Search Clay County arrest records for free through multiple official sources.
Interested parties can search for recent and older arrest and offense records via various state, county, and city-level government agencies. Arrest records provide residents with a wide range of information, such as a physical description of the arrestee, details of the charges against them, the date and time of the detainment, bail bond amount, and more.
This streamlined article explains how to quickly conduct a free arrest records search in Clay County, Florida.
Retrieve Clay County Arrest Records or Review Mugshots for Free
Records that provide details of arrestations that took place in a certain region (state, county, or city) are called arrest records. As discussed earlier, these records provide a wide variety of information ranging from basic details of the arrestee to the exact bail bond amount and even their court cases.
Arrest records are mostly open to be viewed and copied by the general public for public safety reasons, as these records can help citizens flag individuals with a long history of arrests. However, it is important to understand that a person being arrested does not always mean that they were involved in a crime, as they could be arrested based on suspicion as well.
Arrest records in Clay County are available to the public in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Florida State Legislature, also known commonly as the State Public Records Act.
Passed in 1909, the act (sometimes referred to as the Sunshine Law) ensured the public availability of government and court records which include arrest records. Any official agency that has any kind of public records is obliged to provide them to requestors.
However, interested parties must remember that there are some exceptions to this statute. For example, details of arrests involving juveniles (less than 18 years of age) are not open to the general public. Furthermore, records of certain cases that have been particularly ordered by the honorable court to be sealed are not open to common citizens as well without special permission.
In Clay County, various government departments can help residents obtain arrest records. Primarily, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office keeps records of all arrests that take place within the county and can provide residents with their details.1 The office has a page on its official website that provides details of recent arrests that took place within the county.
The page displays arrest details as soon as they take place and provides a wide range of information. Residents can view the full names of the arrestees, the charges against them, the time and place where the arrest took place, the detention center where they are currently held, and their case numbers.
In addition to that, residents can also submit a formal public records request to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Residents can choose to either create an account (which will help them track their record requests) or submit the request anonymously.3
When submitting the public records request for arrests, residents will have to check the “Incident/Arrest Reports” box on the form. After that, some details about the records being requested will have to be provided for the department to conduct a comprehensive search.
These details can include the name of the arrested individual, the date, place, and time of the arrest, and the incident number (if known). If these details are not known, a description of the records being requested can also be provided instead. Residents can also give a preferred method for receiving the records.
For the assistance of record requestors, there is also a highly elaborate FAQ page.
After the request has been submitted, a reference number will be given to the requestor, which they can use to track their records request. It is important to note here that the method of obtaining a police report in Clay County is the same as well. However, the department charges fees for providing records which is different for arrest records and police reports.4
For arrest records, the fee is $8 per search, whereas for police reports, the fee is $0.15 per page. Additionally, in case residents want certified copies, they can get their records certified at the rate of $1 per page.
In addition to the aforementioned methods, the Public Records Division of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office can also be contacted directly for arrest records using the following details.
Clay County Sheriff’s Department
Public Records Division
901 North Orange Ave.
Green Cove Springs Florida 32043
Phone: 904.529.6090
As another option, residents can also obtain arrest records from the Clay County Clerk of Court and Controller. For the ease of citizens, the clerk’s office has set up a Free Online Court Records Search Tool that can provide details of arrests to interested individuals. Residents can search records through this tool using the full name of the arrestee or their case number.
Additionally, to narrow down the search for more precise results, a date range can also be entered.
The search tool will provide an extensive range of information to searchers that will not only include a case history and summary but other cases on the individual as well.
In addition to a physical description of the subject, details of the arrest, such as time, place, the agency that carried it out, and the court that issued the warrant, will be available. Furthermore, the results of the tool will also provide insight into the nature of charges against the individual as well as the case’s current status.
Contacting the Clay County Clerk of the Court directly can help residents obtain information about arrest records.5
Clay County Clerk of the Court & Controller
825 N. Orange Ave. P.O. Box No. 698
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
Phone: 904.284.6302
Email: [email protected]
To search arrest records in Green Cove Springs, Florida, residents can reach out to the local police department of the city.
Green Cove Springs Police Department
Main Office
1001 Idlewild Avenue
Green Cove Springs Florida 32043
Phone: 904.297.7300
Fax: 904.284.1436
Email: [email protected]
There are multiple third party agencies or providers like VINELink that can also help interested parties in obtaining arrest and offense records in Clay County, Florida.
However, it is important to consider whether or not their resources are endorsed or approved by an official department. Only details obtained from endorsed third-party agencies should be used in court or for other official matters.
Other than recent arrest records, individuals can also search for older records through various sources, this will be discussed in the upcoming section.
