Arrest records are public documents in Ashley County, Arkansas, pursuant to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), codified under Arkansas Code § 25-19-101 et seq. This legislation establishes that government records, including those pertaining to arrests made by law enforcement agencies within Ashley County, shall be accessible to the public unless specifically exempted by statute. The Arkansas FOIA operates under the presumption of openness, meaning that records are considered public unless there is a specific legal provision that exempts them from disclosure.
Members of the public seeking arrest records should be aware that certain information may be redacted in accordance with Arkansas Code § 25-19-105, which protects personal privacy in specific circumstances. Such protected information may include Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, and other personally identifying information of a sensitive nature.
Ashley County arrest records are available through various online platforms, though the comprehensiveness of these records varies by source. The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts maintains the Search ARCourts system, which provides public access to court case information, including cases resulting from arrests in Ashley County.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections offers an online inmate search database that includes information about individuals who have been arrested and subsequently incarcerated in state facilities. This resource is particularly useful for tracking the status of individuals who have been convicted following an arrest in Ashley County.
It should be noted that pursuant to Arkansas Code § 12-12-1510, certain arrest records may be subject to sealing or expungement, in which case they would not appear in public online databases. Additionally, the timeliness of online records depends on the updating procedures of the respective agencies, which may result in delays between an arrest and its appearance in online systems.
Multiple official channels exist for obtaining arrest records in Ashley County as of 2025. Interested parties may utilize the following methods:
Ashley County Sheriff's Office
842 Ashley Road 12 West
Hamburg, AR 71646
(870) 853-2040
Ashley County Sheriff's Office
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Ashley County District Court - Hamburg Department
205 East Lincoln Street
Hamburg, AR 71646
(870) 853-9851
Ashley County District Court
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Online Court Records: The Arkansas Judiciary provides access to court records through their Case Search portal, which includes cases from Ashley County.
Arkansas State Police: For criminal history information, individuals may submit requests to:
Arkansas State Police
Identification Bureau
One State Police Plaza Drive
Little Rock, AR 72209
(501) 618-8500
Arkansas State Police
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Requests for arrest records must comply with Arkansas Code § 25-19-105, which allows agencies to charge reasonable fees for the reproduction of public records. Identification may be required when requesting records in person.
Ashley County arrest records typically contain comprehensive information about the arrest event and the individual involved. Standard components of these records include:
In accordance with Arkansas Code § 12-12-1003, certain sensitive information may be redacted from publicly available arrest records to protect privacy interests and prevent identity theft. The completeness of arrest records may vary based on the stage of the criminal justice process and the policies of the maintaining agency.
The State of Arkansas provides legal mechanisms for the expungement of arrest records under specific circumstances, as outlined in Arkansas Code § 16-90-1401 through § 16-90-1419. Expungement in Ashley County follows these state provisions, allowing eligible individuals to petition for the sealing of their arrest records.
Eligibility criteria for expungement in Ashley County include:
The expungement process requires filing a petition with the court that had jurisdiction over the case. In Ashley County, these petitions are typically filed with:
Ashley County Circuit Court
205 East Jefferson Street
Hamburg, AR 71646
(870) 853-2020
Ashley County Circuit Court
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Upon receipt of a properly filed petition, the court will schedule a hearing where the petitioner must demonstrate eligibility for expungement. If granted, the court will issue an Order of Expungement directing all relevant agencies to seal the records. Pursuant to Arkansas Code § 16-90-1417, expunged records are not accessible to the general public but may remain available to law enforcement agencies and certain licensing boards under limited circumstances.