Sebastian County Criminal Records
Sebastian County criminal records are maintained by the Sheriff's Office and the Circuit Clerk, with offices in both Fort Smith and Greenwood. If you need to find an arrest record, check an active warrant, look up a court case, or request a copy of a criminal file, this page walks you through the main access points and what to expect from each one.
Sebastian County Criminal Records Overview
Sebastian County Sheriff Records Division
The Sebastian County Sheriff's Office handles the bulk of front-line criminal records in the county. The main Records Division sits at 800 South A Street in Fort Smith and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. You can reach them at (479) 783-1051. A second location serves the western part of the county at 11 Town Square in Greenwood, reachable at (479) 996-4800 with the same weekday hours.
The Sheriff manages several record types worth knowing about. Arrest records document the custody process and initial charges. Conviction records reflect final guilty verdicts or accepted pleas. Court records tie directly to circuit court filings and proceedings. Beyond those, the office also handles incident reports, accident reports, warrant inquiries, and basic background check guidance. Most people start here when they need a Sebastian County arrest record or want to find out if someone has an active warrant.
Felony cases involve imprisonment exceeding one year and are governed under state criminal records law as well as A.C.A. § 12-12-1501, which establishes how criminal records are maintained in Arkansas. Misdemeanor charges carry up to one year in the county jail. Both categories are part of the public record in most cases.
The office also maintains an online warrant search portal available 24 hours a day. You search by first and last name. The database is updated on a regular basis and covers arrest warrants, bench warrants, search warrants, civil warrants, probation or parole violation warrants, and failure to appear warrants. It is free to use.
How to Request Sebastian County Records
There are three ways to get criminal records from the Sebastian County Sheriff. In-person requests are the fastest. You go to the Records Division at the Fort Smith or Greenwood location, fill out a request form, provide the subject's name and date of birth along with the approximate date of the record, pay the applicable fee, and allow time for processing.
Written requests are also accepted. Your letter needs to include your full name and contact information, a specific description of the records you want, the subject's full name and date of birth, and a note about your preferred method of receipt. Sign and date the letter before sending. For electronic records, the fee is $5.00 per case file. Paper copies run $0.25 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00 each.
Online is the third option. The Sheriff operates a Records Request Portal through the official county website. For court case records specifically, Arkansas CourtConnect gives you statewide access to dockets and case status. CourtConnect is maintained by the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts, which you can reach at 501-410-1900 or toll-free at 866-823-5778.
Note: Processing time varies by request type and record age, so allow extra time for older or sealed case research.
Sebastian County Circuit Clerk
The Sebastian County Circuit Clerk keeps the official court files for all felony criminal cases, as well as civil cases, divorce and custody matters, child support, eviction proceedings, and probate. The Fort Smith courthouse is at 35 South 6th Street, Room 200, Fort Smith, AR 72901. Phone is (479) 782-5065. The Greenwood courthouse for the western district is at 301 East Center Street, Greenwood, AR 72936, reachable at (479) 996-4800.
Court dockets and case information for Sebastian County are available online through CourtConnect. You can look up cases by name, case number, or filing date without paying a fee to view basic docket information. Copies of actual court documents carry the standard $0.25 per page fee plus any certification charges.
The Fort Smith District Court also maintains some online case access for civil, traffic, and criminal matters through its own portal, though that site has intermittent access issues. If you run into trouble there, CourtConnect is a more reliable route for case status and docket information. District court records cover lower-level criminal matters that do not rise to circuit court.
Inmate Search and Detention Center
The Sebastian County Sheriff manages the county detention facility. To find out if someone is currently in custody, you can use the inmate inquiry tool on the Sheriff's website. Search fields include last name and first name, subject number, or booking number. You can also filter by "In Custody" status, booking date range, and housing facility. Results include the inmate's name, booking photo, charges, bond information, and case numbers.
