Caledonia County Arrest Records

Caledonia County, Vermont, arrest records detail arrests that have taken place within the county. Arrests are typically made by law enforcement agencies within the county, such as the Caledonia County Sheriff's Office. After arrest, suspects are booked and transferred to the Caledonia County Jail to await arraignment.

Arresting agencies generate suspects' arrest records and answer public requests for such documents. Arrest records may also be integrated with Caledonia County Court Records maintained by the judiciary and criminal histories maintained by the Vermont Department of Public Safety.

Are Arrest Records Public in Caledonia County?

Under Vermont's Open Records Laws, Caledonia County arrest records are considered public records. The law permits the general public to request and copy arrest records unless the record is particularly restricted or exempt from public access. Records that may be prohibited from public access in Vermont include the following:

• Records labelled confidential by federal or state laws
• Records that have been sealed or expunged
• Records the release of which would cause an unnecessary violation of privacy
• Arrest records of juveniles and minors
• Records of certain criminal investigations

Find Caledonia County Arrest Records

Inmate information and arrest records for Caledonia County may be found by contacting local law enforcement, such as the Caledonia County Sheriff's Office and the County Jail. Record seekers may request arrest records or inmate information at the Sheriff's Office at:

Caledonia County Sheriff's Office
970 Memorial Drive,
St. Johnsbury, 05819

On the state level, record seekers may look up inmate information using the Offender Locator maintained on the Vermont Department of Corrections website. When looking for records of inmates housed in federal prisons, record seekers may use the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Inmate Locator.

Caledonia County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Caledonia County arrest and criminal records are official documents detailing a person's interaction with law enforcement. They are mainly different in purpose, scope, and who generates them. For example, arrest records deal mainly with arrests and provide arrest details, such as the names and physical descriptions of the suspect, the crime committed, the laws broken by the crime, the events of the arrest, and the arresting agency. Arrest records are generated by the arresting agency and do not confirm the suspect's guilt. They merely show that the subject was arrested on suspicion of a crime at a point.

Conversely, criminal records confirm guilt. They are only generated after a person has fully passed through the legal system. They are a combination of records generated by different agencies and consist of arrest records, court records, and records of jail time or supervision, such as parole or probation.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

How long an arrest record remains on an individual's record may differ depending on certain factors. Typically, arrest records that ended in a case or conviction will stay on a person indefinitely unless steps are taken to remove them. Record seekers may petition to have their arrest record sealed or expunged by a court order if they meet certain criteria. However, arrest records for cases dismissed or for which no charges were brought may be automatically expunged and removed from the record.

Caledonia County Arrest Warrants

In Caledonia, arrest warrants are legal documents issued by judicial officers instructing law enforcement agents to apprehend a person suspected of a crime and bring them before the issuing court. For a warrant to be issued, law enforcement agents must present sworn testimony or an affidavit to a judicial officer, such as a judge or magistrate.

The testimony must provide proof or facts that show probable cause that a crime was committed and that the subject of the warrant is responsible. The judicial officer will review the testimony and, if satisfied with the evidence, will issue a warrant.
Although exact formats may differ, arrest warrants in Vermont contain the following information:

• The name of the subject of the warrant and an adequate description to identify them
• A description of the crime and the laws they break
• The location and date of issuance
• A command instructing law enforcement to arrest the subject and bring them before the court
• The name and signature of the judge/magistrate who issued the warrant

Warrants issued in Vermont may be used to arrest suspects anywhere in the state.

Do Caledonia County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Arrest warrants issued in Caledonia County or anywhere else in Vermont do not expire. They remain in effect until the subject is arrested, surrenders, or the judge recalls the warrant. This means that until the subject appears in court, the warrant remains active. However, the judge may recall or squash the warrant if it is proven unnecessary or the statute of limitations for the crime expires.

Expunge Caledonia County Arrest Records

Expungement is the process in Caledonia by which arrests, charges, and even convictions may be removed from an individual's record if they qualify. In Vermont, expungement and sealing are different. Expungement destroys the records completely, while sealing removes them from public access. Arrests may be expunged or sealed if the charge was dismissed, no charges were filed, or the applicant was acquitted.

If the arrest occurred after July 2018, the dismissed charge should be sealed automatically after 60 days; to expunge it, a petition must be filed 6 months after the dismissal. To expunge a charge dismissed before that date, the applicant must file a stipulation or petition to expunge the charge. Some conviction records also qualify to be expunged. Minor non-violent felonies and most misdemeanors may be expunged or sealed if they qualify.

Record seekers must obtain a copy of their record to expunge arrests or charges from Caledonia. They may request a copy of the docket sheets directly from the county court where they were charged. A copy of a full criminal record may also be requested from the Vermont Criminal Information Record Center's Record Service (VCIC) for $30.

The applicant must fill out and submit a Petition to Expunge or Seal Criminal History to expunge the charges. If all charges or arrests came from one county, they may be compiled into one petition. Charges and convictions from different counties will require different forms for each county. After filling out the form, the applicant must take the following steps:

• File the petition at the court in the county(Caledonia) where the arrest occurred.
• Pay the filing fees of $90 or request a waiver
• Serve the prosecuting attorney with a copy of the petition and await their response.
• If the prosecutor objects, the court will schedule a hearing, listen to the other side, and make a ruling.
• If the court agrees, it will issue a court order to expunge or seal the record, depending on the petition.