Arenac County Booking Records
Arenac County recent bookings are processed at the county jail in Standish, managed by Sheriff James Mosciski. This small east-central Michigan county has about 15,000 people and a jail rated for 46 beds. The average daily population sits around 54 inmates, which means the jail regularly runs above capacity. There is no online inmate search portal for Arenac County. You need to call the jail at 989-846-4561 or the Sheriff's Office at 989-846-3002 to find out who is currently in custody. Written FOIA requests are another path to getting detailed booking records from this county.
Arenac County Overview
Arenac County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff James Mosciski runs the Arenac County Sheriff's Office and jail at 126 N. Grove Street in Standish. The jail has 46 beds but usually holds more than that. An average daily population of about 54 means overcrowding is a regular issue here. The facility handles both pre-trial detainees and people serving short sentences.
Standish sits along I-75 in the eastern part of the state, roughly between Saginaw and Alpena. The county is mostly rural. The Sheriff's Office handles patrol, investigations, and jail operations with a small team. When someone gets arrested in Arenac County, they are booked at this facility. The booking creates a record with names, charges, bond info, and the arresting agency. These records are public under Michigan FOIA law.
The jail has a direct phone line at 989-846-4561. The Sheriff's Office main number is 989-846-3002. Call either line to ask about someone who may have been recently booked.
The Michigan State Police SRMS system helps law enforcement agencies share data across the state, including booking information from counties like Arenac.
| Office | Arenac County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 126 N. Grove Street PO Box 606 Standish, MI 48658 |
| Sheriff Phone | 989-846-3002 |
| Jail Phone | 989-846-4561 |
| Sheriff | James Mosciski |
Finding Arenac County Booking Info
There is no online inmate roster for Arenac County. The fastest way to check on someone is to call the jail at 989-846-4561. Give the person's full name and date of birth. Staff can confirm if the person is in custody, share the charges, and give bond details. You can call at any time since the jail runs around the clock.
For a broader search, VINELink at vinelink.com covers Michigan county jails. It is free. You search by name or ID and can register for status alerts. The Michigan State Police ICHAT system at apps.michigan.gov/ichat handles criminal history checks for $10 per search. It covers convictions from all 83 Michigan counties under MCL 28.241.
The MDOC OTIS portal at michigan.gov/corrections/offender-search is useful if someone from Arenac County was sentenced to state prison. OTIS shows current facility, sentence length, and projected release. It does not cover county jail inmates.
Arenac County Records Through FOIA
The Michigan Freedom of Information Act under MCL 15.231 gives you the right to request booking records from the Arenac County Sheriff. You can email your request to jmosciski@arenaccountygov.com or mail it to 126 N. Grove Street, PO Box 606, Standish, MI 48658. Be clear about what you need. Include names, dates, and the type of records you are after.
The county has 5 business days to respond. They can take an extra 10 days for complex requests. Copy fees are usually around $0.10 per page. Labor costs may apply for large searches. People who qualify as low-income can get the first $20 waived by filing an indigency affidavit. Booking records, including mugshots, are public under Michigan law. The court confirmed this in Patterson v. Allegan County Sheriff. Some records are exempt from release under MCL 15.243, including medical data, mental health info, and anything that could put facility security at risk.
If the Sheriff's Office denies your request, the denial must state which specific exemption applies. You have the right to appeal the decision. Appeals go to the head of the public body or you can file suit in circuit court within 180 days of the denial.
Note: The Arenac County Jail regularly exceeds its rated capacity of 46 beds, with an average daily population of about 54 inmates.
What Arenac County Bookings Contain
A booking record from Arenac County includes the person's full name, date of birth, physical description, and address. It lists the charges, bond amount, arresting agency, and the date and time of booking. Mugshots are taken during the booking process. All of this data is considered a public record under Michigan FOIA law.
Criminal convictions from Arenac County get reported to the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center under MCL 28.241. Felonies and misdemeanors carrying more than 93 days feed into the ICHAT database. Court records for cases that start with an Arenac County booking go through the 23rd Circuit Court and the 81st District Court. Both courts are open to public record requests under MCL 600.880. The Michigan Sex Offender Registry at michigan.gov is free to search and covers registered offenders in every Michigan county.
The fact that the Arenac County Jail runs above capacity most days is worth knowing if you are tracking someone. When the jail is full, inmates may be transferred to neighboring counties. Bay County and Iosco County are nearby and have larger facilities. If the person you are looking for was booked in Arenac County but is not showing up in the local jail, ask staff if they were moved. The 2022 Michigan Supreme Court ruling on the Calhoun County case also confirmed that jail records held for federal agencies remain subject to Michigan FOIA, which applies to Arenac County as well.
Nearby Counties
Arenac County borders several mid-Michigan counties. If you cannot find someone in the Arenac jail, check neighboring jurisdictions where they may have been held.