Arrest Records for St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana

If you have a name and need to find an arrest record in St. Bernard Parish, the records live in two separate systems: court filings at the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court, whose office is at 1101 W. St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, Louisiana 70043 (mailing address: P.O. Box 1746, Chalmette, LA 70044), and booking records held by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office. The Clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Clerk of Court is Randy Nunez; his office handles felony criminal case filings and civil forms. The St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court directory listing on the Louisiana Department of Health site provides contact details and office information. Public records requests can also be submitted through the St. Bernard Parish Government public records request form.

If someone you know was just booked tonight, our St. Bernard Parish inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.

If your person has a history in other states

A St. Bernard Parish records check covers cases filed in this parish’s District Court — it won’t surface federal court cases, records from other Louisiana parishes, or arrests in other states. A nationwide search tool may help fill gaps that local portals often leave, including name variants, records predating online availability, and cases filed in jurisdictions where you may not know to look. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

Sponsored: Nationwide Criminal Background Check (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.

How to look up arrest records in St. Bernard Parish

Pull the court-side record and the booking record separately — they live in different systems and show different information. Court filings are held by the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court, Randy Nunez, at 1101 W. St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, LA 70043. Booking records and mugshot policy are controlled by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office. The two offices are separate; a court record won’t tell you what the booking sheet shows, and vice versa.

Clerk of Court — court case records. The Clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit in person at the courthouse, 1101 W. St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, or mail a written request to P.O. Box 1746, Chalmette, LA 70044. The St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court directory listing carries current contact details. Call to confirm the current records-request fee before visiting. Note: phones are not permitted inside the courthouse, so plan accordingly. Parking is generally available in the lot adjacent to the St. Bernard Parish Government Complex; visitors pass through security at the entrance.

Sheriff’s Office — booking records and arrest reports. The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office maintains arrest reports and booking records. For records requests, bring a state-issued ID; include a copy if mailing. The District Attorney’s phone system may disconnect callers outside business hours — call during the 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. window or visit in person. The Sheriff’s Office publishes press releases about recent arrests; call to confirm the current process for requesting older booking records.

Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. For anyone who has been transferred to state custody after a St. Bernard Parish arrest, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections inmate lookup tracks state prison inmates. The DOC also maintains a St. Bernard Parish location page with parish-specific corrections information.

Louisiana State Police background checks. For a statewide criminal history check — useful when you need to verify records across multiple parishes — the Louisiana State Police processes background check requests through its services division. This is a separate process from a parish-level records request and covers the statewide repository rather than just St. Bernard Parish filings.

Practical note on mugshot policy. The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office controls whether booking photos are released publicly. The policy isn’t posted online — call the Sheriff’s Office to confirm the current mugshot release practice before expecting a photo to accompany a records request. This is distinct from the court record itself, which the Clerk of Court maintains regardless of photo availability.

Are St. Bernard Parish arrest records public?

Under Louisiana law since its earliest codification, arrest records filed with the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court are presumptively public documents. The Louisiana Public Records Law, La. R.S. 44:1 and following, establishes that government records — including criminal court filings — are open to any person who requests them. No stated purpose is required. No special standing is needed.

Sealed records are the narrow exception. A record that has been expunged under La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 971 is removed from public view. After a successful expungement, the Clerk of Court and the Sheriff’s Office are required to treat the record as though it does not exist for public-access purposes. Law enforcement agencies retain access to sealed records; the general public does not.

Juvenile records carry a separate protection. Arrests and adjudications involving minors are not public records under Louisiana law. They are maintained in a restricted system and are not accessible through a standard public records request to the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court.

Victim-protection redactions apply in certain cases. Identifying information for victims of sexual offenses and domestic violence may be withheld from otherwise public court documents. The underlying case record remains accessible; the protected identifying details are redacted before release.

An arrest record that was never prosecuted — where the District Attorney declined to file charges — remains a public record at the Sheriff’s Office level (the booking occurred) but may not appear in the Clerk of Court’s system at all, since no case was filed. That distinction matters when you’re checking whether a name appears in court records versus whether a booking occurred.

What’s in a St. Bernard Parish arrest record?

At the moment of booking, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office generates a booking entry. That entry typically includes the arrested person’s full name, date of birth, booking date and time, the charges as listed by the arresting officer, the arresting agency, and a booking number. A booking photo may be taken at the same time. Whether that photo is released publicly is a separate question from whether the booking record itself is accessible — call the Sheriff’s Office to confirm the St. Bernard Parish mugshot release policy, as it isn’t posted online.

