Search Will County Criminal Records & Arrest Records

Arrest Records in Will County

Arrest records in Will County are made by the Will County Sheriff's Office and by city, village, and state police agencies that bring people into the county jail. Sheriff Mike Kelley runs the office out of 16911 W. Laraway Rd., Suite 101, Joliet, IL 60433, with the Adult Detention Facility at 95 S. Chicago Street in Joliet. An arrest record is the booking entry. It shows the person's name, age, sex, race, height, weight, charges, arresting agency, booking date, housing, bond, and current custody status. The Sheriff posts most of this through a public inmate inquiry portal that anyone can search by name or booking number.

Arrest records are not the same as criminal court records. An arrest is the start of a case. The court file begins when the State's Attorney files charges with the Clerk of the Circuit Court. From that point on, the full case history lives in the Clerk's record. Pleas, motions, orders, dispositions, fines, and sentences are tracked on the court side. Many people need both files to get a full picture. Full court case lookup is covered in detail on the Will County court records page.

How to Search Will County Criminal Records

Two main sources cover criminal data in Will County. The Sheriff's public Inmate Inquiry shows current and recent jail bookings. The Circuit Clerk's iPublic case lookup shows court cases filed with the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. Most people start with the Sheriff portal to confirm a recent arrest, then move to iPublic for the court case once charges are filed. Both tools are free. Neither asks for a fee or an account to run a basic search.

1. Open the Will County Sheriff Inmate Inquiry portal. Enter a name, subject number, or booking number. Leave the "In Custody" box checked to see only current inmates, or uncheck it to find recent releases.
2. Click a name on the result list to open the detail page. Booking date, housing facility, charges, court dates, courtroom, and bond amounts all show on this screen.
3. Note the docket number from the charges table. Will County uses formats like 2024CF001741 for felony and 2024CM for misdemeanor cases.
4. Go to the Circuit Clerk Public Access page and accept the terms to reach iPublic. Enter the emailed verification code, then search by party name or case number to view the full court docket.
5. Order copies of court documents through the i2File copy process. Document images are not viewable inside iPublic.

Statewide criminal history is held by the Illinois State Police, not the county. The Circuit Clerk's online file is the local court record. The Illinois Department of Corrections runs a separate individual in custody search for people sent to state prison after sentencing, which is distinct from the Will County jail. The Illinois Criminal Code lives at 720 ILCS 5 if you need the substantive offense definitions.

Arrest Records vs. Criminal Court Records

An arrest happens first. The booking record is created at the jail. A criminal court record only opens when the State's Attorney files a charge with the Clerk. Some arrests end without charges being filed. Some charges are filed with no arrest at all, through summons or indictment. The two records live in different systems and are kept by different offices.

Will County Circuit Clerk Criminal Case Records

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the custodian of all criminal court files in Will County. Andrea Lynn Chasteen holds the office. Felony cases get a CF case number. Misdemeanor cases get a CM case number. Each docket includes charge text, the arresting agency, court dates, courtrooms, motions, orders, and the final disposition once the case ends. Bond amounts and any pretrial release conditions are also in the file.

Courtroom assignments by category are posted by the 12th Judicial Circuit. Felony courtrooms sit on the fourth and fifth floors of the courthouse at 100 W. Jefferson Street. Room 401 hears criminal felony and mental health matters. Rooms 403, 404, 405, 501, 502, and 503 handle other felony calls. Misdemeanor calls are split by the defendant's last name across rooms 301 through 304 on the third floor. First-appearance court sits in Room 202. Local misdemeanors are heard in Room 201. Traffic court is in Room 101. This split lets researchers narrow a search by room when working from a docket calendar.

The Circuit Clerk also warns that the iPublic data is a limited, free version of the case-management file. It is not the official court record. For legal use, certified copies must come from the Clerk's office or through i2File. The public can also use onsite terminals at the Will County Courthouse to view the full file.

