Kentucky Criminal Records

Kentucky Criminal Records, commonly known as rap sheets, provide information about a person's criminal history in the state. These are among the many police records established in Kentucky due to police actions.

Most reports contain an individual's arrests, convictions, and incarcerations gathered from municipal, county, and state governments, as well as courts and state correctional institutions.

Under the Kentucky Open Records Act, interested public members can access criminal records in Kentucky. As a result, anybody with a request to the record custodian can view or make copies of these documents. However, by law or court order, the record keeper may exclude some criminal records from public access.

The clerk of courts is in charge of keeping these papers secure. And once you successfully obtain a copy of a criminal record in Kentucky, more specifically, you will see the following:

• Personal information of the subject (name, date of birth, gender, race)
• Any aliases
• Details on distinctive physical identifiers
• Fingerprints
• Photograph or mugshot
• Past and current addresses
• Conviction or charges
• Post-conviction status
• Incarceration history
• Arrest records (most current arrests, current and past warrants, and indictments)

Kentucky Criminal Records may have varied information depending on a person's charges. In Kentucky, you can have a criminal record if you have done any of the following:

Felonies

In most cases, felony records are the most severe criminal actions. It carries a minimum sentence of one year in jail and could also result in life imprisonment for the most extreme situations.

Under Kentucky law, felonies are either the following:

Class A Felonies

Class A felonies are the most severe kinds of crimes. People who commit these felonies can go to prison for 20 to 50 years or a life sentence. Examples include murder and raping a child under 12.

Class B Felonies

Class B felonies in Kentucky can get a person 10 to 20 years in prison. Intentionally shooting someone, first-degree manslaughter, and serious sexual crimes like sodomy are Class B felonies.

Class C Felonies

In Kentucky, convicted people of Class C felonies risk five to ten years in jail. The unauthorized access to a computer, property theft valued at least between $10,00 and $1,000,000, second-degree assault, and second-degree manslaughter are all Class C felonies in the state.

Class D Felonies

Lastly, a Class D felony can ground you in prison for one to five years. Class D felonies in Kentucky include firearm possession by a convicted felon, illegal credit card use between $500 and $1,000, first-degree stalking, possession of a controlled drug, and first-degree wanton endangerment. Also, multiple "lesser" offenses can lead to Class D felony charges, such as four DUIs.

Felony records in Kentucky are permanent on file. However, you can remove or seal some Class D felonies five years after you finish your sentence, probation, or parole, whichever comes later.

Misdemeanors

Misdemeanors, less severe than felonies, are crimes in Kentucky that carry a year in county or local jail. The state categorized misdemeanors into two: Class A and Class B.

Class A Misdemeanors

Class A misdemeanors in Kentucky include a year in prison, a $500 fine, or both. Here are some examples of Class A misdemeanor records in Kentucky:

• Under-$500 theft
• Sexual misconduct
• A second DUI or driving with a revoked or suspended license offense within five years
• Fourth-degree assault
• Possession of burglary tools
• Domestic Battery
• Having no more than four marijuana plant

Class B Misdemeanors

Class B misdemeanors are less severe misdemeanors that carry a potential prison sentence of 90 days, a maximum fine of $250, or both.

Some Class B misdemeanors in Kentucky include the following:

• A first DUI or driving with a revoked or suspended license offense within five years
• Second-degree trespass
• Resisting arrest
• Public Intoxication
• Menacing
• Harassing communications

Also, in Kentucky, they have the term "violation", which is even less severe and only carries a punishment of up to $250.

If you have a misdemeanor record and qualify for expungement, you can remove it five years after you finish your probation or sentence, whichever comes first.

Criminal Driving Violations

Some traffic violations in Kentucky lead to tickets that are just a hassle for the person who gets them. Other traffic violations in Kentucky can lead to criminal misdemeanor charges.

Here are some of the driving violations in Kentucky:

• DUI ($200 – $500 fine and up to one month in jail)
• Careless driving ($20 –$100 fine)
• Reckless driving ($20 –$100 fine)
• Racing motor vehicle on the public highway ($60 –$200 fine)
• Failure to let emergency vehicles pass (A Class B Misdemeanor)
• Second-degree evading or fleeing police (A Class A Misdemeanor)

In Kentucky, a conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) or any driving violation stays on a person's criminal record for life unless expunged. Section 189A.010 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes asserts that a previous DUI conviction will affect a person for ten years if they are charged with DUI again.

Sexual Offenses

Kentucky has set up 15 crimes to prosecute sexual assault and other related crimes. The state will use the statutory laws to prosecute crimes where the victim was younger than the Kentucky Age of Consent. Non-statutory rape laws will apply to prosecute crimes where the attacker uses force or coercion.

