Sumter County Arrest Records

Under the Florida Criminal Procedure and Protection law, law enforcement officers may make an arrest with or without a warrant. If the offender committed the crime in front of the peace officer or has good reason to suspect the arrestee has committed a crime, the peace officer may arrest without a warrant.

After making an arrest, peace officers typically transport the offender to the Sumter County Detention Center. At this point, the police start booking the suspect by obtaining their name, address, and personal information. An arrest record is made up of all of the information that has been recorded. Sumter County’s arrest records are kept up to date by the Sheriff’s Office’s Division of Criminal Records. Interested parties can visit the Division to obtain arrest records, which is located at:

Sumter County Sheriff’s Office
7361 Powell Rd,
Wildwood, FL 34785

Arrest records in Sumter County are an essential part of court cases. As a result, interested parties can find them in Sumter County Court Records. Together with data from other public sources, court records provide every county citizen access to comprehensive criminal backgrounds.

Are Arrest Records Public in Sumter County?

Florida's Sunshine Law (the Florida Public Records Law) makes arrest records public. The Sunshine Law, indexed in Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, grants public access to records, including arrest records, kept by government agencies. For this reason, in Florida, anyone may ask for and receive a copy of their arrest record.

However, Section 119.071(2)(c)1 provides that juvenile arrest records, confessions, specific victim data, sealed or expunged records, and other records/information restricted by law, court order, or court rule may all be exempt from public viewing. The Florida Office of the Attorney General's Sunshine Manual is published annually and contains more information about arrest record exemptions.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Generally, a public arrest record includes the following details:

• Personal details include the date of birth, gender, height, complexion, hair and eye color, aliases, and full legal name.
• Details of the arrest, including the date, time, place, kind of offense (felony or misdemeanor), and charges.
• Agency Details, including the officer's name, the agency making the arrest, etc.
• Booking Information includes mugshots, booking time, tattoos or scars that can be identified, and fingerprints.
• Legal Details, such as the court that is overseeing the case.
• Information on the release. This included the date, time, and conditions of the release and the amount for bail.

Sumter County Crime Rate

According to Florida’s Annual Summary Uniform Crime Report, 1,246 crimes were reported in Sumter County. The county had a crime rate of 881.1 per 100,000 persons. Larceny was the most common crime committed, with 666 offenses committed. Aggravated assault followed, which saw 234 offenses committed. Other offenses include burglary, motor vehicle theft, rape, robbery, and murder, which all saw 191, 110, 23, 20, and 3 offenses, respectively.

Sumter County Arrest Statistics

In 2021, there were 3,393 arrests in Sumter County, according to Florida’s Annual Summary Uniform Crime Report. Additionally, there were 2,399.2 arrests per 100,000 people. Of the people arrested, 182 were juveniles, while 3,211 were adults. Theft and aggravated assault saw the highest number of arrests, 217 and 128 arrests, respectively.

Find Sumter County Arrest Records

Interested parties can use an internet portal provided by the sheriff's office to look up and examine booking details for current detainees at the Sumter County Detention Center. The Sumter County Detention Centre handles all inquiries for jail information. Anyone interested in obtaining this information should get in touch with the detention facility at:

Sumter County Detention Center
219 E Anderson Avenue
Bushnell, FL 33513

Free Arrest Record Search in Sumter County

Sumter County residents can obtain free arrest records from the Sheriff's Office's Criminal Records Division. Interested parties can also request police reports from the sheriff's office. Visitors to other websites run by various third-party organizations can obtain Sumter County arrest records. These websites have been carefully selected and vetted by an experienced public records specialist to ensure their reliability and validity. Record seekers should note that many websites require a subscription or payment to view particular content.