Sheriff Arrest and Booking Records

The Sheriff's Office runs jail intake at the Adult Detention Facility, 95 S. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60436. Jail phone is 815-740-1250. Sheriff administration sits at 16911 W. Laraway Rd., Suite 101, Joliet, IL 60433, with a main line of 815-727-8575. Bookings flow into the Tyler/New World public inmate inquiry portal as soon as intake is done. The portal is the public-facing arrest log for the county.

The Inmate Inquiry lets users search by name, subject number, booking number, booking date range, and housing facility. Default results show 100 inmates at a time. A typical detail page lists age, sex, race, height, weight, booking number, booking date, release date if any, housing facility, booking origin agency, total bond, total bail, and a charges table with charge description, offense date, docket number, arresting agency, and attempt or commit code. Court date and courtroom are linked to each charge. A sample inspection returned booking numbers like 2024-00004571 and docket numbers like 2024CF001741.

Some fields do not appear in the public view. Mugshots, full date of birth, holding pod, magistrate name, and medical or protective flags are not shown. To verify status or get details that are not online, call the jail. Booking data may lag by a short window during heavy intake. The Sheriff also links a separate Will County warrants site for active arrest warrants, which is useful when an arrest has not yet happened.

DUI Cases in Will County

DUI is a heavy share of the criminal traffic load in Will County. The Circuit Clerk uses two paths for these cases. Misdemeanor DUI files use the DT or CV designation and are heard on the third floor with other misdemeanor calls. Felony DUI files use the CF designation and are heard on the fourth floor with the rest of the felony docket. Charge level depends on prior history, injury, age of any passenger, and other statutory factors.

The Circuit Clerk publishes a DUI information page that explains the floor split and links to the alcohol treatment and evaluation provider list. The lead-in to that page sits at the Circuit Clerk site. The official Will County DUI page shows the same courtroom routing used by the clerk's office.

The DUI page is one of the best entry points for anyone trying to find a Will County criminal record tied to drinking and driving. From a DUI case, the full court history can be pulled up in iPublic by name or docket number. Traffic-side cases that did not roll into a criminal DUI are covered on the Will County traffic court records page.

Charges vs. Convictions

A charge is not a conviction. A charge is what the State's Attorney files. It states the offense and the alleged date. A conviction is the final result of the case after a guilty plea, a guilty verdict at trial, or a finding of guilt by a judge. Many criminal records show open charges that never become convictions. Cases get dismissed, reduced, or end in supervision and other non-conviction outcomes.

Court supervision is a third path. Supervision is not a conviction in Illinois. The case ends without a guilty judgment if the defendant finishes the term. Deferred outcomes work in a similar way. These distinctions matter when reading the disposition field on a Will County court record. A line that reads "Court Supervision" or "Dismissed" is not the same as one that reads "Guilty" or "Conviction."

Sealed vs. Expunged Records in Will County

Both sealing and expungement keep old records out of the public file. They are not the same thing. Sealing hides a record from most public users but keeps it on file for law enforcement and certain employers. Expungement removes the record. The court orders it destroyed or impounded so it can be treated as if it never existed for most purposes. Illinois rules for both live in 20 ILCS 2630/5.2, part of the Criminal Identification Act.

Both are court orders. Both require a petition and notice to every agency tied to the case. Some convictions are not eligible for either path under state law.

Expungement and Sealing Process

Will County hears expungement and sealing petitions in Courtroom 403 of the courthouse at 100 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet. The call is on Fridays at 10:00 a.m. Forms must be e-filed using the state-approved expungement and sealing forms. The petition has to list every police agency and the Illinois State Police as a notice recipient. The Clerk sets a status appearance about 70 days after filing. Agencies have 60 days from notice to file a written objection.

If no objection comes in, the petitioner appears in Courtroom 403 with a blank order and asks the judge to grant the petition. If an agency objects, the judge sets a hearing about 30 days after the status date. The Clerk sends notice to all agencies. Once an order is granted, the petitioner pays the Clerk to prepare and mail certified copies to each recipient.

