Wayne County, Pennsylvania Arrest Records
Wayne County arrest records are formal records generated when a law enforcement officer takes a citizen into custody. The arrest records are produced by the Pennsylvania State Police, Sheriff's Deputies, and Municipal Police Departments and include the name of the individual arrested and the details of the violation. It also includes the date and place of the violation, the time and place of the booking, and the charges. As such, the arrest record documents the state's exercise of its power to arrest. It also helps ensure accountability among law enforcement officers and helps citizens track crime and law enforcement activities in their community.
Pennsylvania's Criminal History Record Information Act (18 Pa.C.S. § 9101 et seq.) governs who can collect and disseminate criminal history record information and specifically who can receive that information. In Wayne County, these include the Honesdale Borough Police Department and the Hawley Borough Police Department.
Are Arrest Records Public Information in Wayne, Pennsylvania?
Wayne County criminal history disclosure information falls under the Criminal History Record Information Act of 2009 (CHRI), particularly 18 Pa.C.S. § 9121, which allows the Pennsylvania State Police to disseminate such information and requires the removal or restriction of certain types of information.
Public arrest records from Wayne County are available, but there is no public right of access. The Right-to-Know Law presumes that all records created by agencies are public. But it also has an exemption at 708(b)(16) for criminal-investigative records, including investigative reports, witness statements, and any other material that might jeopardize the results of an active criminal investigation. However, the exception does not apply to charged crimes.
Although not explicitly required by the Right-to-Know Law, a photo ID is often requested from those requesting records as proof of identity. Additionally, residency in Wayne County is not a prerequisite for obtaining county records under Section 102.
What Do Public Wayne County Arrest Records Contain?
Wayne County arrest record details vary depending on which agency is collecting them, but typically records will contain:
- Name, age, and other identification for the arrestee
- Date of arrest, time of arrest, place of arrest, and agency
- Statutory charges
- Summary of incident or probable cause
- Booking number and custody status
- Amount of bail posted and release conditions
- Docket number of court case and any upcoming hearings
Not all information collected by enforcement agencies will become Public. The Right-to-Know Law in Pennsylvania allows agencies to withhold information from criminal investigations if disclosure would reveal the identity of a confidential witness, reveal methods used to investigate a crime, or endanger an individual. Agencies can also withhold information if it will interfere with prosecution or jeopardize a fair trial. The Criminal History Record Information Act prohibits the sharing of criminal history records. A Judge can also deny access to the records of a defendant via a sealed order, limited access order, or expungement order.
Examples of commonly denied information include Social Security Numbers, protected personal identifiers, medical information, victim information, juvenile records, confidential witness statements, law enforcement security information, and information protected by privacy laws.
Wayne County, Pennsylvania Arrest Search
People looking for arrest records in Wayne County may begin with the Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH), a criminal history database operated by the Pennsylvania State Police. PATCH users can submit requests for a background check. A response from the background check will list any reportable arrests and dispositions. However, PATCH is not an incident report or active investigation database.
To find federal arrest records, interested persons can search PACER, the federal court's system for maintaining public court records. PACER's case locator allows users to locate federal criminal cases, view docket entries, and obtain copies of documents. However, registration and document fees may be required. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) Inmate Locator can help confirm a person's presence in federal custody from 1982 to date. Also, an individual seeking their own national F.B.I. file can request an Identity History Summary using their fingerprint.
Wayne County Inmate Locator
Wayne County provides a link to the online Pennsylvania VINE/SAVIN System to find an individual being held in the county. Users will need to provide the individual's full name and age or birthdate. Results will contain custody status, facility location, and release or transfer Information. Users are able to sign up to be notified when this information changes.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office does not have its own county-specific database to look up county prisoners. To confirm if someone is being detained locally, interested persons can call the Correctional Facility at
44 Mid-Wayne Drive
Honesdale, Pa. 18431
Phone: (570)-253-5970 ext. 4251 or (570) -253-2621.
