Clark County Recent Arrests

Clark County recent arrests are managed by the Clark County Sheriff's Office and processed at the county jail in Marshall. This eastern Illinois county has about 15,266 residents and sits along the Indiana border. Sheriff William D. Brown leads the department, which handles patrol, investigations, and jail operations. The Circuit Clerk maintains court records at the Clark County Courthouse. You can find arrest information by contacting the sheriff, visiting the clerk's office, or using Illinois state databases. This guide covers all the official sources for accessing Clark County arrest data.

Clark County Sheriff Arrest Records

The Clark County Sheriff's Office is the main law enforcement agency for the county. Their office and jail are at 207 N. 5th St. in Marshall, IL 62441. Call (217) 826-6393 for questions about recent arrests, jail bookings, or case status. The sheriff handles patrol, criminal investigations, warrant service, court security, and jail operations.

When someone is arrested in Clark County, they get booked into the county jail at the same address. The booking record includes the person's name, date of birth, charges, bond amount, and arrest date. Clark County is a smaller county, so the jail holds fewer inmates at any given time. You can call the jail to check on whether someone was recently booked. Give them the person's full name and they can look it up.

The Clark County Sheriff's website shown below has contact information and department details for the office that handles all arrest bookings in the county.

Contact the sheriff's office by phone or visit in person during business hours for the most current booking data.

Clark County participates in the Illinois VINE program. This means victims can register to get notifications when an offender's custody status changes at the Clark County Jail. VINE is free and confidential.

Clark County Circuit Clerk Case Search

The Clark County Circuit Clerk, Ami Shaw, keeps all court case records for the county. The office is at the Clark County Courthouse, 501 Archer Ave., P.O. Box 187, Marshall, IL 62441. Call (217) 826-2811 for help with case lookups. You can fax requests to (217) 826-1391 or email circuitclerk@clarkcounty.illinois.gov.

After someone is arrested and the state's attorney decides to file charges, a case number is created at the clerk's office. That case file holds the charging document, bond information, all court orders, hearing dates, and the final outcome. Criminal case records are public in Illinois. Anyone can go to the clerk's office during business hours and ask to see a case file. There may be copy fees for printed pages, but viewing the file itself is free.

The Clark County Circuit Clerk's website shown below is where you start when looking up court records from arrests and other cases filed in the county.

The clerk's office can also tell you upcoming court dates for active criminal cases.

Note: Clark County is part of the 5th Judicial Circuit, which handles criminal, civil, traffic, and family cases.

FOIA Requests for Clark County Arrests

The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) requires agencies to release basic arrest information within 72 hours of an arrest. This includes the person's name, age, address, charges, and when and where the arrest took place. File a FOIA request with the Clark County Sheriff or whichever agency made the arrest.

Send your request by mail, email, or in person. The first 50 pages of black and white copies are free under state law. Extra pages cost up to 15 cents each. Agencies have five business days to respond. They can extend by five more days if needed. For a small county like Clark, requests tend to get handled quickly because the volume of records is lower. Include the person's name and an approximate date to help the office find the records fast.

Statewide Databases for Clark County

State-level databases cover Clark County arrest and conviction records. The CHIRP portal from Illinois State Police lets you run a name-based criminal history check for $10. You do not need the person's consent. Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635), only conviction data is available to the public through CHIRP.

The Illinois Department of Corrections inmate search shows anyone serving a state prison sentence. If a Clark County case resulted in a prison term, the offender will be in this database. People held at the Clark County Jail before trial will not show up here. For current jail inmates, call the sheriff's office instead.

Illinois VINE at vinelink.vineapps.com provides free custody status alerts. Clark County participates in this program. You can register with an inmate's name to get notified when their status changes. The service is available around the clock and is confidential.

Note: CHIRP only returns conviction records from Illinois courts. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction will not show up.

Clark County Arrest to Court Process

Clark County sits in the 5th Judicial Circuit. The Illinois Courts website has general information about the state court system. After an arrest in Clark County, the state's attorney reviews the case and decides whether to file formal charges.

If charges are filed, the person goes before a judge for a bond hearing within 48 hours. The judge sets bail based on the charges and the person's history. From there, the case moves through arraignment, pre-trial conferences, and eventually a plea or trial. All hearings happen at the Clark County Courthouse in Marshall. Court records from every step of the process are public and available through the circuit clerk.

If the case ends in dismissal or acquittal, the person may later be eligible to have their arrest record expunged or sealed under the Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630). Active cases remain fully public and searchable by anyone who visits the clerk's office or makes a records request.

How to Look Up Clark County Arrests

Here are the main ways to access arrest records in Clark County.

• Call the Clark County Jail at (217) 826-6393 for current inmate info
• Visit the Circuit Clerk at 501 Archer Ave. in Marshall for court records
• Email circuitclerk@clarkcounty.illinois.gov for case information
• Submit a FOIA request to the sheriff for the full arrest report
• Search CHIRP for conviction history across Illinois ($10)
• Register on Illinois VINE for custody change alerts

Using more than one source gives you the most complete picture. The jail has current booking data. The clerk has the court case file. FOIA gives you the detailed arrest report. Put them together and you get a thorough view of any recent arrest in Clark County.

Cities in Clark County

Marshall is the county seat and largest community in Clark County. Other towns include Martinsville, Casey, Westfield, and West Union. All criminal cases from arrests in the county go through the Clark County Circuit Court in Marshall. No cities in Clark County have a population over 50,000, so all arrest lookups should use the county resources described above.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Clark County. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, check the location where it took place. Each county has its own sheriff and court system.