Get Sumter County Criminal Records

Most criminal records in Sumter County are accessible to the general public. The county's criminal record is kept up to date by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. Those who are interested in obtaining these documents can do so by going in person to the Criminal Records Division at:

7361 Powell Rd,
Wildwood, FL 34785
250 E McCollum Ave,
Bushnell, FL 33513

Victims of traffic crashes and any other interested persons can also obtain traffic crash reports at:

8033 E CR 466,
Lady Lake, 32159

If someone is interested in these records but would prefer not to pick them up in person, they can also request them online. Compact CDs containing records cost $10 per disc, certified copies cost $1 each, and paper copies cost 15 cents per page and 20 cents per page for double-sided copies. Please be aware that requests involving retrieving old reports, requests for several documents, or requests involving a significant amount of technological work may be subject to an hourly fee. At the moment, this fee is $15.93 per hour.

Furthermore, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which keeps track of criminal records for the state of Florida, allows interested public members to run criminal history record checks.

Sumter County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Although arrest and criminal records have similar roles in the criminal justice system, there are significant differences between both records. For example, an arrest record manifests when someone is detained by the police on suspicion of a crime. A person's name, the date of the arrest, the charges, and the agency involved are among the crucial facts included in an arrest record. These documents are typically open to the public unless they are restricted or exempt, and they do not establish guilt or innocence. On the other hand, criminal records are only made once a person is found guilty in court. They offer thorough information about the arrest, the charges, the trial (if any), and the sentence.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Sumter County, arrest records can remain on your criminal record for life, even if the arrest doesn't result in a conviction or the charges are dropped. However, you can remove or make the information inaccessible through sealing or expunging the record. The process can be lengthy and confusing, and it's recommended to consult an attorney.

Expunge Sumter County Arrest Records

Since arrests do not have a time limit on a person’s record, people can only remove them by applying for an expungement. An expungement is the process of eliminating case records from public access. However, an expungement does not entirely remove the arrest record; law enforcement, judges, and criminal facilities can still access them. To apply for expungement in Sumter County, interested parties should take the following steps:

• Step 1: Getting the Application and Filling It Out

  • On the FDLE website, record seekers can find the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Application for Certification of Eligibility.
  • Fill out the application as directed. A notary public must be present when the application is being signed under oath.

• Step 2: Send your application to the office of the state attorney.

  • Send the application to the State Attorney's Office in the county where you were charged. Applicants can also submit it physically at the Attorney’s Office. No copies in electronic format will be allowed.

• Step 3: Send FDLE your finished application.

  • Ensure you include everything specified in the Application's Checklist and Instructions when applying.
  • If your application is accepted, you will receive a "Certificate of Eligibility" from FDLE.

• Step 4: Fill out the "Petition and Affidavit to Expunge or Seal" and submit it.

  • After obtaining your "Certificate of Eligibility," you must complete a "Petition and Affidavit to Expunge or Seal".

• Step 5: Putting in the Request

  • You must submit the completed Petition to the Clerk of the Court in the County where the matter occurred, along with the original Petition and the Certificate of Eligibility.
  • You are required to submit copies of these records to the State Attorney's Office in the county where the incident occurred.
  • The Attorney’s Office will file a response to your petition as soon as the State Attorney's Office gets our copy of the materials mentioned in Step 5.

The Court may hold a hearing on the case if the Attorney’s Office rejects a request for expungement. If there will be a hearing, the Court Clerk will let you know the day and time. The Clerk will transmit all of the papers to the Court if there are no objections to the request. The Court will then issue an Order Sealing or Expunging the Record within a few weeks and mail a copy of this signed Order. Records may not disappear entirely and may still be available to law enforcement, sentencing judges, and corrections facilities.

Sumter County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a court or judge-issued legal document that permits law enforcement to arrest a specific person. Courts issue arrest warrants to ensure that arrests are valid in Sumter County. Arrest warrants for Sumter County include data about the warrant's issuance and execution, including the name and identifying information of the person for whom the warrant was issued.

Sumter County Arrest Warrant Search

Record seekers can find arrest warrants at the county’s Sheriff’s Office. Requesters can find the office at:

Sumter County Sheriff’s Office
7361 Powell Rd,
Wildwood, FL 34785

Alternatively, Sumter County residents can look for arrest warrants by using the Florida Crime Information Center’s Wanted Person search tool.

Do Sumter County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Warrants remain enforceable in Sumter County until the police take the wanted into custody. A warrant also expires when the court or magistrate who issued it recalls the warrant.