Uncover Free Lake County Arrest Records & Bail Information

Access free Lake County arrest records in seconds using the convenient search tools linked in this resource.

This access is provided through the Florida Sunshine Law, and there are multiple free tools that you can use to find various arrest information. You can search arrest records of family members, friends and even strangers.

Arrest records provide details such as when a person was taken into custody, charges brought against them and other valuable information. To gain insight, you need to know who maintains these records and what tools are available.

Knowing what type of information you must possess to increase your likelihood of a successful search is helpful too. All you need to know is covered in this streamlined resource, assisting you in effectively searching for arrest information in Lake County, Florida.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Obtain Current Lake County Arrest Records & Check Out Mugshots: Free

Arrest records can help you learn a lot about a person and their current situation. Anyone is free to look for arrest information in Lake County, pursuant to the Florida Sunshine Law.¹

To search for arrest records, you will want to have some basic information such as the person’s name, where and when the arrest occurred and other related data.

To conduct a search for arrest records, you can use the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Search Tool.² You can use this tool to search for arrest records by a particular name or date. Once you enter the information, the summary results will provide you with all matching arrestees.

The summary information includes the offender’s mugshot, name, age, sex and race. It will also indicate the date they were booked.

You can click on any arrest record you like to view additional information. The arrest information is broken down into the following sections:

Summary: The top of the page contains additional mugshots and the person’s booking and inmate number.

Physical Description: This contains additional descriptive information about the person, such as their height, weight, eye and hair color.

Personal Information: This section contains the person’s address, birthplace, occupation and whether or not they are a U.S. citizen.

Arrest Information: Here, you can find specific details about the arrest, such as the agency, location, date and time of the event. You can also view the booking officer’s identification number and whether or not there was a detainer.

Charges: A summary description of the offense, charge category, criminal statute and document type that led to arrest (e.g., probable cause affidavit). You can view bond information such as the type and amount. You can also view information on the person’s next court date and case number.

For additional information, you can submit a public records request to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. A completed request can be sent via email to [email protected] or to the address below:

Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Public Records Custodian
350 W. Main St., Second Fl. Lobby
Tavares, Florida 32778

If you have any further questions about accessing arrest records, you can contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office by phone at 352-343-9578.

Another valuable source of these records is the Lake County Central Records Division as they handle various law enforcement records, including arrest reports, incident reports, and criminal records. To request records, visit the address provided above.

Searching at the county level affords you the option to search broadly across several cities. However, there are reasons for conducting a narrow search at the city level as well. This may be necessary to obtain a detailed police report from the arresting agency or to get information shortly after the person is taken into custody.

As an example of searching for arrest information at the city level in Lake County, you can seek arrest records from the Clermont Police Department. To make a request, you can contact them by phone at 352-394-5588 or by talking to someone in person at the address below:

Clermont Police Department
3600 S. Hwy. 27
Clermont, Florida 34711

If you are struggling to find arrest information through these resources, you can also try certain third-party services, such as VINELink. This option may assist you with accessing arrest records in Lake County.

Arrest records provide a snapshot of the time a person was arrested or recently incarcerated. However, there are other options to search prior arrests and criminal information that provide more complete details. The next section will walk you through the process of searching an individual’s criminal record and the type of information you can inspect.

How To Acquire Prior Arrest & Criminal Information in Lake County Florida

A person’s criminal record can let you know how a person’s criminal case was adjudicated and, if found guilty, the type of sentence they received.

If you want to search for Lake County criminal records, you can do so with the Clerk of Courts Case Lookup Tool.³

You can use this online tool to search for criminal information by a case number, citation or the person’s name. You can also set a date range for when the case was filed.

Note: If you are conducting a search by name, there are three different options depending on the information you have available. You can search for a person’s exact name and what their name starts with, or you can use the Soundex function that enables the database to include results for names that match your spelling phonetically.

If you are conducting a name search, then you need to make sure you select the appropriate court type since this tool provided by the Clerk’s Office searches various types of cases.

Your primary options for court type when searching for prior arrest information are criminal miscellaneous, criminal traffic, felony, misdemeanor, and traffic infractions.

Once you make the appropriate selections and run your search, you will be provided with a list of matching results. The results include the case number, party name and filing date.

If you click on the filing date, you can view the defendant’s date of birth, sex and race. As it pertains to the criminal information, you can see the court type (e.g., felony, misdemeanor, etc.), case type, and current status.

To view additional information from the defendant’s online criminal record, click on their case number. At the top of the page, you can find information on the offense date and other summary information, such as the restitution balance. Below this summary are separate sections of the person’s criminal record.

The following is a brief summary of what you can find in each section.

Parties: Here, you can view the name of the judge and all attorneys involved in the case. You can also view additional descriptive information about the defendant, such as hair and eye color.

