Worcester County Arrest Records

A police officer in Worcester County may apprehend persons with warrants out for their arrest. An officer may also carry out warrantless arrests for crimes committed in their presence or if they have probable cause to believe that the person committed a misdemeanor or felony. Under the Maryland Criminal Procedure Code, arrested persons may be interrogated, detained, booked into the county jail, taken to court, or released.

Public agencies in Worcester County, such as local law enforcement, courts, and jails, create and maintain records related to an individual’s arrest, criminal case, and incarceration. For instance, an officer documents the details of an arrest, but these details may also be available in booking/inmate records or Worcester County court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Worcester County?

Except as otherwise provided by law, arrest records and logs fall within the category of public records in Worcester County. Maryland Public Information Act (PIA) grants all persons the right to inspect and copy records of government bodies that are not restricted by law. However, records that fall under confidential documents or protected information are often exempted from public disclosure. These include:

• Certain recently issued or unserved search and arrest warrants
• Driver identification numbers, social security numbers, and personal contact information
• Expunged, sealed, or shielded records
• Information deemed privileged or confidential by state or federal statute or court rule
• Juvenile records
• Personal information in Motor Vehicle Administration records
• Records of ongoing investigations, intelligence information, and security procedures of law enforcement agencies
• Surveillance images
• Victim descriptions contained in 911 communications records.

Access to exempted records is restricted to the record subject and others specifically deemed eligible by law. However, members of the public may still obtain access to these records after the custodian redacts the sensitive information.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Public information contained in Worcester County arrest records typically includes:

• Arrest date and time
• Arrestee’s name and physical description
• Arrestee’s birth date or age
• Offense(s) and initial charge(s)
• Arresting agency
• Warrant or case details
• Release details.

Worcester County Arrest Statistics

The 2020 Maryland UCR Crime Arrest Data provided by the Maryland State Police (MDSP) provides statistics of arrests in Worcester County, as compiled from 7 law enforcement agencies in the county including the Sheriff’s Office, Berlin PD, Ocean City PD, and MDSP within the county.

According to this report, 5,431 arrests were carried out in Worcester County in 2020. This figure shows a 5.53% decrease in arrest rates compared to 2019 arrests which totaled 5,749. In 2020, the crimes with the most arrests comprised narcotic/drug law violations (944), liquor law violations (843), DWIs (691), disorderly conduct (305), and larceny (220).

Find Worcester County Arrest Records

Conducting inmate searches may help record seekers find persons arrested and incarcerated in Worcester County. Interested persons may find current inmates in state-run facilities by performing name-based searches with the inmate locator provided by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

To locate current and former federal inmates since 1982, interested persons may use the Federal Bureau of Prison to conduct inmate searches by name or designated inmate number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Worcester County

Interested persons may access arrest or inmate records in Worcester County by directing records requests to the specific arresting agency or housing facility. While inspecting arrest records created by local law enforcement agencies in person is free, obtaining copies often incurs charges for duplicating the needed document.

Alternatively, online searches through third-party sites may prove useful in getting free access to Worcester arrest records. Users may perform searches by providing the arrest or arrestee’s details like arrest date, full name, or other descriptions like warrant/inmate/case numbers.

To get information on persons incarcerated in the county jail, direct requests to:

Worcester County Jail
5022 Joyner Road
P.O. Box 189
Snow Hill, Maryland 21863
Phone: (410) 632-1300
Fax: (410) 632-3002

Worcester County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Worcester County arrest records are official documents that provide information on an arrest and the circumstances surrounding the incident. In contrast, Worcester County criminal records contain extensive information on an individual’s criminal history, including arrests, trials, convictions, and incarceration.

While both records are generated and maintained by criminal justice agencies, the information contained by both are different with arrest records being limited to the offense(s) that led to an arrest, whereas criminal records present a collated summary of an individual’s criminal activities within a jurisdiction.

Therefore, persons looking for proof of criminal conviction should conduct local, statewide, or FBI background checks, while those interested in a single arrest incident may seek arrest records, noting that they do not often provide information on prosecution and conviction.

