Blount County Court
Blount County Arrest Records

Blount County, Tennessee Arrest Records

In Blount County, Tennessee, arrest records are official government documents that provide an account of an individual's apprehension. Arrest procedures are strictly governed by the Tennessee Code Annotated Title 40, Chapter 7 (§§ 40-7-101 through 40-7-205). Arrest documentation is preserved to promote transparency and uphold accountability throughout the local legal framework.

Blount County arrest records are created by the arresting law enforcement officers, including county or city police departments such as the Blount County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) and the Maryville Police Department. The records also form part of an individual's criminal history information, which is regulated by the Tennessee Criminal History Information Act (Tennessee Code Annotated § 38-6-120).

Are Arrest Records Public Information in Blount County, Tennessee?

Yes. The Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA) provides any Tennessean (and, in real-life applications, other interested parties) with the right to access public records, such as arrest records, through their official custodians. Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(a)(1)(A)(i)) defines "public records" as any kind of document made or received by a government agency in the course of its official business.

Consequently, anyone can inspect or copy an arrest record, provided the requested information does not fall under any exception to the Tennessee Public Records Act. For example, information about juvenile offenders is confidential.

More information on the Tennessee Public Records Act is available on the state's Open Records Counsel FAQs page.

General conditions for obtaining public records include

Requests should be made to the appropriate record custodian only.
Requests should be detailed enough to enable accurate searches (Tenn. Code Ann. § 10-7-503(a)(4)).
Public entities can mandate written requests in some cases.

What Do Public Blount County Arrest Records Contain?

In most cases, public Blount County arrest records capture the following information about an arrestee:

Full name
Address
Mugshot
Personal identifying information (age, race, sex, height, weight, hair color, eye color)

Other case-specific details relating to the arrest may also appear in the record, such as:

Booking number
Inmate number
Intake date/time
Bond amount
Charge description
Court details (court name, docket number, court date)

It is worth noting that certain details are redacted from public arrest records due to their confidentiality under the law. Examples include

Sealed or expunged records
Bank account information
Information that may jeopardize an inmate's safety
Medical records
Criminal investigative files
Wiretap recordings

Blount County, Tennessee Arrest Search

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) functions as the state's primary law enforcement agency. It maintains misdemeanor and felony arrest information compiled from the various arresting agencies across Tennessee, including those from Blount County. This arrest data is included in criminal history information, which is available to members of the public through name-based background checks at $29 per search. Individuals may contact the Tennessee Open Records Information Services at (615) 744-4057 for more information on obtaining criminal history records.

Records of Arrests and Prosecutions (RAP) sheets can also be obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) via mail, online, or via an FBI-approved channeler. Access to the FBI RAP Sheet is, however, limited to subjects of the record and select authorized agencies for official purposes.

Blount County Inmate Locator

The Blount County Sheriff's Office (BSCO) is the most reliable source for accessing local arrest data within Blount County. It provides several options for members of the public to obtain this information, including online, in person, and electronically.

To access arrest records in the BSCO's database, requesters may use the department's Inmate Lookup System on its official website. Parties can conduct a search by inputting their inmate's name in the search box or scrolling through the alphabetical list of inmates. The search page also displays a list of the last five bookings.

The BSCO also operates a dedicated Records Office, which maintains various documents generated by the office, including departmental arrest records. Individuals can request arrest records from the Records Office by dialing (865) 273-5000. The Tennessee Public Records Act also guarantees requesters the right to make in-person requests at the physical offices of record custodians. Individuals can visit the BSCO physically during normal work hours at

BCSO Justice Center

940 East Lamar Alexander Parkway

Maryville, TN 37804

Parties may also request a record by clicking on the "Request Records" icon on the BSCO's homepage.

Active Warrant Search in Blount County

Tennessee Code Annotated Title 40, Chapter 6, Part 2, (specifically § 40-6-201) defines a warrant of arrest as a written order issued by a magistrate or judge, commanding a peace officer to apprehend a person suspected of committing a crime. The purpose of an arrest warrant is to bring a suspect before the court to answer for the allegations against them. Accordingly, a judge may, in certain circumstances, exercise discretion to issue a criminal summons in place of a warrant of arrest.

