Waldo County Arrest Records

An individual can be arrested in Waldo County if caught violating the law or named on an active arrest warrant. The Waldo County Sheriff is the county's primary law enforcement agency that executes arrests in the region. However, arrests can also be made by municipal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies operating in Waldo.

Each person arrested by a law enforcement agency may be booked at the nearest police department and detained in the Waldo County Correctional Facility. The arresting agency also prepares an official arrest record containing details relevant to the incident. These arrest records are essential as they provide information valuable for the criminal justice process. However, such records do not reveal the final outcome of an arrest; one can review the Waldo County court records for that information.

Are Arrest Records Public in Waldo County?

Yes. The Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA), the state's Right to Know law, classifies arrest records as public records. Under the FOAA, the public has the right to inspect or copy an arrest record maintained by a Waldo law enforcement department.

However, the FOAA makes exceptions to certain arrest records. For instance, juvenile arrest records, medical information, victims or confidential witness information, and investigative reports are publicly inaccessible in Waldo County. A request for such records will typically be denied unless the requester is authorized by statute or a court order.

The Maine Right to Know Advisory Committee ensures public entities' compliance with the FOAA. Requesters who believe they have been unjustly denied access to an arrest record can file a complaint for review with the Advisory Committee.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Publicly accessible arrest records in Waldo County generally detail the following:

• Arrestee's biodata: Their full name (including aliases), age, gender, race, height, weight, eye color, hair color, mugshot, and any body markings.
• Arrest information: The arrest date, arresting agency, offense committed, booking number, and bail amount, if available.

Waldo County Arrest Statistics

Waldo County arrest statistics are accessible through the FBI's Crime Data Explorer. These figures can be viewed by the specific local reporting agency (Belfast PD, Islesboro PD, Searsport PD, or Waldo County Sheriff's Office).

For example, in 2023, the Waldo County Sheriff's Office recorded 133 arrests by its deputies. Simple Assault (41), Driving Under the Influence (18), and Disorderly Conduct (17) were the most prevalent.

Individuals can also request arrest statistics directly from the respective local agencies.

Find Waldo County Arrest Records

Waldo County arrest records are obtainable from the law enforcement agency responsible for an arrest. County inmate records can also be obtained from the local Sheriff's Office.

Inquirers can use the Maine Adult Corrections Client Search Service to find state inmates, including people who were arrested in Waldo County but sent to a state correctional facility. An inmate can be searched for using their MDOC number, first, middle, or last name. Specificities such as an inmate's gender, age, weight, height, eye color, hair color, race, and bodily markings can be used to filter search results. However, the tool can only be used to locate adults incarcerated in a Maine Correctional Facility.

If an individual is a federal inmate, they can be located using the BOP's Inmate Locator. The tool allows inmate searches by name or federal ID number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Waldo County

Individuals may access a Waldo County arrest record for free at a law enforcement department by requesting not to reproduce the record. The law enforcement agency may not require a fee when an arrest record can be accessed without producing a copy. Additionally, arrest records may be accessible for free when searching third-party websites for arrest records. However, third-party vendors generally only disclose a limited amount of information for free.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Forever. In Maine, an arrest generally remains on an individual's record indefinitely. However, it may become inaccessible to the public when sealed. Record sealing is only available for certain arrests, typically those that did not lead to a conviction or those made for lesser offenses.

Expunge Waldo County Arrest Records

Maine does not allow for the expungement of arrest records but provides "sealing" as a means to limit public access. For a record to be sealed in Waldo, it must satisfy the statutory requirements. An individual can petition the court to seal an arrest record if no conviction arose from the arrest or their conviction is eligible under state law. Per Maine Statutes, Title 15, §2261, an eligible conviction is a conviction that occurred for a Class E crime provided the crime was not sexually related.

Individuals who were convicted of an eligible crime will have to meet the following requirements before filing a sealing petition:

• Four years (one year for conviction relating to prostitution) have passed since the completion of all sentences.
• Since completing the sentence for their last eligible conviction, the individual has not been convicted of any crime or had a charge disposed of by deferred disposition.
• The individual has no pending criminal charges.

When a petition is filed and granted by the court, the arrest record becomes confidential and inaccessible to the general public.

Waldo County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a legal order to apprehend a person suspected of a criminal offense. Warrants are issued after an official complaint is made against a person. While law enforcement officials primarily make these complaints, private individuals can also file a complaint when necessary. The complaint must bear sufficient evidence that the accused committed an offense, after which a warrant may be issued.

Warrants issued in Waldo County typically contain the following information:

• The accused's name or an assigned name if their real name is unknown
• A description of the offense committed
• Date the warrant was issued
• The county where the warrant was issued
• A written order for arrest

Do Waldo County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. A warrant is issued when an arrest is necessary. Once issued, the warrant does not expire until it has been served and returned. Nonetheless, active warrants can be quashed in certain instances before being served. Such occasions may arise when the arrest is no longer deemed necessary, when the underlying issues have been resolved, or when errors found in the warrant make it inexecutable.