Yadkin County Arrest Records

When a crime is suspected to have been committed within Yadkin County, the alleged offender may be arrested to maintain law and order in the county. According to North Carolina General Statutes § 15A-401, a law-enforcement officer can make an arrest pursuant to an arrest warrant or without a warrant in certain situations. An officer can arrest a person without a warrant if they have probable cause to believe the person to be arrested has committed a criminal offense or violated the terms of their release.

After an arrest in Yadkin County, the arresting agency, typically a local law enforcement agency, generates an arrest record to document the arrest officially. These records contain information about different aspects of an arrest, including the arrestee's details, description of the alleged offense, and basic information about the arrest, such as the location, date, and time. Generally, several government records, including Yadkin County Court Records, criminal history records, and statistics records, may feature, be created, or compiled using the Yadkin County arrest record data.

Are Arrest Records Public in Yadkin County?

Yes. The North Carolina Public Record Law grants the general public access to documents created or kept by government organizations pertaining to public business they carry out, like arrests. As a result, most arrest records are publicly accessible in Yadkin County.

Nonetheless, the North Carolina Public Record Law has some exemptions, outlined in NC G.S. § 132-1.1 through 132-1.23, that protect certain information or records from being accessible to the public. These exemptions include juvenile information, sealed or expunged records, records connected to an active investigation, social security numbers, and account numbers.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

The typical contents of Yadkin County arrest records include:

• The arrestee's personal information and physical description: these include the arrestee's mugshot, full name, date of birth, height, weight, sex, race, and hair and eye color.
• The alleged offense details, such as the offense class (i.e., misdemeanor or felony) and applicable statute
• Arrest information: this includes the arrest time, date, and location. A description of what transpired during the arrest, including any weapons found with the arrestee, may also be provided
• Booking information: such as the booking officer or agency details, booking time, and date

Yadkin County Arrest Statistics

According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) arrest statistics, 1,052 arrests were made in Yadkin County in 2023, an 11.8% increase from the previous year (2022). Of the 2023 total, possession of dangerous drugs (83), non-aggravated assaults (70), driving under the influence (34), and larceny-theft (33) were the offenses with the highest number of arrests.

Find Yadkin County Arrest Records

Local law enforcement agencies, like the Yadkin County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments, are the primary custodians of Yadkin County arrest records. These agencies generate and maintain arrest records after they make arrests within the county. Furthermore, they also allow public access to most arrest records under their custody pursuant to the provisions of North Carolina Public Record Law.

Therefore, provided a record seeker knows the specific law enforcement agency responsible for making an arrest within Yadkin County, they can contact the agency to obtain the incident's arrest record. For individuals unsure of the agency responsible for an arrest, a good rule of thumb is to contact the local police department that operates within the municipality where the arrest occurred. For instance, record seekers can query the Jonesville Police Department if the arrest happened within Jonesville. Subsequently, researchers can extend their search by contacting the Yadkin County Sheriff's Office, as the Sheriff's Office has the juridical authority to make arrests anywhere within the county.

Most local law enforcement agencies in Yadkin County primarily accept in-person requests for arrest records in their custody during regular working hours at their physical address. Additionally, record seekers must provide sufficient information that can be used to identify the desired arrest record accurately when making requests. These include the arrestee's name, arrest date, and location. Using previous examples, record seekers can request arrest records from the Yadkin County Sheriff's Office or the Jonesville Police Department by contacting or visiting these agencies at:

Yadkin County Sheriff's Office
201 East Cherry Street
P.O. Box 443
Yadkinville, NC 27055
Phone: (336) 849-7810
Fax: (336) 849-7939

Jonesville Police Department
1503 NC Hwy 67,
Jonesville NC 28642
Office Number: (336) 835-5020
24HR number: (336) 835-2855

Free Arrest Record Search in Yadkin County

Record seekers may be able to inspect arrest records in Yadkin County for free in person at local law enforcement agencies. While these agencies may allow inquirers to inspect records for free, they usually charge a fee for furnishing copies of arrest records. These fees are nominal and may vary by agency. Generally, they are collected to cover the agency's cost of producing copies of a requested record.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

The local law enforcement agencies in Yadkin County determine how long to keep an arrest record on file by following the Records Retention And Disposition Schedule for Local Government Agencies. According to the schedule, the retention time for an arrest record varies based on the type of record. The following are some of the provisions of the schedule:

• Arrest records not included in a case file - five (5) years
• Arrest records included in a felony case file - 20 years following the case's resolution or until the case's resolution
• Arrest records included in misdemeanor case files - three (3) years following the case's disposition or until it is resolved.
• Juvenile arrest records for offenses that, if committed by an adult, would have been classified as Class A, B1, B2, C, D, or E felonies - until the juvenile turns 21.
• Juvenile arrest records in all other circumstances - until the minor turns 18.

Expunge Yadkin County Arrest Records

An expunction, sometimes called expungement, is a legal process that removes a record of an arrest, criminal conviction, or criminal charge from public records—in turn, sealing or destroying the offical record of the arrest, charge, or conviction.

A Yadkin County arrest record may be eligible for expungement under any of North Carolina's Expungement Statutes. These statutes outline the requirements different records must meet to qualify for expungement. For instance, arrest records connected to certain misdemeanors or felonies may be eligible for expungement under N.C.G.S § 15A-145.5.

In Yadkin County, individuals who have an eligible arrest record can file a petition for an expungement order through the County Clerk of Court office. There are different types of expungement petition forms that prospective petitioners can use based on which expungement statutes their record qualifies for expunction under. These forms are provided on the North Carolina Judiciary's Expunctions page under the "Statute (N.C.G.S.) Records to Which Statute Applies" section. It is worth noting that each form comes with a separate instruction form on completing it.

Depending on the statute under which a record is eligible for expungement, a petitioner may be charged a $175 fee to file an expungement petition. If a petitioner can not afford the filing fee when required, they can use this form to request to file their petition as an indigent. Once the appropriate expungement petition form has been completed, the petitioner can submit the petition, the filing fee (if applicable), and other required documents to the Yadkin County Clerk of Court office at:

101 S. State St.
P.O. Box 95
Yadkinville, NC 27055

After successfully submitting the expungement petition, a judge may review it without a hearing or set a hearing to ascertain if the petitioner has "good character". Subsequently, if the judge approves the petition, they will issue an expungement order for the petitioned record. The court will also forward the expungement order to government agencies that maintain the petitioned record, including law enforcement agencies and courts.

Yadkin County Arrest Warrants

A Yadkin County arrest warrant is an order that directs law enforcement officers to arrest an individual accused of committing a crime so that they can answer the charge(s) against them. Per N.C.G.S. § 15A-304, a Justice of the Supreme Court, judge, magistrate, or clerk may issue a warrant on demonstrating probable cause. In other words, when they are supplied information supported by oath or affirmation that establishes sufficient probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and the person to be arrested committed it. An arrest warrant may also be issued when an individual fails to appear in court after being repeatedly summoned.

Do Yadkin County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Yadkin County arrest warrants never expire. Unless the issuing court recalls or quashes an arrest warrant, it can remain active until the warrant's subject is arrested, surrenders, or dies.