Motley County Arrest Records
Motley County arrest records are maintained by the Motley County Sheriff's Office in Matador, Texas. Motley County is one of the least populous counties in the state, but arrest records are still public and available under Texas law. When a person is arrested and booked into the county jail, a record is created that documents the arrest details and charges. You can request these records from the Sheriff's Office or use statewide inmate search tools to locate individuals in custody.
Motley County Sheriff's Office
The Motley County Sheriff's Office in Matador, the county seat, is the only law enforcement and detention agency for the county. Motley County is a sparsely populated rural county in West Texas, and the Sheriff's Office handles all aspects of law enforcement and jail operations. There are no separate city police departments with significant arrest volumes in the county. All bookings go through the Sheriff's Office, which makes it the sole source for local arrest records.
To request arrest records, contact the Sheriff's Office in Matador by phone or in person during business hours. Written requests by mail are also accepted. Give the subject's full name and any other details you have to help locate the correct record. The office must respond within ten business days under the Texas Public Information Act. For a very small office like this one, it is often faster to call ahead and ask about availability before making a formal written request.
Motley County sees far fewer arrests per year than larger Texas counties. Still, all the same public access rules apply. Arrest records are public, and the process for requesting them is the same as anywhere else in Texas. The Texas Public Information Act does not create different access rights based on the size of the county.
Finding Inmates in Motley County
For small counties like Motley, the most reliable way to find a current inmate is to call the Sheriff's Office directly. Online inmate databases may include Motley County data, but coverage of very small counties varies.com to see if either has data for the county. These sites compile data from many Texas counties but may not always have current data for the smallest facilities.
Given the small jail population in Motley County, it is also possible that the county contracts with a neighboring county jail for overflow or specific types of detainees. If you cannot find someone in the Motley County system, check with adjacent county jails in Cottle, Floyd, or Dickens counties, or call the Motley County Sheriff's Office directly to ask where inmates are being held.
For individuals who have moved to state prison after a felony conviction, the TDCJ Inmate Search is the correct resource. TDCJ tracks all offenders in state custody, including those originally arrested in Motley County. The search is free and available online by name, TDCJ number, or SID.
Open Records Law in Motley County
Texas Government Code Chapter 552 guarantees public access to government records, including arrest records held by the Motley County Sheriff's Office. This applies equally to large urban agencies and small rural ones like Motley County. The Sheriff's Office must provide records unless a specific legal exemption applies. Exemptions that commonly apply include active investigation files, juvenile records, sealed or expunged records, and victim personal information in certain cases.
If you are denied a record request in Motley County, you can appeal to the Texas Attorney General's Open Records Division at no cost. The AG reviews the denial and can order the agency to release records if the exemption was improperly applied. This oversight function ensures that even small county agencies follow the same rules as large ones when it comes to public records access.
Statewide Records Access
The Texas DPS Criminal History Name Search covers all Texas counties, including Motley County, for $3. This is the best option when you need a complete Texas criminal history rather than just a single county record. DPS collects arrest, charge, and conviction data from courts and law enforcement agencies statewide, making this database far more comprehensive than a single county system.
For federal records, the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator covers inmates in federal custody since 1982. Federal charges in this part of Texas fall under the Northern District of Texas. Federal prosecutions are uncommon in rural counties like Motley but do occur for drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and other federal violations. The BOP locator is free and requires only a name or register number.
The VINELink system at 877-894-8463 allows you to register for custody status notifications for inmates at any participating Texas county jail. The service is free and available day and night. Registration takes only a few minutes online or by phone. Alerts are sent automatically when custody status changes, so you do not need to call to check.
Expungement in Motley County
Texas law allows arrest records to be expunged when certain conditions are met. These include cases where charges were dismissed, the person was acquitted, the statute of limitations ran out, or a pardon was granted. Chapter 55 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure governs this process. The petition is filed in the district court that covers Motley County, and notice is given to the District Attorney and all agencies holding records of the arrest.
Once the court grants expunction, agencies including the Motley County Sheriff's Office, DPS, and the courts must destroy or return their records. An Order of Nondisclosure is a different but related remedy available to people who completed deferred adjudication successfully. Either process may require a hearing, and both are best handled with the help of a licensed attorney familiar with the local courts.
Contact the Motley County Sheriff's Office in Matador for local arrest records. The TDCJ Inmate Search covers state prison placements for Motley County residents after sentencing.
The Texas DPS statewide criminal history database provides arrest and conviction data for Motley County and all other Texas jurisdictions, available online for $3 per search.
Cities in Motley County
Matador is the county seat and primary community in Motley County. Flomot is a small community in the county as well. Neither town approaches the 100,000 population threshold, so no city pages exist for Motley County. All arrests in the county are processed by the Sheriff's Office in Matador.
Nearby Counties
Motley County is in West Texas near the Rolling Plains. Neighboring counties include Cottle County, Floyd County, Dickens County, Crosby County, and Briscoe County.