Find DeKalb County Jail Mugshots

DeKalb County jail mugshots and inmate records are handled by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office in Auburn, Indiana. Sheriff Brady Thomas, elected in 2023, leads a department of over 80 employees covering 720 miles of county roadway. The DeKalb County Jail has a capacity of approximately 134 inmates. The county does not have a standalone public inmate roster online, so VINE and direct contact with the sheriff are the main tools for finding DeKalb County jail mugshots and current booking records. This page explains every option available.

DeKalb County Jail Mugshots: Contact and Search Options

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office website is at dekalbsheriff.in.gov. The site provides department contact information and resources. For inmate inquiries, calling the sheriff's office directly is the most reliable route when there is no public online roster.

Indiana Code IC 36-2-13-5 requires the sheriff to photograph and fingerprint all persons taken into custody for felonies or misdemeanors. These booking photos, referred to as DeKalb County jail mugshots, are part of the official arrest record and are generally considered public records under Indiana's Access to Public Records Act.

Using VINE for DeKalb County Inmate Lookups

VINE is the free statewide tool that works around the clock. Go to VineLink.com or call 1-866-959-8463 and search by name. VINE shows current custody status for all Indiana county jails, including DeKalb. You can see whether someone is in custody at the Auburn jail and set up automatic alerts for when their status changes.

VINE alerts can be set to go out by phone, text, or email. This is useful for families of people held at the DeKalb County Jail who want to know when someone posts bond or is transferred. VINE is fully automated and available outside of business hours, which makes it the go-to resource when you can't reach the sheriff's office by phone.

Indiana SAVIN at indianasavin.in.gov searches both county jails and state prisons in one query. If someone from DeKalb County was sentenced and transferred to a state facility, SAVIN can track that. The IDOC Offender Locator at offenderlocator.idoc.in.gov covers the state prison side.

What DeKalb County Arrest Records Must Include

Indiana Code IC 5-14-3-5 sets out mandatory disclosures when someone is arrested. The arrested person's name, age, and address must be released. So must the date, time, and location of the arrest, the arresting officer's name, the charges, and the bail or bond amount set. These are public records by law.

DeKalb County jail mugshots are part of this public disclosure framework. Indiana's Public Access Counselor has issued opinions confirming that booking photos are generally accessible to the public. See the PAC's mugshot guidance document for specifics on when photos must be released and what exceptions exist.

The main exception is IC 5-14-3-4, which allows withholding investigatory records and confidential information tied to active cases. Routine bookings at the DeKalb County Jail are subject to full public access. If the sheriff's office declines to release records that should be public, the Indiana Public Access Counselor at in.gov/pac/ handles complaints.

DeKalb County Sheriff's Office: Auburn and Beyond

Auburn is the county seat of DeKalb County, located in the northeast corner of Indiana. The county borders Allen County to the south and Steuben County to the north. Sheriff Brady Thomas won election in 2023 and leads a department with more than 80 employees. That size reflects the county's significant geographic footprint, covering 720 miles of county roads with patrol deputies.

The jail has a capacity of about 134 inmates, which is a mid-sized facility for an Indiana county. It holds both pre-trial detainees awaiting hearings and sentenced inmates serving shorter terms. People who are sentenced to longer periods typically move to state facilities after the county portion of their time is served.

For contact details, office hours, and staff directory information, the official sheriff's site at dekalbsheriff.in.gov is the best source. Hours and phone numbers can change, so checking the official site before calling is a good practice.

Court Records for DeKalb County Cases

Indiana Courts provides the free MyCase portal at public.courts.in.gov/mycase/. Criminal case filings from DeKalb County are in this system. Search by name to find charges, hearing dates, bond amounts, and case outcomes. This covers the legal side of an arrest and is a strong complement to jail records.

MyCase covers DeKalb County Circuit Court and Superior Court. It works without a login and there's no fee to search. If someone was arrested in Auburn or elsewhere in DeKalb County and charged, the case will appear here.

Expungement and DeKalb County Arrest Records

Indiana's expungement statute under IC 35-38-5-5 allows people to petition for restriction of certain criminal records. Arrests that didn't result in conviction are often the strongest candidates. Some convictions may qualify after a waiting period based on the offense type. The petition goes to DeKalb County Circuit Court.

After expungement, government agencies are restricted from disclosing the record. VINE would no longer show it. Court records reflect the expungement. The Indiana State Police updates its criminal history records to reflect expungements under IC 10-13-3-27. Visit in.gov/isp/criminal-history-services/ for information on certified statewide criminal history requests.

Cities in DeKalb County

There are no major cities with individual pages in DeKalb County. All arrests in DeKalb County are processed through the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office in Auburn.

Nearby Counties

DeKalb County is in northeast Indiana and shares borders with several surrounding counties with their own jail and booking systems.