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  1. Clay County Court
  2. Clay County Arrest Records

Clay County, Missouri Arrest Records

Under Chapter 610.100(1) of the Missouri Revised Statutes, an arrest is described as the actual restraint of an individual or their voluntary submission to law enforcement custody. This action must occur under the authority of a warrant or other legal mandate for a criminal offense, eventually leading to the booking of the individual or the formal issuance of a summons. 

Arrest records are created by the specific law enforcement agency that conducts the arrest. In Clay County, this agency may be the Sheriff's Office or city police departments, such as the Kansas Police Department and the Gladstone Police Department.

Arrest records are primarily created for the accountability and proper documentation of law enforcement actions. The records are open to the general public under the Missouri Sunshine Law and Chapter 43 of the Missouri Revised Statutes (the governing law for the release of official criminal history records).

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Clay, Missouri?

Yes. Clay County arrest records are considered public records under Chapter 610.100 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, which is a part of the Missouri Sunshine Law. Missouri's law does not impose any residency or state citizenship requirements to request arrest records, as some states do. Everyone is permitted to walk into an arrest record custodian's office to inspect a record. However, this lack of restrictions only applies to arrest information that is open, as confidential records have access limitations.

What Do Public Clay County Arrest Records Contain?

Individuals seeking access to arrest records in Clay County are likely to find the following details in the record:

  • The arrestee's name, age, gender, and race
  • The arresting agency
  • The date, time, and location of the arrest
  • The arrest charges
  • The housing unit where the arrestee is/was kept
  • The court date and the court handling the case

However, even within an otherwise open arrest record, certain information must be redacted or removed by the record's custodian before it is disclosed to a requester. Such information includes

  • Sensitive data, such as social security numbers and financial account numbers
  • Dashcam recordings and body-worn camera footage
  • Arrest information older than 30 days, where the prosecutor did not file charges
  • Juvenile information

Clay County, Missouri Arrest Search

Clay County arrest records are not only maintained by the arresting agency and the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Because arrest records are also criminal records, they may be found with the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP), specifically the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.

To access a criminal record, individuals may search the MACHS Name Search Portal or the MACHS Fingerprint Portal. The Name Search Portal can be used by the public to access an individual's open records, arrests, and convictions less than 30 days old. The Fingerprint Portal can only be used by individuals conducting a self-check. The search reveals both open and closed records, that is, records that are accessible to the public and those inaccessible to the public. A name search costs $15, while a fingerprint search costs $32.

Individuals can also obtain their criminal records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by submitting a request online, by mail, or through an approved channeler. 

Clay County Inmate Locator

There are two basic ways individuals can locate an inmate in Clay County. Inmates are generally held in the county jail under the supervision of the Sheriff's Office, so one way to locate an inmate is to visit the Sheriff's Office to inspect the physical jail roster. Alternatively, individuals may search for the inmate on the Clay County Sheriff's Office Detention Listings page. The inmate list is updated every four hours, so it can be as current as possible.

Clay County Sheriff's Office

12 South Water Street

Liberty, Missouri 64068

Phone: (816) 407-3750

Active Warrant Search in Clay County

An arrest warrant is a written order that authorizes police officers to apprehend and detain an individual suspected of committing a crime. In Clay County, warrants must be issued by the court and signed by a judge (either a Circuit Court or Municipal Court judge). 

An arrest warrant is generally issued following an investigation where the suspect was not arrested at the crime scene. Law enforcement conducts the investigation and then lodges a complaint in court containing the investigation's results. A judge examines the complaint and issues a warrant if probable cause is established that the individual broke the law. 

A valid warrant in Clay County typically contains the following details:

  • The name of the suspect (or a clear description/alias if the name is unknown)
  • The specific charges stated in the complaint
  • The command to arrest the suspect
  • The date of issue and the signature of the issuing judge

Although the judiciary is responsible for issuing warrants, law enforcement, specifically the Clay County Sheriff's Office, is responsible for serving warrants in the county. Individuals can inquire about active warrants in the county at the Sheriff's Office in person or by calling in. Researchers may also visit the Sheriff's Most Wanted page to browse through the list of most wanted persons in the county.

Agency / Resource

Purpose

Search Methods

Notes

Clay County Sheriff's Office

Maintains and serves warrants

Phone, online, in person

The online search is limited to the most wanted persons.

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Clay County

Individuals can find arrest records for free in Clay County on the Sheriff's Office Detention Listings page. The page arranges the information of inmates alphabetically; however, users can search for an inmate using the built-in search function on their browser. 

The Detention Listings page only contains the details of individuals currently in jail. To find the information pertaining to arrestees who were never jailed but have a pending court case, researchers may access the Missouri Case.net portal for the court record that resulted from the arrest.

Clay County Arrest Report

Chapter 610.100 of the Missouri Revised Statutes establishes a distinction between an arrest record and an arrest report in Missouri. An arrest record is considered the basic log, containing a summary of the arrest event. Conversely, an arrest report is a detailed narrative prepared by the arresting officer, containing the officer's observations, victim details, field test results (e.g., alcohol testing), and witness statements. Unlike an arrest record that is always public, an arrest report is closed to the public while an investigation or court case is active.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Clay County

An expungement refers to the process by which the court orders an individual's criminal record (including arrest records) to be closed and hidden from public view. Unlike some states, an expungement in Missouri does not permanently destroy the record; it only keeps the record away from the public. Expungements in Clay County are governed by Section 610.140 of the Missouri Revised Statutes.

An arrest record must meet certain eligibility criteria before it qualifies for expungement in the state. Arrests that did not result in a conviction are immediately eligible for expungement. However, if an individual was convicted, eligibility depends on the following:

  • The conviction was not for an ineligible offense, such as Class A felonies
  • The offender has completed their sentence, and the statutory wait time has elapsed with no new convictions (3 years for felonies and 1 year for misdemeanors)
  • The individual has no pending charges
  • The individual has not exhausted their lifetime expungement limit (2 felonies and 3 misdemeanors)

An expungement is not automatic in Clay County, so eligible persons will have to draft and file a petition in the Clay County Circuit Court. Individuals unsure of the drafting procedure may seek assistance from the attorney. 

After filing, a copy of the petition should be served to all agencies in custody of the record. The agencies have 30 days from being served to review the petitioner's file and submit an objection in court if they believe the expungement criteria were not met. If an objection is brought, the court will schedule a hearing to review the petitions and objections before issuing a final verdict.

How Do You Remove Clay County Arrest Records From the Internet?

Individuals who want to remove their arrest record from the internet will have to take the record down from online government databases, such as the Sheriff's Office Detention Listings page or the Missouri Case.net portal, and from third-party websites. To remove a record from a government website, all a person has to do is file for an expungement of the record in court. If the arrest is eligible, the court will approve the petition and issue an order to all government agencies to seal and remove the record from the public's view.

To remove a record from a private website, the process will have to be taken a step further. After obtaining the expungement order, the individual may send a copy of the order to the company maintaining the website and request the removal of the record.