant is arrested and taken to court).

Although arrest warrants have no statute of limitations, law enforcement officers may delay their execution to protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation. The defendant moving away from the jurisdiction of the warrant can also delay its execution.