Bartholomew County Background Check

Bartholomew County background check records are managed through the court system in Columbus, Indiana. The county has a Circuit Court and two Superior Courts that handle criminal, civil, and family cases. An important thing to know is that the Bartholomew County Clerk's Office no longer does background checks or genealogy searches in house. They direct all such requests to the statewide MyCase system. This means you will need to use the online portal or the Indiana State Police for a background check in Bartholomew County rather than walking up to the clerk's counter.

Bartholomew County Clerk Records

Shari Lentz is the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Bartholomew County. Her office is at 234 Washington Street in Columbus. Julie Robertson serves as chief deputy. The clerk's office handles court filings, marriage licenses, and court payments. But as they state on their website, they no longer perform background checks or genealogy searches. Instead, they point people to MyCase for civil and criminal case searches in Bartholomew County.

If you need to pay fines or fees tied to a case in Bartholomew County, you can do that online at mycase.in.gov using your cause number. The clerk's office still handles all the paperwork for cases filed in their courts. They just don't do the search work for background checks anymore. This is a change from how things used to work in Bartholomew County, so keep that in mind if you planned to visit in person for a record pull.

Note: The Bartholomew County Clerk's Office explicitly states they no longer perform background checks at the counter.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Background Check

Sheriff Chris Lane, the 59th sheriff of Bartholomew County, was elected in 2022. The Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office is at 543 2nd St. in Columbus. The jail is at the same location. If you need to check on an inmate in Bartholomew County, call the jail line at (812) 379-1750 and press option 2.

The sheriff's office uses the HomeWav video visitation system for jail visits. For dispatch calls, use (812) 379-1689. The department also has a Facebook page where they post updates about law enforcement activity in Bartholomew County. Arrest records from the sheriff's office can be part of a background check, though you may need to request them separately from court records.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff's website has info on services and operations.

The sheriff's department handles patrol, investigations, courthouse security, and the county jail. All of these functions produce records that can show up in a background check.

Search Bartholomew County Records Online

Since the clerk's office no longer runs background checks, your main option for a Bartholomew County background check is the MyCase portal. This free system lets you search all cases in Bartholomew County's three courts: Circuit Court, Superior Court 1, and Superior Court 2. Search by name or case number. The system shows case details, hearing dates, and basic filing info.

Bartholomew County is in Judicial District 21, which also includes Brown, Decatur, Jackson, and Jennings counties. If you want a thorough background check, search all five counties in this district. The Indiana Courts page for Bartholomew County lists the judges and court structure. For a statewide criminal history, the Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History check costs $15 to $16.32 and covers the whole state.

The clerk's office website has additional info on court services in Bartholomew County.

Marriage license applications are handled separately and must be done by appointment through the state's online system.

Bartholomew County Background Check Laws

Court records in Bartholomew County are public under Indiana Code 5-14-3, the Access to Public Records Act. This law says that anyone can request court records without giving a reason. You do not need to be a party to the case. Most criminal, civil, and traffic records are open to the public and will show up in a background check.

There are limits though. Juvenile records stay sealed in Bartholomew County and across the state. Adoption records are sealed too. Mental health cases have strong protections. If someone has gotten their record expunged under Indiana Code 35-38-9, those records will not appear in any search. The Indiana State Archives keeps older records if you need historical files that predate the digital system in Bartholomew County.

Note: Online records may take a day or more to show up after a court filing in Bartholomew County.

Cities in Bartholomew County

Columbus is the county seat and largest city in Bartholomew County. Other towns include Hope, Hartsville, and Elizabethtown. All court cases from these areas go through the Bartholomew County court system in Columbus. Background check records for all communities in the county are available through MyCase or the clerk's office.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Bartholomew County. Make sure you search the correct county for a background check based on where the case was filed.