Yellowstone County, Montana Arrest Records
Yellowstone County arrest records are official paper or documentary materials containing specific details on individuals detained and taken into custody within Yellowstone County. The content of these records often include essential details such as the full name and description of the arrested person, the description of the alleged offense or pending charges, the arresting agency, and the detention facility where the individual is being held.
Many county arrest records are often maintained by the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and municipal law enforcement agencies such as the Billings Police Department and the Laurel Police Department.
Are Arrest Records Public Information in Yellowstone, Montana?
According to Chapter 6 Montana Public Records Act, every person has a right to examine and obtain a copy of any information relating to the transaction of an agency’s official business, subject to security exceptions contained in the law or another law. This means Yellowstone County arrest records are public information, but only to an extent that certain confidential details identified for protection under state law are not disclosed.
Apart from these limitations, there are generally no express impediments to accessing Yellowstone County arrest records; no ID required and no need to be domiciled in the county before being eligible to obtain copies of these records.
The Montana Public Records Act (Title 2, Chapter 6 of the Montana Code Annotated) generally supports access to arrest records maintained by state and local law enforcement agencies, bolstering the state’s accountability and transparency policy and preventing unlawful or secret detention in the process. However, access may be subject to policy considerations that limit the right to inspect certain records without additional legal authorization.
Montana also operates a Criminal Justice Information (CJI) system under the Criminal Justice Information Act. Codified under Title 44, Chapter 5 of the Montana Code Annotated, this statutory framework controls the release of criminal offender record information in specified circumstances and distinguishes between general public information, confidential records, and specialized registries.
What Do Public County Arrest Records Contain?
The public-facing aspect of an arrest record are typically constituted by the following details:
- The defendant's full name (Last, first, and middle name)
- Jacket number
- Housing unit
- Total bond
- Booking number
- Charge information: description, charges type, etc.
- Date of birth
Confidential details identified for protection under state law include:
- The statement or confessions of the arrested individual
- The personal identifying details of a victim or witness
- The personal identifying information of a minor
- Medical or mental health examination records of the defendant
- Information that may affect the integrity of an ongoing investigation
Courts may order the sealing or expunction of specific records. Sealed or expunged records are typically removed from law enforcement databases and are typically not available for public inspection in their entirety.
The law utilizes controlled access restrictions to protect the privacy of the record subject, amidst statutory recognition of the public’s right to information that concerns the governing of their affairs. The public may only view expunged records with a court order.
Yellowstone County, Montana Arrest Search
A common pathway for viewing Yellowstone County arrest records is through the Montana Public Access Portal. The Montana District Court Access Portal provides online case information on various felony and misdemeanor-related arrests, their current status, and final dispositions, as documented by District Clerks in counties across the state. The portal features a criminal case lookup option that allows users to search and retrieve specific case information using a combination of the case type (first two letters), the date, and the ending case numbers. Case search results typically include the filing date, the case status, warrants, and an option to search further for the charge summary.
Individuals can also make further inquiries by contacting the Clerk of the District court directly at:
Yellowstone County District Court Clerk
217 N. 27th Street, Rm. 702, 703 and 704
P.O. Box 35030
Billings, MT 59107
Terry Halpin
(406) 256-2851
Note: Montana statewide portals primarily provide court records, not complete investigative reports.
If the individual was arrested within Yellowstone County by a federal law enforcement agency, it may be that the individual is being held in a federal facility. The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator serves as the online resource for locating the whereabouts of a federal detainee, as well as those who were incarcerated, from recently to 1982.
Yellowstone County Inmate Locator
As the primary law enforcement agency and the controller of the County Jail, the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office serves as the central repository for many of the county’s arrest records. Through the Sheriff’s Office official website, the Yellowstone County Detention Center publishes a live inmate/jail roster through which individuals can confirm arrests and subsequent detention in the county jail. To do this:
- Visit the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office website
- Click the navigation button at the top-right-hand corner
- Click on “Inmate Search” menu
- To execute an inmate search, at least the inmate’s name or booking date must be entered in one of the fields
- Solve the math problem, then click on “Search”
- Inmate information with names matching the description or with inmate details bearing the booking number
- Click on the “main search” option above to view charges.
Requests for an arrest report may also be made by downloading this request form and taking the completed form along with a $5 cash to:
Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office
2323 2nd Ave N,
Billings, MT 59101
Active Warrant Search in Yellowstone County
An arrest warrant is a document issued by a Judge or magistrate, commanding the Sheriff’s Office or other state or county law enforcement to detain a suspect named therein and bring them before the court to answer to a criminal allegation. State law uses active warrants as a means to maintain judicial oversight over law enforcement activities, ensuring arrest power is not wielded as a tool of harassment or intimidation.
Unless the individual was caught in the act or pursued immediately after committing the offense, state and county law enforcement typically require an arrest warrant to arrest a suspect.
Judicial officers are enjoined to issue a warrant upon the receipt of a complaint containing compelling evidence that there is probable cause to believe that the person against whom the complaint is made committed the offense.