In 2023, the Sebastian County Sheriff recorded 776 adult arrests and 191 juvenile arrests. The most common charge categories included intimidation (239 cases), simple assault (264 cases), and aggravated assault (258 cases). Those numbers give you a sense of the volume of records generated in the county each year.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections Inmate Search covers people who have been transferred to a state facility after sentencing. That search is separate from the county jail roster and pulls from the statewide ADC database.
Note: The county inmate roster reflects current custody status only and does not show people who have been released, transferred, or whose charges were dropped.
Arkansas Public Records Law and Sebastian County
Arkansas gives the public broad access to criminal records under the Freedom of Information Act, codified at Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101 et seq. The law states that all public records must be open to inspection and copying by any Arkansas citizen during regular business hours of the custodian. Sebastian County Sheriff and Circuit Clerk offices follow this standard.
Not everything is open. Under A.C.A. § 12-12-1504, certain records are restricted from public release. Those include records of arrests that were dismissed, cases where the person was acquitted, sealed records by court order, and juvenile records. A.C.A. § 12-12-1506(d) is the flip side of that rule: convictions and felony arrests are public without requiring the subject's consent.
If a record has been expunged, it is no longer accessible through public channels. Arkansas expungement is governed by A.C.A. § 16-90-901 and A.C.A. § 16-90-1417. Once an Order to Seal is entered, the Arkansas Crime Information Center processes the removal within 30 days. After that point, the record will not appear in standard public records searches.
State Police Background Checks
If you need a formal background check rather than a public records search, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check system handles those requests. Name-based checks cost $22 online. If you prefer to mail a request, use form ASP-122 and send it with a $25 fee to 1 State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock, AR 72209. The phone number for the Criminal Background Check Unit is (501) 618-8500.
The Arkansas Crime Information Center, known as ACIC, is the statewide repository for criminal history data. ACIC also manages the Arkansas Sex Offender Registry under A.C.A. §§ 12-12-203(a). Sex offender registration information is publicly searchable without charge and includes name, address, photo, and offense details.
For victim notification and custody status updates, Arkansas VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) is available statewide. Call 1-800-510-0415 to register for alerts or check on an offender's status at any time.
Record Retention in Sebastian County
Not all criminal records are kept the same length of time. Felony case records are retained permanently, though non-serious felonies may follow a 25-year retention schedule in some circumstances. Misdemeanor records are kept for 10 years. Arrest records where no charges were filed are also retained for 10 years, as are booking records and mugshots.
Court dockets are retained permanently. Active warrants stay on record until they are served or recalled by the court. Investigation files for solved cases are kept for 20 years, while unsolved cases and homicide records are kept permanently.
Legal Aid Resources in Sebastian County
People dealing with criminal records, expungements, or court proceedings in Sebastian County can get free legal help through Arkansas Legal Aid by calling 1-800-952-9243. The Center for Arkansas Legal Services is also available at 501-376-3423. Both organizations serve low-income residents and can assist with record sealing questions, court navigation, and related matters.
Sebastian County Sheriff's Office
The Sebastian County Sheriff's website provides direct access to the warrant search portal, inmate inquiry system, and records request forms. The screenshot below shows the official Sheriff's Office page where you can start a records search or find contact information for the Records Division.
The Sheriff's Office page also links to the online Records Request Portal and provides information about fees, processing times, and the types of records available through the office.
Sebastian County Criminal Records Search
For a broader view of available Sebastian County criminal records data, the official Sebastian County government website is the starting point for public records access, office directories, and links to online search tools.
Online search tools let you check case status, warrant status, and inmate custody information without visiting an office in person. CourtConnect and the Sheriff's portal are updated regularly and available without charge for basic lookups.
Cities in Sebastian County
Fort Smith is the largest city in Sebastian County and the county seat. It is the only city in the county that meets the population threshold for a dedicated records page.
Other communities in Sebastian County include Greenwood, Barling, Lavaca, Hackett, and Booneville. Those cities do not have dedicated pages, but residents can use the same Sheriff and Circuit Clerk offices described on this page to access their records.
Nearby Counties
Sebastian County borders several other Arkansas counties. Each has its own clerk and sheriff handling local criminal records.