Morehouse Parish Criminal Records

Morehouse Parish criminal records are maintained by the Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court in Bastrop and cover all criminal cases filed in the 4th Judicial District Court, including felony charges, misdemeanor cases, arrests, and criminal dispositions; this page explains how to search Morehouse Parish criminal records in person or online, where to find arrest records from the Morehouse Parish Sheriff's Office, and how to use state-level resources through the Louisiana State Police.

Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court

The Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court is the official custodian of all criminal court records for the parish. The Morehouse Parish clerk's office is located at 100 E. Madison Street in Bastrop and can be reached by phone at (318) 281-1329. The clerk maintains files for every criminal case filed in the 4th Judicial District Court for Morehouse Parish. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 44:31, any person has the right to inspect Morehouse Parish criminal records free of charge during regular office hours. You do not need to state a reason to view a public Morehouse Parish criminal case file.

Office hours at the Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The Morehouse Parish clerk's office is closed on state and federal holidays. When you visit in person, bring a photo ID and the name of the defendant or the Morehouse Parish case number you want to look up. The clerk's staff can assist with criminal searches by defendant name or case number. If you need certified copies of Morehouse Parish criminal documents, you will need to pay the applicable copy fees at the time of your request.

The Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court processes all incoming filings for criminal matters in the parish. That includes felony charges, misdemeanor cases, and any Morehouse Parish criminal appeals that begin at the district court level. Morehouse Parish criminal records go back many decades. Older criminal files may be stored separately, so it helps to call ahead if you need documents from Morehouse Parish criminal cases more than 20 years old.

Note: Call ahead before visiting if you need Morehouse Parish criminal records from cases filed before 2000, as older criminal files may require additional retrieval time.

Searching Criminal Records in Morehouse Parish

You have two main ways to search Morehouse Parish criminal records. The first is an in-person visit to the Morehouse Parish clerk's office in Bastrop. The second is through online statewide tools. In person is often the most direct route for Morehouse Parish criminal searches, especially for older criminal cases or detailed document review. When you go, bring the full name of the criminal defendant and any known Morehouse Parish case number or date range. The Morehouse Parish clerk's staff can search by defendant name and pull up criminal case activity, charges, and court dates.

For online searches of Morehouse Parish criminal records, the ClerkConnect multi-parish portal provides access to court index records from many Louisiana parishes. Morehouse Parish participates in the ClerkConnect system. You can search Morehouse Parish criminal cases by name and see case numbers, filing dates, and basic criminal case information. Some criminal documents may be available to view online depending on the Morehouse Parish case type and filing date. ClerkConnect requires a subscription for full access to Morehouse Parish criminal records, though some basic lookups are free.

The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information also maintains a statewide criminal database that covers Morehouse Parish. Their Internet Background Check portal at ibc.dps.louisiana.gov lets you run a name-based search for a fee. That search pulls from the state's central criminal repository and covers arrests and dispositions reported from parishes across the state, including Morehouse Parish criminal activity.

ClerkConnect covers Morehouse Parish and many other parishes, letting you search criminal records across court systems without visiting each clerk's office separately.

Note: Not every document in a Morehouse Parish criminal file is available through online portals. Sealed records, juvenile records, and some older Morehouse Parish criminal case files require an in-person request at the clerk's office in Bastrop.

Morehouse Parish Court System

Morehouse Parish is part of the 4th Judicial District, which also covers Ouachita Parish. The 4th JDC handles all felony criminal cases filed in both Morehouse and Ouachita parishes. The court operates out of Monroe, the seat of Ouachita Parish, though it has jurisdiction over Morehouse Parish criminal cases. The 4th JDC website provides case information, judge assignments, and general court procedures for Morehouse Parish criminal matters in the district.

Criminal appeals from the 4th Judicial District for Morehouse Parish cases go to the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal, which is based in Shreveport. The Second Circuit handles civil and criminal appeals from the district courts in the northwestern and north-central parts of the state, including Morehouse Parish criminal appeals. If you need records related to an appeal from a Morehouse Parish criminal case, you would contact the Second Circuit Court of Appeal directly. Their criminal appeal records are separate from those held by the Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court.

Misdemeanor and other lower-level criminal matters in Morehouse Parish may be handled by justice of the peace courts or the city court in Bastrop. Those Morehouse Parish courts maintain their own criminal records separate from the district court clerk. If you are looking for Morehouse Parish criminal records from a minor offense or traffic matter, check with the city court in Bastrop first rather than the Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court for the district.

