Avoyelles Parish Arrest Records

An arrest under the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure occurs when law enforcement brings a suspect into custody by force or willful surrender. An arrest is usually necessary when an individual is suspected of committing criminal offenses or a court issues a warrant for the arrest of such individual. After an arrest, law enforcement document details about the arrest, the arresting agency, and the arrestee.

Avoyelles Parish arrest records are official documents that provide information about the circumstances surrounding an arrest, details of the arrest, and personal information of the arrested individual. The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office, alongside other local police departments, maintains arrest records generated within the Parish. Arrest records usually form the base for other criminal justice records such as Avoyelles Parish Court Records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Avoyelles Parish?

Yes. Avoyelles Parish arrest records are considered public under the Louisiana Public Records Law. Furthermore, Article XII, Section 3 of the Louisiana Constitution contains the rights of the public to inspect and copy public records, including arrest records, unless otherwise stated by law.

To protect privacy rights, public safety, and the integrity of public records, certain restrictions have been imposed on the public access of arrest records by law. In general, arrest records connected to ongoing investigations, juvenile arrests, sexual assaults, and domestic relations are exempted from public access. Confidential records, witness/victim information, audio/video recordings from body-worn cameras, and records exempt by other federal/state laws are also not available for public inspection.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Publicly available arrest records in Avoyelles Parish typically disclose the following information:

• The name, age, birth date, ethnicity, and sex of the arrestee
• Physical descriptions of the arrestee including aliases
• A brief account of the events surrounding the arrest
• Description of the alleged offense and the violated Statutes
• Time, location, and date of the arrest
• Information about the agency in charge of the arrest including the name and/or badge number of the officer
• Possessions retrieved from the arrestee at the time of arrest including weapons, illegal substances, and personal belongings
• Properties damaged or injuries inflicted by the arrestee
• Booking information, release details, and bail/bond information.

Avoyelles Parish Arrest Statistics

Based on statistics published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Avoyelles Parish has recorded a total of 5,763 arrests within the past ten years. Males accounted for 72% of the total arrests, while the percentage of female arrests was 28%. The most popular crimes for which persons were arrested included aggravated assaults (590), simple assaults (344), and larceny (330).

Find Avoyelles Parish Arrest Records

The Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office is the custodian of arrest records in the parish and makes them available to the public on request. To obtain arrest records created in Avoyelles Parish, interested persons may submit requests in person or via mail to the Sheriff's Office at:

Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office
675 Government Street
Marksville, LA 71351
Phone: (318) 253-4000
Email: info@avoyellesso.org

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections(LA-DPS&C) also provides public access to arrest records and information about persons incarcerated in facilities within state limits via their inmate locator. Here, one may search an inmate’s profile, booking information, bail/bond details, and release information.

Free Arrest Record Search in Avoyelles Parish

Residents and other concerned persons may access arrest records for free by visiting the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff's Office. Interested persons may inspect these records in person or make use of the Sheriff's online jail roster. One may also find arrest and inmate information in the court records maintained by the Avoyelles Parish Clerk of Court.

In addition, one may explore independent records providers also known as third-party aggregate sites. Most of these sites are usually subscription-based and require payment to access the information they contain. However, some sites may provide free or low-cost access to arrest records and inmate information.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Infinitely until expunged. In the State of Louisiana, arrest records will typically remain on an individual's record permanently regardless of the offense and whether or not the subject was later acquitted of the filed charges. Once an arrest record has been created by law enforcement agencies in Avoyelles Parish, it will stay on a person's record indefinitely unless sealed or expunged.

Expunge Avoyelles Parish Arrest Records

In Louisiana, an expungement means the erasure of a record from public access and not its destruction. Per LSA-R.S. 44:9 (G), concerned persons may request the expungement of qualifying arrest records. For an arrest record to qualify for expungement it must meet the following criteria:

• The arrestee was not prosecuted for the offense due to a statute of limitation
• The district attorney did not prosecute the subject
• The arrestee's charges were dismissed, discharged, or acquitted
• The offense must be a misdemeanor or felony charge and a waiting period of five or ten years respectively must have elapsed
• All court-ordered fines, diversion programs, and sentences have been satisfied
• The subject must not have been charged for any offense within the waiting period.

Persons who qualify for an expungement may fill out the appropriate application forms and file with the Avoyelles Parish Clerk of Court’s Office alongside the filing fee of $200. The applicant is also required to pay $250 by money order to the Louisiana State Police, $50 to the Sheriff's Office, and another $50 to the District Attorney's Office. After filing a Motion for Expungement, the petitioner may wait for a period of thirty to sixty days for a response from the court of jurisdiction. If the motion is granted, the court issues an order to the State Police and other record custodians including third-party online resources. The State Police then issues a “Certificate of Compliance” to the record subject indicating that the affected records have been expunged.

Avoyelles Parish Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant in Avoyelles Parish is a written legal document authorizing the apprehension of an individual suspected of committing an offense by law enforcement. A magistrate in a Parish court may issue an arrest warrant after receiving a complaint, sworn statement, and affidavit from an enforcement officer. The documents submitted must contain substantial evidence and probable cause for the arrest.

The contents of an Avoyelles Parish arrest warrant include:

• The Magistrate's name and signature
• Date and time of issuance
• The nature of the alleged offense including the date, time, and location of the criminal action
• The name, aliases, descriptions, and personal details of the suspect
• The properties damaged or injuries inflicted by the suspect
• Details from the submitted affidavit including the probable cause for the arrest
• An order for the suspect to be arrested and detained
• The bail/bond amount (in cases where bail is possible).

Do Avoyelles Parish Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Arrest warrants issued under Louisiana laws do not have expiry dates and remain valid until an arrest is made. However, certain statutes of limitation may apply to the validity period of some arrest warrants depending on the nature of the crime.

In Louisiana, an arrest warrant does not become invalid due to defects in the issued warrant. Instead, the warrant is amended and still active until execution. However, a warrant may become void if a court issues a warrant wrongly, the subject was a victim of mistaken identity or new evidence acquitting the suspect arises.