Wood County Arrest Records

An arrest is the temporary detainment of an individual by a law enforcement agency. In Wood County, law enforcement officers are primarily responsible for conducting arrests. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 968.07, a law enforcement officer can arrest an individual when they have a warrant for the individual’s arrest. The statute also permits law enforcement officers to make an arrest when there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested is committing or has committed a crime. Generally, an arrest is a necessary action that law enforcement officers in Wood County can take to maintain law and order within their respective jurisdictions.

After an arrest in Wood County, the arresting officer, in accordance with their agency’s procedures, typically prepares a report containing pertinent information about the arrest, such as the arrestee’s personal information, details of the crime, and the arrest. This report is commonly referred to as a Wood County arrest record, and it serves numerous purposes. An arrest record is the official documentation of an arrest, which can indicate the start of a criminal case against the arrestee. As a result, details of an arrest record can be included in Wood County Court Records connected to the resulting criminal case. Furthermore, arrest records are included in criminal history information compiled by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Are Arrest Records Public in Wood County?

Yes. Wisconsin Open Records Law, codified in Wis. Stat. § 19.31 to § 19.39, established the right of the general public to access records concerning the affairs and official acts of government agencies, including law enforcement agencies and arrests they make. Therefore, anyone can access Wood County arrest records by querying relevant government agencies or through the resources they provide.

However, several state and federal statutes exempt specific types of arrest records from being public. For instance, records whose disclosure can endanger an individual’s life or safety or reveal the identity of a confidential informant are exempt from being public per Wis. Stat. § 19.35. Similarly, juvenile arrest records are not releasable to the general public pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 938.396. Although an arrest record may be unavailable to the general public, it may be released to eligible persons, such as the subject of the record, and government agencies in conducting their official duties.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Information found in public arrest records in Wood Court includes but are not limited to:

• The arrestee’s mugshot and full name
• The arrestee’s physical description: these include their weight, age, sex, race, height, and hair and eye color
• The name of the arresting office and agency
• Arrest date, time, and location
• A description of the alleged offense, applicable statute, and charge(s)

Wood County Arrest Statistics

According to the Wisconsin Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Arrests Data, local law enforcement agencies in Wood County made 99 arrests throughout 2023, a 10.5% reduction from 2022. Of the 2023 total, 11 were juvenile arrests, and 88 were adult arrests. Furthermore, these arrests were for rape (27), robbery (2), and aggravated assaults (70).

Find Wood County Arrest Records

Wood County arrest records are generated and primarily maintained by local law enforcement agencies, such as the Wood County Sheriff’s Office and municipal police departments. As previously explained, these agencies generate Wood County arrest records after they make an arrest within the county. As a result, interested persons can find a specific arrest record by contacting the agency responsible for the arrest.

Although each agency’s procedures for requesting or accessing arrest records may vary, record seekers are usually required to provide certain details about the sought record to aid in its location. These details include and are not limited to the following:

• A case number
• The date and location of the arrest
• The arrestee's personal data (i.e., their full name and date of birth).

A common trend across local law enforcement agencies in Wood County is their acceptance of in-person requests for public records, including arrest records, at their physical address during regular office hours. For instance, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office accepts in-person requests for arrest records at the agency’s address between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The County Sheriff’s office also accepts email, telephone, and mail-in requests sent to:

Wood County Sheriff's Office
Attention: Records
400 Market Street
P.O. Box 8095
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8095
Phone: (715) 421-8715
Email: SheriffRecords@woodcountywi.gov

It is worth noting that some municipal police departments provide a dedicated request form that record seekers can complete and submit to request records. One example is the Marshfield Police Department Request For Release Of Information form. Record seekers can complete this form and submit it to the Marshfield Police Department by mail, email, or fax to request public arrest records.

Interested persons can find the contact information of other municipal police departments by visiting the municipality's official website and navigating to the “police department” under the “Departments” section. Note that law enforcement agencies in Wood County usually charge requesters a nominal fee for photocopies of arrest records they request.

Free Arrest Record Search in Wood County

Record seekers can inspect Wood County arrest records for free in person at local law enforcement agencies. These agencies typically don't charge record seekers a fee for inspecting arrest records they generate and maintain at their physical addresses during regular office hours. For instance, Wood County Sheriff’s Office arrest records may be inspected for free in person at the agency’s address between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. Unless an arrest record gets expunged, it may be featured indefinitely on the arrestee’s criminal record. Nonetheless, according to the Wisconsin General Records Schedule for County Records, all Wisconsin County Sheriff’s Offices, including the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, are required to retain arrest records they generate for a minimum of eight (8) years.

Expunge Wood County Arrest Records

An expungement is a legal process that seals a record, making it inaccessible to the general public. Only arrest records that meet specific eligibility requirements outlined Under Wisconsin law are expungeable. These include if the arrest led to the arrestee being found not guilty, the charges being dismissed by the court or prosecutor, or no charges being filed by the prosecutor.

In Wisconsin, including Wood County, individuals with eligible arrest records can apply for expungement through the Wisconsin Department of Justice (WisDOJ). Although there is no filing fee for filing an expungement request through the WisDOJ, applicants must provide their fingerprints and documentation showing dismissal or no prosecution for the offense(s) in the arrest records to be expunged.

The Wisconsin arrest record expungement process involves completing the form DJ-LE-250B and submitting it to the WisDOJ along with all other required supporting documentation. After processing the expungement application, the WisDOJ may approve the request and remove the arrest record for the applicant's Wisconsin criminal history records. The WisDOJ will also inform other relevant agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), of the expungement and direct them to remove the affected record from the official records. Interested persons can find more information about the Wisconsin arrest record expungement process on WisDOJ’s Remove Arrest Information pamphlet.

Wood County Arrest Warrants

A Wood County arrest warrant is a court order a judge can issue for an alleged offender’s arrest. Under Wis. Stat. § 968.04, a judge can issue an arrest warrant if, after examining a complaint, affidavit, complainant, or witness under oath, they believe there is sufficient probable cause that an alleged offender has committed a crime. Per Wis. Stat. § 968.04(3), an arrest warrant must be in writing, signed by the issuing judge, and have a copy of the complaint attached to it. Furthermore, it must contain the following information:

• Details about the alleged crime
• The name or a description, with reasonable certainty, of the person to be arrested
• The issuance date
• The issuing judge's name and their office’s title

Interested persons can find active warrants in Wood County through the County Sheriff’s Office Active Warrants page. The page is accessible for free and searchable by warrant subject name. Record seekers can also contact law enforcement agencies and courts directly to inquire about active warrants they may have issued or are responsible for executing.