Reveal Prior Crimes & Arrest Details in Clay County Florida
Interested parties can obtain prior crime and arrest details in Clay County through the County Clerk of Court and Controller. The department’s Free Online Court Records Search Tool can provide details of older arrests to interested individuals.6
Citizens can look for records through this tool using case numbers or the full names of the search subjects.
A date range can also be added as a filter to narrow down the results.
Residents will be able to obtain details such as the nature of the offense committed by the individual, case status, case history, case summary, other cases on the search subject, a physical description, details of the arrest, the name of the court that issued the warrant, and the agency that carried it out.
Individuals can also reach out to the Clay County Clerk of the Court directly to learn about old arrests.
Clay County Clerk of the Court & Controller
825 N. Orange Ave. P.O. Box No. 698
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
Phone: 904.284.6302
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. | Monday through Friday
To look up prior crime and arrest details at the city level in Green Cove Springs, Florida, residents can contact the local police department.
Green Cove Springs Police Department
Main Office
1001 Idlewild Avenue
Green Cove Springs Florida 32043
Phone: 904.297.7300
Fax: 904.284.1436
Email: [email protected]
The office of the Green Cove Springs Police Department can be visited during regular business hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. Additionally, the department can also be reached through phone call or email using the above-mentioned details.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) can help interested individuals search old arrest records at the state level.8
The department offers an online service called the Criminal History Record Check that is specifically designed to provide offense and arrest info to requesting citizens. Users can check the online overview of the tool to understand better how it works.
The tool allows citizens to search arrest records using criteria such as complete names of the subjects or case numbers and obtain their complete criminal history (if there is any) along with details of all arrests.
However, it is important to keep in mind that the Criminal History Record Check Tool is not free of cost; a total fee of $25 per search is charged per search. This includes $24 for the actual search and a $1 fee for processing through a credit/debit card.
It can be a shock to find a loved one’s name in arrest records. However, they can be quickly taken out of custody through bail. The process of obtaining self-bail in Clay County, Florida will be discussed in the following section.
How To Handle Clay County Bail & Utilize a Bail Bondsman
In case a friend or a family member is arrested, the primary goal should be to get them out of custody as quickly as possible.
This can be done through bail, also known as bail bond. A bail bond is a kind of guarantee given to law enforcement agencies that the arrested individual will attend all court hearings during the length of their trial and will cooperate.
An amount is decided and paid in full by the arrestee or a bailer, usually a family member, friend or bondsman as security.
In case the bailed individual attends all court hearings and cooperates, or the charges are dropped, the paid amount becomes refundable. However, if they flee or miss their court dates, the paid amount is fortified.
In Clay County, whenever an arrest happens, the arrestee is presented in front of a judge who decides the value of the bail bond. There are multiple factors that influence the judge’s decision on how much the bail should be. These factors can be the arrested individual’s previous criminal and arrest record, their chances of fleeing, community safety risk, and most importantly, the type of crime committed by them.
A person can post bail in the form of a cash bond or a security bond through a licensed bail bond company. Residents can pay bail in the form of cash, money order or cashier’s cheque to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.9 As soon as the bail is paid and approved, the arrestee is released from custody.
However, in certain cases, the bail bond amount might be too much for the arrestees or their bailers. In such a case, a licensed bail bond company can be utilized. A bail bond company takes around 10% of the total bail amount upfront, which is non-refundable, and posts bail on behalf of the arrestee’s acquaintance.
The bail bond company can also require assets such as property or stocks as security in certain cases.
This resource contains complete details on how to search Clay County arrest records for free; residents can utilize the information summarized here to search not just recent but prior arrest and offense records as well.
References
1Clay County Sheriff’s Office. (n.d.). Crime & Arrest Information. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://www.claysheriff.com/news/crime-arrest-info/>
2Clay County Sheriff’s Office. (n.d.). Public Records Center. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://claycountysheriff.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(yo4yyvmco1htiq5ncq2h4j1r))/supporthome.aspx>
3Clay County Sheriff’s Office. (n.d.). Service Request – Create Request Page: Public Records Request. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://claycountysheriff.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(jatzgqi55vyin0fswdykzgge))/RequestOpen.aspx?sSessionID=&rqst=1&anon=1>
4Clay County Sheriff’s Office. (2021, April 01). Record Fees. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://www.claysheriff.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/A445-Records-Fees.pdf>
5Clay County Clerk of Court and Comptroller. (n.d.). Contact Us. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://clayclerk.com/about/contact-us/>
6Clay County Clerk of Court and Comptroller. (n.d.). Search Records. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://clayclerk.com/search-records/>
7Clay County Clerk of Court and Controller. (2024). Search. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://inquiry.clayclerk.com/Home.aspx/Search>
8Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (n.d.). Public Records. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/OGC/Public-Records.aspx>
9Clay County Sheriff’s Office. (n.d.). Contact Us. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from <https://www.claysheriff.com/resources/contact-us/>