The court-side record, held at the St. Bernard County Courthouse by Clerk Randy Nunez, is a different document. It begins when the District Attorney files a bill of information or the grand jury returns an indictment. The docket entry shows the case number, the formal charges (which may differ from the booking charges), the assigned judge, attorney of record for both sides, and each subsequent court event — arraignment, motions, continuances, plea, trial date, and disposition. A case that was refused by the DA or dismissed before filing will not appear in the Clerk’s docket at all.

Disposition is one of the most important fields for a records check. The docket entry will show whether the case ended in conviction, acquittal, dismissal, or nolle prosequi (the DA’s decision not to prosecute). A conviction entry includes the sentence. An acquittal or dismissal entry is equally visible in the public docket — the record of the arrest and prosecution exists even when the outcome was favorable to the defendant.

Bond information appears in the docket as well. After a first appearance before a judge, the bond amount and any conditions of release are entered into the record. That entry is public.

What the court docket does not show: the full narrative of the arrest, the police report, evidence, or witness statements. Those documents are held separately by the arresting agency and may require a distinct public records request to the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office or the relevant municipal police department.

How to expunge an arrest record in St. Bernard Parish

Petition filed, waiting period satisfied, judge signs the order — that’s the shape of an expungement in St. Bernard Parish. The governing statute is La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 971, and the petition is filed with the Clerk of Court at the St. Bernard Parish Courthouse, 1101 W. St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, LA 70043.

Eligibility depends on how the case ended. An arrest that resulted in dismissal, acquittal, or a refusal to prosecute by the District Attorney carries no elapsed-time waiting period — you can petition immediately after the case closes. The one exception is a DWI resolved through pretrial diversion: that carries a five-year wait measured from the date of arrest, even though no conviction resulted.

For convictions, the waiting period runs from the completion of the sentence, probation, or parole — not from the conviction date itself. A misdemeanor conviction requires five years after sentence completion. A felony conviction requires ten years. A first marijuana-possession conviction is eligible after ninety days. These are the waiting periods set by Louisiana law; the statute does not impose a per-lifetime limit on how many times a misdemeanor record may be expunged.

Two narrower rules apply to set-asides rather than expungements. A DWI dismissal under La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 894 is available only once in a ten-year period. A felony dismissal under art. 893 is available only twice in a person’s lifetime. These are separate from the expungement process itself.

To petition in St. Bernard Parish, you file a Petition to Expunge with the Clerk of Court. The petition must be served on the District Attorney’s Office and the arresting agency. The DA has an opportunity to object. If no objection is filed and the eligibility criteria are met, the judge typically signs the order. Call the Clerk’s office to confirm the current filing fee; an indigency waiver path exists for those who cannot afford the fee.

Self-petitioning is possible — the statute does not require an attorney. That said, cases involving convictions, multiple charges, or prior expungement petitions benefit from attorney review. The Louisiana State Bar Association attorney finder and the Louisiana Public Defender office are both resources for finding legal help.

After the order is signed, the Clerk of Court and the Sheriff’s Office are required to seal their records. Law enforcement agencies retain access. The public record — including what appears in background checks run through public portals — is removed. An arrest that was never prosecuted and has been expunged will not appear in the Clerk’s public docket.

Quick-reference contacts

Frequently asked questions about St. Bernard Parish arrest records

How long does it take for a St. Bernard Parish arrest to appear in court records?

A booking at the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office creates a booking record immediately, but that record doesn’t appear in the Clerk of Court’s docket until the District Attorney files charges. The DA has a period after arrest to decide whether to file — if charges are refused, no court record is ever created. Once charges are filed, the Clerk of Court at 1101 W. St. Bernard Highway enters the case into the docket, and it becomes publicly accessible. A new booking can take time to appear in any online system; if you need current information quickly, contact the Sheriff’s Office directly rather than relying on a portal.

How do I get a St. Bernard Parish arrest record sealed or expunged?

File a Petition to Expunge with the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court under La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 971. For an arrest that ended in dismissal or acquittal, no waiting period applies — you can petition as soon as the case closes. For a misdemeanor conviction, the wait is five years after completing the sentence, probation, or parole. For a felony conviction, the wait is ten years from the same point. A first marijuana-possession conviction qualifies after ninety days. The petition is served on the District Attorney’s Office; if no objection is filed and eligibility is met, the judge signs the order. Call the Clerk’s office to confirm the current filing fee. The Louisiana State Bar Association attorney finder can connect you with an attorney if you want assistance with the petition.