Blount County arrest warrants are only issued when the magistrate determines that probable cause establishing that the subject committed a crime has been sufficiently demonstrated (Rule 4 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure). In such cases, the arrest warrant must contain

The defendant's name (or a description by which the defendant can be reasonably identified if the name is unknown)
A description of the offense
The issuing authority's signature
The issuing county
A command to a law enforcement officer to arrest and bring the defendant before the magistrate

Warrants of arrest in Blount County are overseen by the BCSO's Warrant Unit, a sub-department of the Court Support Unit. However, the department does not offer an online database or dedicated phone line for searching outstanding or active warrants. Under the Tennessee Public Records Act, criminal arrest warrants tied to ongoing law enforcement investigations are confidential until executed. However, bench warrants are routinely visible through public court case dockets.

Regardless of the record custodian, requesters are typically required to provide details about a sought-after warrant to assist officers in conducting the search. Common search criteria include

Subject's name
Case or warrant number
Issue or execution dates

Below is a table summarizing the primary agencies and warrant-related resources in Blount County:

Agency	Purpose	Search Methods	Notes
Blount County Sheriff's Office	Locate subjects of arrest warrants	In Person	Warrant searches through the Sheriff's Office are executed solely in person
Circuit Court Clerk's Office	Maintain criminal court case documents, including information pertaining to warrants issued by the courts	Online through the Blount County Online Court Records System, via mail, in person at the Office of the Circuit Court Clerk, or by phone at (865) 273-5400	Detailed information on requesting Blount County criminal records is provided on the Circuit Court Public Records Request and Policy page
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation	Provides statewide information on fugitives	TBI's Most Wanted List	The TBI's Most Wanted List may include Blount County arrest warrants

How to Find Arrest Records for Free in Blount County

Individuals can inspect Blount County arrest records free of charge from the various record custodians using the access methods outlined in the "Blount County Inmate Locator" section above. However, several limitations and exceptions exist with free access to arrest records in the county. For example:

Document inspection is free only to the extent that no redaction is required.
Requesters will be charged a fee for copying or reproducing documents.
The free Blount County Inmate Lookup System only displays an active roster and does not include a complete historical list of inmates.

Some third-party vendors also operate websites for searching public arrest information. However, data accuracy varies.

Blount County Arrest Report

In addition to arrest records, law enforcement officers prepare arrest reports after apprehending an individual in Blount County. While arrest records and arrest reports both contain information about the subject's arrest, they differ in several aspects, particularly in their purpose and level of detail. Arrest records present key details of an arrest in summary form, while arrest reports provide a more detailed account of the arrest process and the circumstances surrounding it.

Blount County arrest reports are public documents, and individuals can request them by navigating to the BCSO's Request a Report page and submitting their request through the third-party vendor. Parties may also visit the BCSO in person or request a report via telephone. However, arrest reports for active or pending cases are not subject to public disclosure under the Tennessee Public Records Act's statutory exceptions.

How to Get an Arrest Record Expunged in Blount County

Subjects of an arrest record in Blount County can petition to have it expunged (removed from public viewing or access) if they meet the applicable eligibility requirements (Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-32-107).

Generally, individuals may have their arrest records expunged if they were never charged in court or if the charges associated with such records were dismissed, a nolle prosequi was entered (the prosecution dropped the case), or the grand jury returned a no true bill. Cases that resulted in a not-guilty verdict, or in which an order of protection was defended and denied by a court after a hearing, may also be eligible for expunction. Certain offenses, such as some violent crimes and DUI convictions, cannot be expunged (Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-10-403).

The expunction process requires the eligible subject to file a petition in the General Sessions Court or the trial court where the case originated. Specific procedures for expungement depend on the policy of the particular court but typically include

Obtaining the docket number and other relevant information about the case, and requesting a copy of the record in question from the court clerk.
Appropriately filling out the necessary forms, indicating the charges to be expunged, and filing with the criminal court clerk.
Providing a self-addressed stamped envelope for each charge to be expunged if a copy of the expungement is desired.
Getting a certified copy of the expungement order and the charging document.

Detailed information on this process is available on the Tennessee Judiciary's Steps for Expungement page.

How Do You Remove Blount County Arrest Records From the Internet?

In most cases, the best way to remove a Blount County arrest record from government-operated online databases is to successfully petition for expungement of such a record. Official record custodians are required to remove expunged records from publicly accessible online databases and destroy such records as soon as is practicable. Consequently, subjects of expunged records do not need to make any further formal requests for removal.

Individuals may, however, need to contact third-party vendors directly to request removal of their expunged records from such websites.