DUI Arrest Records in Lexington

The record for a Lexington County Magistrate Court case is held at the Lexington County Magistrate Court’s Clerk of Court and is published on the Lexington County Public Index online. The Lexington County Public Index is available to anyone who has an internet connection. The records are held at the Clerk of Court’s Office for the specific court, and they are public records. Once someone is arrested, it is a public record that anyone is able to search and find someone if they know what to look for.

In Lexington County, all the mug shots are made available to the public because the Lexington County Detention Center has a public website that posts all the inmates in the detention center along with their charges.

Read below to learn more about DUI arrest records in Lexington. And if you have been charged with driving under the influence, contact an experienced DUI attorney today.

Consequences of Having a Public DUI Arrest Record

One of the consequences of having a DUI public arrest record in Lexington is that anyone can find out about someone’s arrest. Newspapers in gas stations sometimes have mug shots and other arrest records for the public to see. When an arrest becomes public, people may lose their jobs, stain their reputation in the community, and have collateral consequences against them even though they are still presumed innocent and have not been convicted of anything.

When an arrest record is pending, there is nothing one can do. It is available until the charge is resolved or disposed of. However, once the charge is dismissed or resolved through dismissal by a not guilty verdict, a non-conviction, or a guilty verdict, that is when the record can be changed.

Record Sealing and Expungements

The only time records are sealed is for a case that deals with a juvenile. All family court records are sealed, and they are adjudications, not criminal convictions. Everything in those records is sealed and not available to the public.

It is rare that criminal records are sealed. There is a difference between sealing versus expungement and sealing in criminal cases. Sealing a case is unlikely. However, expungement happens all the time. Luckily, the law changed where the Clerk of Court’s Office now processes all expungements automatically for cases that are dismissed or for non-convictions. When someone is found not guilty, they do not have to file an application for expungement. The Clerk of Court’s Office removes the charge from the person’s record.

When a record is sealed, it is available but cannot be viewed by the public. It can only be viewed by the judge, prosecutor, or defense attorney. With an expungement, there is an order of destruction of arrest records. An expungement destroys all the records and erases the records from the database.

What Happens When the Defendant is Acquitted of a DUI?

When one is acquitted or found not guilty of a DUI, the Clerk of Court’s Office must expunge the arrest record from the public index. The person’s records must be removed from the National Institute of Corrections. The Clerk of Court’s Office initiates and proceeds with the expungement on their own and sends the order of destruction of arrest records to the attorney and the defendant once it is complete.

If you have any questions about DUI arrest records in Lexington and how an attorney could help, call a skilled defense lawyer today.