Nevertheless, access to both records in the county is governed by state laws. Arrest records are mostly public and issued at the custodian’s discretion, meanwhile getting criminal records, especially those in the state’s central repository, is restricted to the record subject and persons with proper authorization.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests in Worcester County will remain in one’s record forever unless expunged automatically or following approved petitions. Expungement in Maryland generally involves restricting public access to records either by obliteration or removing the record to a separate area with limited access. However, automatic expungement is limited to eligible cases like:

• Arrest without charge for incidents on or after October 1, 2007
• Non-conviction cannabis possession charges disposed of after October 1, 2021
• Certain juvenile records
• Specific driving record entries expunged by the state’s Motor Vehicle Administration.

Usually, a judge or record custodian initiates the expungement process for these cases after a prescribed waiting period. Otherwise, arrested persons who were released without charge before October 2007 may contact the arresting agency to remove the record. Eligible persons with criminal charges or convictions may also apply for expungement by sending petitions to the District or Circuit Court.

Expunge Worcester County Arrest Records

Expunging Worcester County arrest records will remove the record from public access, so related details - including photographs and fingerprints - are not included in background check results. Excluding the automatic expunction of eligible juvenile or non-conviction records, persons may also apply for the expungement if they meet the following criteria:

• The case resulted in acquittals, dismissals, not-guilty verdicts, indefinite postponement (stet), nolle prosequi, or probation before judgment (PBJ) not requiring alcohol or drug treatment
• The defendant was found “not criminally responsible” for certain nuisance charges under Maryland Code § 7-705, including public urination and disturbing the peace.
• The defendant was found guilty of nuisance crimes under Maryland Code § 7-705 (3 years waiting period)
• The defendant was convicted of cannabis possession with intent to distribute (3 years waiting period)
• The defendant was convicted of certain non-violent misdemeanors (5 years waiting period)
• The defendant was convicted of common law battery or second-degree assault (7 years waiting period)
• The defendant was convicted of first or second-degree theft or burglary (10 years waiting period)
• The defendant was fully pardoned by the Governor (10 years waiting period)
• The defendant received probation before judgment on a DUI charge (15 years waiting period with no subsequent convictions within 3 years of probation)
• The defendant was convicted of certain violent domestic relation crimes (15 years waiting period).

Waiting periods begin counting after sentence completion, jail release, or end of probation, whichever is later. To apply for expungement, eligible persons should fill out applicable expungement petitions for non-conviction/juvenile dispositions or guilty dispositions and file them at the appropriate District or Circuit Court where the case was disposed.

After filing, the court will notify the State Attorney and crime victims of the application. If there is no objection and the court deems the record to qualify for expungement, the court will give an order for expungement to all government agencies that may hold records regarding the case. If there is any objection, the court may schedule a hearing, after which it will make a decision.

Worcester County Arrest Warrants

In Worcester County, a judge or court commissioner may issue an arrest warrant when someone is charged with a crime, and there is probable cause to believe that the individual committed it. This process is initiated when a victim or police officer files criminal charges against the defendant, along with supporting documents that help the judge or commissioner determine probable cause.

While initially confidential, arrest warrants in Worcester County mostly become public 90 days after issuance or when an officer serves the warrant. These documents usually contain athe following details (if known):

• The defendant’s full name, sex, and race
• The defendant’s Social Security number, driver’s license number, or other specific identifying information
• The defendant’s physical description, such as weight, height, body markings, eye color, etc.
• The defendant’s last known address
• Offense charge(s)
• Directions for arrest and court appearance
• Issuing court and issuance date.

Note: A judge may also issue arrest warrants for probation violations or a bench warrant for someone’s arrest if the defendant fails to show up in court as scheduled.

Do Worcester County Arrest Warrants Expire?

Worcester County arrest warrants do not come with an expiry date and do not have a statute of limitations on how long they are valid. Hence, the warrant shall remain actionable until an officer executes the warrant or the issuing body withdraws or recalls the warrant. However, the latter rarely happens.

Therefore, persons with warrants out for their arrests may be apprehended by law enforcement officers at any time, even after a routine traffic stop. Interested persons may contact the Sheriff’s Office, local courts, and law enforcement agencies to obtain information on active warrants.