Fees are listed on the Circuit Clerk's simplified fee schedule. The adult request to expunge or seal is listed at $103.12. The adult order to expunge, if granted, is listed at $119.12. Part of the order fee may be refundable depending on the court's ruling. Indigent filers may apply for a fee waiver. The Office of the State Appellate Defender runs a free statewide Expungement and Sealing Unit hotline at 866-787-1776 for people who need help with the forms.

Restricted Criminal Records

Some criminal records are not public, even though most case files are. Illinois law marks several categories as restricted by statute or by court rule. These records will not show up in a normal iPublic search and will not appear in the Sheriff's inmate inquiry beyond limited fields.

• Juvenile court records under 705 ILCS 405/1-7. Access is limited to the minor, parents or guardians, counsel, certain law enforcement uses, and other users named in the statute or by court order.
• Mental health information protected by the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act, 740 ILCS 110. This can affect criminal competency files and mental health court documents.
• Adoption files under the Adoption Act, 750 ILCS 50. These appear as Circuit Court categories but are not normal public files.
• Grand jury proceedings and materials, which are secret unless disclosure is authorized by law or court order.
• Sealed and expunged records under 20 ILCS 2630/5.2, which are removed from ordinary public lookup once an order is granted.
• Sealed warrants before execution, victim-sensitive content in domestic violence files, and attorney work product in active cases.

HIPAA and Illinois privacy rules also redact medical content from court files when it appears in competency, probate guardianship, and similar contexts. Note: a missing online result does not mean a record does not exist. Always confirm with the Clerk before drawing a conclusion.

Will County State's Attorney and Public Defender

Two offices drive every criminal case in the county. The Will County State's Attorney's Office prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes on behalf of the people of Illinois. The office also represents the state in juvenile delinquency and abuse and neglect matters, handles appeals from local convictions, and runs victim and witness services. The county phone directory lists the Juvenile State's Attorney at 815-730-7075. Charges, plea offers, and trial decisions in any Will County criminal record trace back to this office.

The Will County Public Defender represents defendants who cannot afford a private attorney. The office handles felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, and mental health cases assigned by the court. The official site is willcountypublicdefender.com. The county directory lists the Juvenile Public Defender at 815-730-7090. Court-appointed defense files are part of the same case docket and appear in iPublic just like cases handled by private counsel.

Note: any person reading a Will County criminal record will see both offices in the docket entries, with the State's Attorney as the filing party on the People's side and the Public Defender or a private firm as defense counsel.

How to Order Certified Criminal Case Copies

Certified copies of a criminal court file are ordered through the Circuit Clerk. The public can use the i2File third-party service approved by the Illinois Supreme Court. After signup, the requester selects the case, picks the documents needed, and submits the order. Clerk staff usually upload requested copies within about two business days. The requester then pays in i2File and prints or saves the copies. The Clerk's office also accepts walk-in copy requests at 100 W. Jefferson Street during public hours.

The fee schedule is simple. Copies cost $2.00 for the first page and $0.50 per page for pages two through twenty. Pages beyond that are $0.25 each. Certification with the Clerk's seal is $6.00 per document. A second certified copy of a judgment costs $10.00. Petitioner copies of an order of protection are free. The same prices apply online, in person, and by mail.

Certified copies are needed for most court use, immigration files, military records, and many job background checks. A plain online printout from iPublic is not a certified copy and is not the official record. For background-screening or FCRA-regulated use, the user should rely on a licensed reporting agency rather than a casual public lookup. See the FAQ for more on copy timing and fees, or the Will County Circuit Court page for the full court structure.

Related Will County Searches

For active warrants and bench warrants, see Will County warrant records. To find a person currently held at the Adult Detention Facility, use the inmate records page. For non-criminal court files, civil cases, and the full Circuit Clerk file structure, see court records. For tickets and DUI traffic cases that did not cross into a felony, see traffic court records.