State Criminal Records Resources for Morehouse Parish

The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, known as BCII, is the central state agency for criminal history records that cover Morehouse Parish and all other Louisiana parishes. BCII collects and maintains criminal records reported from all parishes, including Morehouse Parish. You can request a Morehouse Parish criminal history through two main channels: an in-person or mail request using the forms at lsp.org/services/background-checks/bcii-forms, or an online search through the Internet Background Check portal.

The LSP site also provides links to forms, fee schedules, and instructions for both in-person and online background check requests covering Morehouse Parish criminal history.

The Internet Background Check portal lets you run a name-based criminal search that covers Morehouse Parish without visiting a state police office. You pay a fee online and receive a result based on the statewide criminal history database. This covers arrests, charges, and dispositions from Morehouse Parish courts and courts across Louisiana. Results reflect what has been reported to the state criminal repository, which may not include every local Morehouse Parish criminal case, especially older ones or cases where reporting was incomplete.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections maintains an offender search tool at doc.la.gov. That system shows current and former DOC inmates who were convicted in Morehouse Parish or elsewhere, along with probation and parole status and release information. It is useful if you are looking for someone who served or is serving time under state supervision after a Morehouse Parish criminal conviction, rather than local Morehouse Parish jail time.

Expunging Criminal Records in Morehouse Parish

Louisiana's expungement law is found at La. R.S. 44:9. That statute sets out who is eligible to have a Morehouse Parish criminal record expunged, what the process involves, and what fees apply. The total cost for a standard Morehouse Parish criminal record expungement in Louisiana is approximately $550. That breaks down as $300 paid to the Morehouse Parish clerk of court and $250 paid to the Louisiana State Police. The state police payment for Morehouse Parish criminal expungements must be made by USPS money order. All fees are non-refundable regardless of whether the court grants the Morehouse Parish criminal record expungement.

Not every Morehouse Parish criminal record qualifies for expungement. Crimes of violence, sex offenses, and certain felony convictions are excluded by statute. Morehouse Parish arrests that did not result in a criminal conviction may qualify after a waiting period. First-time drug offenders convicted in Morehouse Parish may have separate options available. You must file the Morehouse Parish criminal expungement petition in the district court where the original criminal case was handled. For Morehouse Parish cases, that is the 4th Judicial District Court.

The Morehouse Parish criminal expungement process involves filing a petition, serving copies on the Morehouse Parish clerk, the district attorney, the arresting agency, and the Louisiana State Police. Each of those agencies has 60 days to object to the Morehouse Parish criminal record expungement. If no objection is filed, the court may grant the expungement without a hearing. If an objection is filed, the court will schedule a hearing to decide the Morehouse Parish criminal expungement matter. Once granted, the Morehouse Parish criminal record is not destroyed but is removed from public access.

Note: Confirm your eligibility under La. R.S. 44:9 before paying any Morehouse Parish criminal expungement fees, since all expungement payments are non-refundable.

Record Access and Copy Fees in Morehouse Parish

Inspecting Morehouse Parish criminal records at the Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court is free under state law. You can sit and review a Morehouse Parish criminal case file at no cost during office hours. Fees apply only when you ask for copies or certified documents from Morehouse Parish criminal cases. Standard copy fees in Louisiana clerks' offices typically run $1.00 per page for plain copies of criminal case documents. Certified copies of Morehouse Parish criminal records cost more, usually around $5.00 per document plus the per-page rate. A criminal name index search at the Morehouse Parish clerk may carry a separate fee depending on the local Morehouse Parish fee schedule.

If you use the ClerkConnect portal online to search Morehouse Parish criminal records, fees vary based on document type and the number of pages you view or download. Basic Morehouse Parish criminal case index lookups may be free, while document image access requires a paid subscription or per-document fee. The Louisiana State Police Internet Background Check costs a set fee per criminal search, paid at the time of the request for coverage of Morehouse Parish and other parishes. That fee is non-refundable even if the Morehouse Parish criminal search returns no results for the name you submit.

For requests made by mail for Morehouse Parish criminal records, include the full name of the defendant, the Morehouse Parish case number if known, the type of criminal document needed, the number of copies, and a check or money order made payable to the Morehouse Parish Clerk of Court. The Morehouse Parish clerk's office will contact you if additional fees are required before sending the copies of Morehouse Parish criminal records.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes border or are close to Morehouse Parish. Each has its own clerk and court system for criminal records.