Charges: For each charge, you can view a brief description, statute, disposition (including the date) and the date of the offense. You can also view what plea was made by the defendant, the offense level of the charge, and the type of sentence received.

Court Events: You can view in chronological order all events associated with the criminal case, including a brief description, the date, time and location.

Dockets: This is a chronological listing of all court filings, including a description of the document. On the left-hand side is the option to view the image of certain available court filings.

Sentences: This is a summary of the type of sentence received, the date, length of the term and any credit time received. It will also indicate if confinement is included as part of the sentence.

Arrests & Bonds: The arrest information includes the date, arresting agency and incident number. The bond information provides you with the type, number, bondsman, surety company, and amount that was set by the judge.

You can also request records by contacting the court that handled the criminal matter. In Lake County, there are two different courts that adjudicate criminal cases. The Lake County Court is responsible for misdemeanors, which are less serious crimes that involve probation or jail sentences of less than a year.

The Lake County Circuit Court is responsible for felony cases. These are serious criminal cases that involve prison sentences of a year or greater.

If you are looking for either type of criminal information, you can start by contacting the Lake County Clerk of Court by calling them at 352-742-4100 or inquiring with someone in person at the address below:

Lake County Clerk of Court
550 W. Main St.
Tavares, Florida 32778

They are available to answer your questions any time from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

If you have enough information, you can complete the clerk’s Records Search Request Form and submit it to the address below:⁴

Clerk of the Circuit Court
Record Searches
P.O. Box 7800
Tavares, Florida 32778

For the form, provide your contact information and select “criminal” from the Lake County records to be searched. Next, you will include the years to be searched, the type of record, and other information to assist with the search.

The cost is $1.00 per page for printed copies and $2.00 per page for certified copies. There is also a search cost of $2.00 per calendar year and name searched.

In some counties, their cities and towns operate separate municipal courts that handle certain limited criminal cases. This is not the case in Lake County and there is no option to search any more narrowly than the county and circuit courts in Lake County.

However, you can search for criminal record information more broadly through a statewide resource. Information on prior crimes and convictions can be found using the Florida Department of Corrections Offender Information Search Tool.⁵

You can use this tool to search by a person’s name or Department of Corrections (DOC) number. If the person goes by different names, you can choose to also search by an offender’s aliases.

While this search tool provides access to current and released inmates, after you conduct your search, you will have to select one of the following specific types of databases you want to search through:

• Inmate Population
• Released Inmates
• Supervised Population
• Absconder & Fugitives

Regardless of which option you choose, the results page will provide you with the person’s name, department of corrections number, race, sex and birth date. You can also see their release date and, if applicable, the current facility in which they reside. To view their complete online criminal record, click on their name.

On their specific record, you can view their mugshot and summary information about the person and their sentence. The remainder of the criminal history is divided into the following sections:

Current Prison Sentence History: This section will include a description of the offense, the date it occurred and the county. You can also view the case number, sentence date and length.

Detainers: Here, you can view the detainer date, agency, type and the date canceled.

Incarceration History: For each time incarcerated you can view the start and end date.

Prior Prison History: For previous prison sentences, you can view the same type of information listed in the “current prison sentence history” section.

You are now prepared to search for prior criminal records as well as recent arrests. A search may be necessary if you are trying to confirm the arrest of someone you know. The next section will assist you if you want to help someone who is arrested in Lake County post bail.

How To Find a Bail Bondsman or Post Bail for Someone Arrested in Lake County Florida

When a person is arrested for a crime, except for the most serious crimes (e.g., murder), a judge typically sets a bail amount that is required to be posted if a person wants to remain out of jail while their case is being adjudicated.

If you know someone who is in custody that you want to assist with posting bail, there are two primary ways you can do so.

The first option is the self-bail process. This option allows you to use your own resources to post the bail amount required for a person to be released from jail. With this option, you can post a bond with either cash or one’s property.

The bond is returned if the defendant complies with their requirements for being released on bail. However, you bear the entire risk if they go missing and do not attend their criminal trial.

The second option is to use the services of a bail bondsman. This option requires the payment of a mandatory and non-refundable fee to the bondsman. This fee is typically 10% of the total bail amount.

While you pay a large fee upfront, the rest of the process is handled by the bondsman. In addition, the entire risk for the bail is taken on by the bail bondsman. Carefully consider what option you feel most comfortable with.

For paying bail, you can reach out to the Lake County Clerk of Court for more information.⁷ You can contact them by phone at 352-742-4100 or by going in person at the address below:

Lake County Clerk of Court
550 W. Main St.
Tavares, Florida 32778

You now should be confident in the steps you need to take to access Lake County arrest records and other types of criminal information; refer back to this resource whenever you plan to conduct a search for arrest and criminal information.