St. Clair County Recent Bookings

St. Clair County recent bookings are handled at the county jail on Michigan Road in Port Huron. This county sits on the Canadian border along the St. Clair River and Lake Huron, with about 160,000 residents. The Sheriff's Office manages all jail operations and booking records. While there is no live online inmate search, you can call the jail, use VINELink, or submit a FOIA request to get booking details. The county's border location adds a unique element to its arrest and booking activity.

St. Clair County Jail and Sheriff

The St. Clair County jail is at 1170 Michigan Road in Port Huron. The phone number is 810-987-1704. The St. Clair County Sheriff's website has general information about the office and services offered.

Port Huron is where the Blue Water Bridge connects Michigan to Ontario, Canada. This border crossing brings a mix of traffic and law enforcement activity that other Michigan counties do not deal with. Federal agencies, including Customs and Border Protection, operate in the area. While federal arrests go through a different system, local arrests by St. Clair County deputies or Port Huron police all end up at the county jail.

The jail serves the entire county, including Port Huron, Marysville, St. Clair, Marine City, and the surrounding townships. All local police agencies bring their arrestees to this one facility for booking. The county processes a significant number of bookings given its population of 160,000.

The St. Clair County Sheriff provides information about their corrections division on the county website. The page shown below gives details on jail services and contact information.

Finding St. Clair County Booking Records

Call the jail at 810-987-1704 to check on someone who may have been booked. Staff can confirm custody status, charges, and bond information. Have the person's full name and date of birth ready when you call.

VINELink covers St. Clair County. Search by name to see if someone is in custody. You can also register for free alerts when an inmate's status changes. This is the closest thing to an online search tool that St. Clair County offers for current jail inmates.

For conviction records, the ICHAT system costs $10 per search and covers all 83 Michigan counties. It shows felonies and serious misdemeanors. ICHAT does not include current bookings or pending charges. The free MDOC OTIS tool tracks state prison inmates. If someone from St. Clair County was sentenced to more than a year, they may be in OTIS.

St. Clair County Public Records Requests

Michigan's FOIA law (MCL 15.231 et seq.) gives you the right to request booking records from the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office. Send a written request to 1170 Michigan Road, Port Huron, MI 48060. The office must respond within five business days.

Booking records are public documents in Michigan. They include the person's name, date of birth, charges, arrest date, mugshot, and bond information. The Patterson v. Allegan County Sheriff case confirmed that booking photos must be released under FOIA. Exemptions in MCL 15.243 cover medical records, juvenile information, active investigations, and data that could threaten jail security.

Copy fees run $0.07 to $0.25 per page. Staff time is billed at an hourly rate in 15-minute blocks. If the estimate exceeds $50, a deposit may be needed. Low-income individuals can use an Affidavit of Indigency to waive the first $20 in FOIA costs.

Note: St. Clair County does not publish an online inmate roster. FOIA and phone calls are the primary ways to get detailed booking records.

St. Clair County Booking Procedures

When someone is arrested in St. Clair County, they go to the jail on Michigan Road for intake. Staff take a booking photo, collect personal information, and log the charges. A booking number is assigned. Most people see a judge within 24 to 48 hours for arraignment, where bond is set.

The booking record includes the person's name, date of birth, address, charges, bond amount, and the arresting agency. Mugshots taken during intake are public records in Michigan. The county processes bookings from Port Huron police, Marysville police, Marine City police, and the sheriff's own deputies. All of these go through the same intake process at the county jail.

Video visitation is available for inmates in St. Clair County. Both onsite and remote options let families stay in touch. The jail has also moved toward digital mail systems to reduce contraband. Check with the jail for current policies on visiting and mail before making plans.

Michigan Law and St. Clair County

Under MCL 28.241, all St. Clair County law enforcement must report arrest data to the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center. This ensures booking records reach the statewide system. The Statewide Records Management System helps agencies share data across the state.

The Michigan Sex Offender Registry covers St. Clair County and is free to search. Look up offenders by name, county, or zip code. Michigan's Clean Slate law allows automatic expungement of certain misdemeanors after seven years and some felonies after ten years. This may affect what appears in criminal history searches for St. Clair County residents.

MCL 750.491 covers records retention. The sheriff's office must keep booking records for a set period. Historical records from years ago are still available through FOIA. MCL 600.880 addresses court records access separately. If you need court case files rather than jail booking records, contact the St. Clair County courthouse.

Nearby Counties

St. Clair County is in the Thumb region of Michigan. These nearby counties may hold inmates from the area.