Each sexual offense is a misdemeanor or felony in Kentucky. Here are the significant sex offense records in Kentucky:

• Incest (A Class A, B, or C Felony)
• First-degree Indecent exposure (A Class A or B Misdemeanor, or Class D Felony)
• Second-degree Indecent exposure (A Class B Misdemeanor)
• First-degree Rape (A Class A or B Felony)
• Second-degree Rape (A Class C Felony)
• Third-degree Rape (A Class D Felony)
• First-degree Sodomy (A Class A or B Felony)
• Second-degree Sodomy (A Class C Felony)
• Third-degree Sodomy (A Class D Felony)
• Fourth-degree Sodomy (A Class A Misdemeanor)
• First-degree Sexual Abuse (A Class C or D Felony)
• Second-degree Sexual Abuse (A Class A Misdemeanor)
• Third-degree Sexual Abuse (A Class B Misdemeanor)
• Sexual Misconduct (A Class A Misdemeanor)
• Electronic sex or illicit activities solicitation of minors (A Class D felony)

Under Kentucky law, persons with one or more convictions, particularly those against minors, one or more sex crime convictions, first-degree rape or sodomy convictions, or sexually violent predators, must register as a sex offender for life.

Through the Sex Offender Registry page, the Kentucky State Police offers registration information for sex crime offenders.

Expungement removes arrests, charges, and convictions from your record. In Kentucky, a person's criminal record remains on file until expunged. If a person does a background check, they will see the conviction committed, which may harm their career, school, and government assistance possibilities.

Kentucky Expungement Requirements and Procedures

You can expunge your record if found not guilty, if there's an acquittal of charge, or if the grand jury failed to indict you.

You may seek expungement if charged with a felony in district court and have not been indicted within six months. Most Class D felonies are expugnable. Also, under certain conditions, a person may expunge more than one Class-D felony in Kentucky.

You may request the expungement of an unlimited number of misdemeanor convictions. The waiting period for misdemeanor expungement is five years after the sentence completion.

However, if there is an enhanced period, you will not be eligible for expungement until that time has passed. For example, DUIs have enhanced penalties if you receive a second or third within ten years; therefore, you can't remove it until then.

If you want to have a conviction expunged, you must first get a certificate of eligibility. The court will then hear your certificate of eligibility and expungement petition. When requesting expungement, use the correct forms.

Inmate records in Kentucky provide information regarding an individual's incarceration status. The Kentucky Department of Corrections (KDOC) keeps all prisons for adults in the state. It sets the rules and standards for all county-run dungeons. The department oversees 12 correctional institutions around the state.

How Can You Find Inmate Records in Kentucky?

The KDOC maintains a searchable database of those presently jailed in the state and prior inmates who have served their terms. An inmate search is available using the offender's legal first and last name or aliases.

You can also perform advanced searches by providing a DOC ID number, offender type, age, conviction date, gender, race, and location. The more information you submit into the system, the simpler it is to narrow down your search.

According to the KDOC website, new offender data may take more than 120 days to be finalized and placed into the system.

When you access public inmate records, you can find the following information:

• Inmate's personal information (name, date of birth, gender, race, height and weight, social security number)
• DOC ID
• Any aliases
• Booking photo
• Assigned location
• Convicted offense
• Sentence summary
• Incarceration date
• Expected release date

Kentucky Arrest Records provide an official summary of a person's arrest history in the state.

A Kentucky arrest warrant empowers law enforcement to arrest the person(s) named. The arresting officer must show probable cause before the court issues this warrant.

However, in Kentucky, police can make arrests without a warrant. In most circumstances, this happens when a crime occurs in an officer's presence or when the officer has sufficient grounds to suspect the defendant is guilty.

A police officer will transfer the defendant (person arrested) to a local prison after the arrest. The booking procedure involves gathering the defendant's picture, fingerprints, and basic information, such as the residence and date of birth.

In addition to being inspected for contraband, sometimes defendants get prison uniforms. The authority conducts physical and mental health tests. After being booked or receiving a release decision, most prisons will let the defendant contact family and friends.

In Kentucky, anybody can request an arrest record from the arresting agency in the county or city. Most of the time, the sheriff's department or the city police department is in charge of making arrests.

Under Kentucky's open records act, the agency must give the public access to the arrest record if there are no legal or safety reasons to keep it from them.

Kentucky Arrest Records primarily contain information regarding a person's custody, confinement, or arrest. It may also include the following information for the public:

• Arrestee's personal information (name, date of birth, gender, race)
• Physical identifiers (hair colors, skin tone, etc.)
• Details of the alleged offense (a felony, misdemeanor, or any other offense)
• The arrest location and date
• The arresting facility address
• The case status

The Kentucky state courts make accessible to interested parties the state's official criminal records. The court clerk is the official curator of these records. In Kentucky, there are three methods to get criminal records. These include requests made online, in person, and via mail. Online case searches are the quickest of the three options.

The Kentucky Court of Justice has an online portal that people can use to ask for criminal records. This portal allows for name-based and public records reporting.

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) offers criminal records reports to people, businesses, licensing organizations, government institutions, and others for $25.

You can also visit the AOC during office hours to request this record for the same fee ($25). Most in-person requestors get their criminal records on the same day.

For those who prefer mail, you must fill out the appropriate form to request a criminal record and settle the payment. Then, you must enclose the application package in a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope and mails it to the AOC. Most of the time, it takes ten working days to process the mail request.