Since warrant issuance is part of official court activity, these records are regarded as public documents under the Montana Public Records Act. However, disclosure is generally restricted to arrest warrants that have been served or quashed.
Yellowstone warrants can be viewed and printed through the District Court Access Portal available on the Montana Public Access Portal where searches for criminal case files can be conducted by a combination of the first two letters of the case type, the date, and the ending case numbers. Case files connected to an arrest that was executed pursuant to a warrant will generally reflect the warrant information.
The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office also hosts a “Wanted Persons” page through which it publishes and solicits for further information about persons posing significant importance to the investigation of a crime. This, however, does not indicate that there is an active warrant for the person's arrest. Interested individuals may seek further clarification by contacting the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office at 406-256-2929 or Crimestoppers at 406-245-6660.
|
Agency/Resources |
Purpose |
Search Methods |
Notes |
|
The Yellowstone County District Court |
Issues and maintains records of arrest warrants |
Online and in person at the Clerk of Court's Office | |
|
The Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office |
Executes and maintains records of active and executed warrants |
In person, but see the “wanted persons page.” |
How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Yellowstone County
The computerized version of Yellowstone County arrest records are generally published for free through courts and law enforcement-designated online access resources. Through the Montana District Court Access Portal and the inmate search option available on Sheriff’s Office website, searches can be conducted freely without the need to show an official ID, pay through a pay wall, or mail a money order to a designated authority.
However, there may be certain limitations relative to the information accessible through geese resources. Free access avenues such as the Montana District Court Access Portal and the inmate search option on the Sheriff’s Office website, typically do not provide access to older records. Additionally, records obtained on these sites are typically provided with a disclaimer admitting no liability in the event of any inaccuracy or lack of fitness of the record for any particular purpose.
Comprehensive and certified copies typically attract a fee required to submit in person or by mail to the designated authority.
Yellowstone County Arrest Report
An arrest report is a narrative documentation of an arresting officer's observation at the time of executing an arrest. It is often prepared in the aftermath of an arrest, detailing the set of circumstances prompting the arrest, including the arrested individual's conduct prior to arrest, the alleged offense, the place and date of arrest, personal identifying information of the detainee.
Although it is similar to an arrest record in the sense that it provides information about an arrest incident, an arrest report is generally more comprehensive, forms part of criminal investigation documents, providing the basis for booking and subsequent detention in the county jail pending trial.
Arrest records are less detailed, specific entries in court case management systems or law enforcement databases, providing verified information that indicates that an individual was arrested, detained, booked, charged, and prosecuted for the offense.
While arrest reports are generally limited to the arrest incident, arrest records are typically more far-reaching, stopping short of conviction-related information in many cases. Unless a conviction is entered, neither of these records serve as an indication that the individual was found guilty of the offense.
How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Yellowstone County
Expungement of arrest or conviction record is a legal remedy recognized under Montana Law. Under Montana law, expungement is a legal process that permanently seals or erases a person's criminal history record of an arrest, investigation, or conviction from the state's criminal history record system.
Under Montana law, individuals are able to obtain expungement for felony and misdemeanor charges in a range of specified circumstances.
Pursuant to Montana Annotated Code 2025, Title 46, Chapter 18, Part 11, individuals may petition the District Court for an order of expungement of misdemeanor offenses if the following requirements have been met:
- They have remained conviction-free throughout the state and at the national level for a period of at least 5years starting from the date that they completed all penalties associated with the conviction, including the sentence, fines, and financial restitution.
- The person is not currently being detained for committing a new offense, nor are they currently in custody for committing a new offense, and there are no pending charges relative to committing a new offense.
Once the preconditions are met, individuals may petition the District Court for an order expunging the misdemeanor and the associated arrest. The petitioner’s counsel must notify the arresting agency, the court that passed their sentence, and the prosecuting agency responsible for the conviction, and also make an attempt to put the victim on notice.
Because expungement is not a right, the success of a petition depends largely on the court's discretion, which may be granted based on considerations stipulated by law. In the event that the petition is granted, the petitioner must approach law enforcement to be fingerprinted on a blue applicant fingerprint card (FD-258).
The petitioner is expected to complete this expungement form and mail it along with the fingerprint card and the expungement order from the court to:
CRISS
PO Box 201403,
Helena, MT 59620.
CRISS will verify that the petitioner has no prior expungements, including the petitioner's identity using the fingerprint card, and remove the arrest/conviction data from the state's Computerized Criminal History database upon completion of the verification. The prices may take up to 30 days.
For certain first-time felony convictions (some marijuana convictions) or misdemeanor charges that were resolved through a pre-trial diversion program or deferred adjudication, upon completing the terms of probation, these records may be sealed under Montana Code 46-18-204 once the charge is dismissed.
After the charge is dismissed, all records and data relating to the charge are confidential criminal justice information.
How Do You Remove Yellowstone County Arrest Records From the Internet?
If an individual's arrest record has been published on the internet, a request for removal may be made after obtaining an expungement order. County and state law enforcement agencies generally remove digital copies from their online databases upon the receipt of an expungement order. Once the order is granted, a copy will be sent to federal agencies.