Hinsdale County Arrest Records

Hinsdale County busted mugshots and arrest records are managed by the Hinsdale County Sheriff's Office in Lake City, Colorado. This is one of the least populated counties in the entire state, with fewer than 900 residents. Arrests here are rare compared to urban Colorado counties. The sheriff handles all law enforcement duties and manages the small county jail. Searching for Hinsdale County arrest records means working directly with the sheriff's office or using state-level tools from CBI. This page explains how to find booking data, mugshots, and criminal records tied to Hinsdale County.

Hinsdale County Sheriff Records

The Hinsdale County Sheriff's Office is the only law enforcement agency in the county. There is no city police department. The sheriff handles all calls, patrols, and arrests across the entire county. When someone gets booked in Hinsdale County, the process takes place at the county jail in Lake City. A mugshot is taken during intake. The booking record includes the person's name, charges, and date of arrest.

Hinsdale County does not have an online inmate search tool. The county is too small to run that kind of system. To find out if someone is in custody or to request a past booking record, you need to call the sheriff at (970) 944-2291. The office is at 311 N. Henson Street in Lake City. Staff can look up records and tell you what is available. Walk-in requests are also possible during business hours. Because arrest volume is low in Hinsdale County, the staff can usually find what you need fairly quick.

Note: Hinsdale County is one of the smallest counties in Colorado by population, so booking records are limited.

Hinsdale County Arrest Record Access

Colorado's Criminal Justice Records Act governs how you get arrest records from Hinsdale County. The CCJRA says records of official action are open to the public. That means arrests, charges, and case outcomes must be shared when asked for. You do not need to say why you want them. The sheriff has three business days to respond to a written request. The first hour of staff time is free. After that, charges may apply, though in a county this small the research rarely takes long.

Write your request down and include the full name of the person you are looking for. Add any dates or case details you have. Mail it to the Hinsdale County Sheriff's Office at 311 N. Henson Street, Lake City, CO 81235. You can also call first to ask about the best way to submit your request. Some small county offices in Colorado are flexible about how they take records requests.

The CCJRA and CORA information page from CBI explains the rules that apply to Hinsdale County and all other Colorado agencies. CORA covers broader government records. The CCJRA is specific to criminal justice files. Both laws protect your right to access Hinsdale County arrest data and booking records.

This CBI page outlines Colorado open records laws that cover Hinsdale County mugshot and arrest record requests.

CBI Records Check for Hinsdale

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation maintains a statewide criminal records database. This is useful for Hinsdale County searches because the local sheriff does not have an online search tool. CBI's database includes arrest records from all 64 Colorado counties. A name-based check costs $6.85. You need the person's full name and date of birth. Go to cbirecordscheck.com to run the search. Results come back quickly for online requests.

A CBI check will show arrests from Hinsdale County along with any other Colorado arrests tied to that name. It is a broader search than what you get from a single county. For a more precise result, CBI offers fingerprint-based checks at $39.50. These match on prints instead of names, so there is no chance of mixing up people with the same name. The CBI homepage has more details on all the services they offer.

Start at the CBI homepage to find links for criminal background checks that cover Hinsdale County records.

Court Records in Hinsdale County

Hinsdale County sits in the 7th Judicial District. Criminal cases from the county go through the Hinsdale County Court in Lake City. Court records show what happens after an arrest. They include filings, hearing dates, plea information, and sentences. These records are separate from booking records at the jail but they connect to the same case.

The Colorado Judicial Branch runs an online search tool for court records across the state. You can look up Hinsdale County cases by name or case number. This is free to search online. If you need copies, the clerk charges $0.75 per page. You can also visit the courthouse in person at 317 N. Henson Street in Lake City to view files at no charge.

Court records give you the full picture. A Hinsdale County mugshot tells you someone was arrested. The court record tells you if they were charged, how they pled, and what the outcome was. If a case was dismissed, that shows up in the court record too.

Sealing Hinsdale County Records

People with arrest records in Hinsdale County can petition to have those records sealed under Colorado law. C.R.S. 24-72-703 sets the rules. You file the petition with the court. The filing fee is $224. Low-income applicants can ask for a fee waiver. If the court grants the petition, the record gets sealed from public view. It will not show up in CBI checks or other public searches.

There are also automatic sealing provisions. If someone was arrested in Hinsdale County but charges were never filed, CBI may seal the record on its own after one year. This applies to arrests made after January 1, 2022. Drug offense records can qualify for automatic sealing under C.R.S. 24-72-704 after the required waiting period. Sealing does not erase the record from law enforcement systems. Police and prosecutors can still see it. But the general public cannot find a sealed Hinsdale County mugshot.

Victim Alerts in Hinsdale County

Colorado VINE is a free service that lets you track the custody status of someone booked in Hinsdale County. You get alerts when the person is released, transferred, or when their status changes. Register by phone at 1-888-263-8463 or online at vinelink.com. The system runs around the clock.

VINE does not provide mugshots or booking details. It only tells you about custody changes. For Hinsdale County busted mugshots and arrest data, contact the sheriff's office or use the CBI database. VINE is most useful when you already know someone is in custody and you want to be told when they get out. It is free and available to anyone, not just crime victims.

DOC Search for Hinsdale County

People sentenced to state prison after a Hinsdale County arrest move into the Colorado Department of Corrections system. The DOC runs an offender search at doc.state.co.us/oss. You can look up inmates by name or DOC number. Results show the person's photo, charges, sentence, and current facility.

The DOC database is separate from the Hinsdale County jail. County jail records cover people waiting for trial or serving short terms. State prison records cover those with longer sentences. If your search of Hinsdale County records turns up nothing, the person may have been moved to a state facility. Check both systems to get the full picture of where someone is in the Colorado corrections system.

The Colorado State Archives corrections records page holds historical prison data for researchers who need older files from across the state.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Hinsdale County. Check the arrest location to figure out which county holds the booking record you need.