Access Sumter County Arrest Records

Sumter County arrest records are available through the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail at 7368 Powell Road in Wildwood. This central Florida county has seen a population boom in recent years, largely due to The Villages retirement community that spans parts of the county. The sheriff's office handles all bookings and provides an online inmate search tool. Whether you need to check on a recent arrest or look up older records, you can use the sheriff's website, call the jail, or tap into the statewide databases run by FDLE. Florida law makes these records open to the public.

Sumter County Sheriff's Office Booking Data

The Sumter County Sheriff's Office manages the county jail and all arrest records. The jail address is 7368 Powell Rd, Wildwood, FL 34785. Call (352) 569-1600 for jail information. Every arrest in Sumter County comes through this facility. The booking process records the person's name, charges, physical description, and date of birth. Staff take fingerprints and a booking photo. All data goes into the county system and gets reported to FDLE for the statewide criminal history database.

Sumter County has an online inmate lookup. You can search by name and see who is in custody. Results include charges, bond amounts, and booking dates. If the person already bonded out or was released, they may not show up in the active roster. Call the jail for help with those records.

The county seat is Bushnell, but the jail is in Wildwood. Sumter County is part of the 5th Judicial Circuit. The clerk of court handles case files once charges get formally filed.

Sumter County Arrest Record Search Options

Statewide search tools complement the local inmate lookup. The FDLE criminal history check costs $25 and gives instant results. It covers all 67 Florida counties, including Sumter County. If someone has been arrested here and in other counties, the FDLE search shows everything tied to their name. You need the full name. A date of birth helps narrow results for common names.

The FDLE Public Access System is another tool that connects to the Florida Crime Information Center. Under Section 943.053 of the Florida Statutes, criminal history records are public unless a court has ordered them sealed or expunged. The CCIS statewide court database tracks case records from every Florida county and has more than 150 million entries. Search by name to find Sumter County court cases, charges, and outcomes.

The FDLE Public Access System pulls arrest and criminal history data from across Florida, including records from Sumter County.

Note: The FDLE online search costs $25 per name and returns results right away for all Florida counties.

Public Records Access in Sumter County

Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes is the Sunshine Law. Arrest records from Sumter County are public under this law. You can request them without giving a reason. The sheriff's office must provide them within a reasonable time frame. A Sumter County arrest record contains the person's name, charges, arrest date and time, the arresting agency, and booking details. It may include a mugshot.

An arrest is not a conviction. Someone arrested in Sumter County might have charges dropped or be found not guilty. But the arrest record stays in the system. The only way to remove it is through sealing or expungement. Juvenile arrest records are restricted in Florida. Victim information and personal identifiers like Social Security numbers are taken out before records are released to the public.

Sealing Sumter County Arrest Records

If you want a Sumter County arrest record sealed or expunged, you start by applying to FDLE for a Certificate of Eligibility. Visit the FDLE seal and expunge page for forms and instructions. The fee is $75 and processing takes about 12 weeks. Get the application at the Sumter County Clerk of Courts in Bushnell.

Expungement under Section 943.0585 means agencies destroy the record. FDLE keeps one sealed copy. Sealing under Section 943.059 blocks public access without destroying the file. After the court in Sumter County grants the order, the arrest record will no longer appear in public searches. You can deny the arrest happened in most cases. The certificate is valid for 12 months.

The FDC Offender Search shows people who went from a Sumter County arrest to the Florida state prison system.

Cities in Sumter County

Sumter County includes The Villages, which has a population over 75,000. All arrests in the county are processed through the sheriff's jail in Wildwood.

Other communities in Sumter County include Bushnell, Wildwood, Center Hill, and Coleman. Their arrest records all flow through the same Sumter County Sheriff's Office system.

Nearby Counties

Sumter County borders six other counties in central Florida. If the arrest happened near a county line, you may need to check a different sheriff's office.