To inquire about Sheriff-related issues regarding an individual's custodial status or warrants, searchers should contact
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office
925 Court Street
Honesdale, Pa. 18431
Phone: 570-253-2641
Fax: 570-253-4092
How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Wayne County
Interested parties can find Wayne County arrest-related information via free options such as the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System Web Portal. Users can search using name, case number, police incident number, or state identification number. This service provides criminal docket sheets that list the crimes charged against the defendant, the bail amount, the hearing date for the charges, and the outcome of each charge. In addition, Wayne County has an Outstanding Warrant List that is searchable on its sheriff's office website.
Users should note that these services will not provide complete arrest reports. The outstanding warrant list includes only people with active warrants. Therefore, older court records may not be found due to Pennsylvania retention requirements. Additionally, sealed, expunged, juvenile, or otherwise restricted-access matters will not be displayed. Generally, photo I.D. is required for online searches. However, users should provide as much identifying information as possible, such as full name, date of birth, and case number, to avoid mistaken identities.
Free websites generally display brief summaries of events related to each arrest and do not include the actual police narrative, evidence, witness statements, or specially redacted investigative files.
Wayne County Arrest Report
A Wayne County arrest record is a brief summary of an individual's arrest, including their name, the date of arrest, and the law enforcement agency that made the arrest. It also includes the charges they are accused of committing, the bail amount if posted, the current custody status, and the final disposition of the case. In many ways, it serves as an administrative index record of the arrest.
An arrest Report is a more detailed account of the arrest process. The arrest report provides information on the responding police officers' involvement, observations made during the response, statements by the individual being arrested, and evidence seized at the scene. It also includes reasons for the individual's arrest and chronological order of events related to the arrest.
This distinction has implications for the availability of public records. In general, criminal dockets or custody summaries can be searched online by members of the public. Conversely, an arrest report is generally considered part of a criminal investigation and will fall within the scope of Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law. Therefore, agencies have discretion over whether to provide access to the entire arrest report or only part of it.
How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Wayne County
Wayne County will permit expungements in those instances permitted by Pennsylvania statute. Under 18 Pa. C. S. A. Section 9122, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania may seal or expunge certain non-criminal conviction records and summary offenses after a five-year period without further arrests. Also eligible are persons aged 70 with 10 years of crime-free living and persons with pardoned offenses. The Commonwealth has automated the process for sealing pardon records since June 2024.
To begin the process, a petitioner must first file for an Access and Review record from the Pennsylvania State Police using form SP 4-170. After receiving this document, they should contact Wayne County for the specific filing requirements and then submit their petition for expungement to the Clerk of Courts at:
The Clerk of Courts
925 Court Street
Honesdale
In addition to listing all charges and dockets, if there is a contest on a petition, a Judge will make a determination. If the petition is granted, the court will send its order to each agency that previously recorded the information.
In addition to a complete expungement, also referred to as sealing, Sections 9122.1 and 9122.2 also provide the option of limited access for qualifying cases. Limited access means that the records are removed from public searches but remain available to other agencies. To qualify for limited access, eligibility is based upon disposition, nature of the offense, completion of sentencing, and criminal history.
How Do You Remove Wayne County Arrest Records From the Internet?
Removing an arrest record from the internet in Wayne County requires Expungement in Pennsylvania first. A petitioner must have obtained an expungement, a limited-access order, or clean slate protection through the law. After receiving the relief, the court will send this order to the Pennsylvania State Police and all other agencies responsible for maintaining the records. A case that was eligible for relief should no longer appear on public court search sites. However, some government agencies are entitled to continue accessing the same limited-access information.
After receiving notification that an order has been processed, petitioners can return to the Pennsylvania court portal and the respective Wayne County webpages. If any information still appears, a petitioner can contact the governmental entity that provided the information online and provide the docket number and the certified order for relief of the Record. Note that petitioners may need proof of ID to confirm they are the individual who owns the record.