Find Ellis County Recent Arrests

Recent arrests in Ellis County go through the Sheriff's Office and the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie. Ellis County sits just south of Dallas and has a population of about 185,000 people. The county has been growing fast in recent years. The Sheriff's Office handles county-level law enforcement and runs the jail. Arrest records are public under Texas law. You can search for them online, by phone, or in person at the Sheriff's Office. Ellis County is part of the 40th and 378th Judicial Districts, and criminal cases are heard in Waxahachie.

Ellis County Sheriff's Office

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office operates out of Waxahachie. It runs the Wayne McCollum Detention Center, which is the main county jail. The detention center sits at 300 S. Jackson Street in Waxahachie. There is also the Ennis Detention Center at 600 N. Kaufman Street in Ennis, which serves as a short-term holding facility for Ennis Police Department arrests before transfers to the main jail.

The Sheriff's Office offers an online inmate search tool. You can look up current inmates by name and see charges, bond amounts, and booking dates. Mugshots may be available for current inmates. Bond information gets updated on a regular basis. For questions about specific bookings, you can call the jail at (972) 825-4931 or the main office at (972) 825-4901.

Search Ellis County Arrest Records

Ellis County has a few good options for looking up recent arrests. The Sheriff's Office website includes an online inmate search where you can check who is currently in custody. Search by name to see charges, bond amounts, and booking information. This is the fastest way to check on a recent arrest without leaving your house.

The county also has an Open Records Request Form that you can download from the website. Submit the form in person, by mail, or by fax to the Sheriff's Office at 300 South Jackson Street in Waxahachie. Requests get forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for review. Typical response time is about 10 business days. The free online inmate portal usually gets you basic information faster.

Statewide databases cover Ellis County too. The Texas DPS criminal history search costs $3 per name and checks the Computerized Criminal History system. The Texas judicial case search is free and covers court records for cases filed in the 40th and 378th Judicial Districts.

In 2024, Ellis County reported 555 arrests with an arrest rate of 62.75 per 100,000 people. Top categories included drug and narcotics offenses (131), DUI (114), and simple assault (100). Aggravated assault accounted for 30 arrests. These numbers give you a sense of the arrest activity in the county.

Ellis County Website

The Ellis County government website is the main hub for finding contact information and online tools related to the Sheriff's Office and jail. Below is a screenshot of the county's web presence.

From the county site, you can reach the inmate search tool, download records request forms, and find phone numbers for the jail and Sheriff's Office. The site also links to other county departments like the District Clerk, which handles court records.

Texas Law on Ellis County Arrests

The Texas Public Information Act under Government Code Chapter 552 governs access to arrest records in Ellis County. All government records are presumed public. You have the right to ask for arrest data without stating a reason. The Sheriff's Office must respond to your request.

Section 552.108 lets law enforcement hold back certain investigative details, but Section 552.108(c) protects your access to basic arrest information. The person's name, age, address, arrest date and time, charges, booking details, and the names of the officers involved are all public. The Ellis County Sheriff's Office cannot refuse to share these facts.

Under Government Code Chapter 411, the DPS keeps a statewide criminal history database. Section 411.135 controls access. The public can search conviction data for $3 per name. Non-conviction records are only available to law enforcement and authorized parties. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement sets standards for how agencies like the Ellis County Sheriff's Office report and maintain arrest data.

Request Ellis County Arrest Records

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office accepts records requests in several ways. Visit in person at 300 South Jackson Street in Waxahachie. You can also mail your request or send it by fax to (972) 825-4941. The office has a downloadable Open Records Request Form on their website that you can fill out and submit.

After you submit a request, it gets forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for review. This step checks whether any information in the file needs to be redacted. Most requests get completed within 10 business days. If the office needs more time, they must notify you under the Public Information Act. The Texas Attorney General handles disputes if you believe your request was wrongly denied.

Ellis County Detention Facilities

Ellis County operates two detention facilities. The main jail is the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie. The second is the Ennis Detention Center at 600 N. Kaufman Street in Ennis, which you can reach at (972) 875-4462. The Ennis facility serves as a short-term holding location for Ennis Police Department arrests.

People booked at the Ennis facility are typically transferred to the main county jail in Waxahachie within a short time. If you are looking for someone who was arrested in Ennis, check with the main jail in Waxahachie. The inmate search tool on the Sheriff's Office website covers both facilities. Weekend sentence programs are also available at the Ennis location. Juvenile services are handled at a separate facility entirely.

Nearby Counties

Ellis County borders several counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Each county runs its own jail and booking system.