Conducting a Background Check in Shelby County, TX

Learning about an individual’s past wrongdoings or misconduct is a relatively simple procedure.  A Shelby County arrest records search is probably easier to conduct than you might think. The following article will explain how to do it.

Why Investigate an Individual’s Background?

There are many different reasons you might need to conduct an investigation into someone’s past:

• Hiring an employee for a position which requires extra security, being armed, or handling valuables. In some cases, determining whether or not someone has a criminal past may even be required by law. How would you feel as a business owner if your employee was running from the law, and they were arrested after being hired? What kind of impression does that make on your customers?
• Acquiring a new childcare or elder care provider. Whether it is your child or an elderly parent whose best interests you’re looking after, it’s important that caregivers be rigorously investigated. It is very simple to access documented Texas sex offenders, there’s no reason to take that risk!
• Buying a business. In addition to examining the records of the business, it’s also important to examine the past of the current business owner.

Information is power.  When there are so many things that can go wrong in life that you can’t predict, why risk not making a few simple inquiries? Just finding out that someone has been incarcerated, and what they did to be put in jail could completely change your perception of their intentions.

Obtaining Shelby County Arrest Records

Thankfully, it is very simple to search for Shelby County arrest records.  Simply visit the Shelby County ClerkWeb Access (https://cc.co.shelby.tx.us/).  Take into account that currently, the county is updating their system. If you need to conduct a search while the web tool is down, you can visit the County Clerk’s office and search from there. Their address is 124 Austin St. Center, Tx 75935 (Phone number: 936-598-6361).

On the left side of the page, you will notice a number of different document indexes.  You’ll want to choose the criminal index. That will take you to a screen where you can enter what information you already know (such as the individual’s name), and what you’re looking for, such as documentation regarding their having been arrested.

Conducting a Shelby County Warrant Search

In order to locate the most recent and active Shelby County warrants, you can contact the sheriff’s office, located at 100 Hurst Street in Center, Texas.  They are available on the phone at 936-598-5600. The sheriff is willing to share information with the public regarding wanted people in hope of furthering their criminal investigations and solving cases.

Accessing Shelby County Court Records

Court documents are also available at the County Clerk Web Access (see above).  You’ll need to determine which index to use for the type of search you’re conducting, as there are numerous options:

• Civil
• Commissioner’s Court
• Criminal
• Marriage
• Probate

Choose the appropriate index from the left side of the screen, and then fill in as much information as you know in the search fields.

Tracing Texas State Records

When delving into someone’s past, it’s also important to know if they’ve been involved in any sex crimes, or if they’ve been incarcerated for crimes they may have committed outside of Shelby County. This information is effortlessly accessed through the state's online tools:

• To conduct a Texas inmate search visit the TDCJ's online offender database.
• To investigate whether or not someone has been imprisoned, go to the TxDPS criminal records tool. Be advised, the use of this data bank includes a fee.
• To find out whether someone is registered in the state of Texas as a result of committing crimes of a sexual nature, turn to the Sex Offender Registry maintained by the TxDPS.

Crime in Shelby County

No murders were committed in Shelby County in 2014, but other crimes posed a threat as well. There was an astonishing number of larcenies committed (330), and almost half as many burglaries.  There were 23 reported automobile thefts, 10 robberies, and 63 assaults.