Find Bent County Booking Reports

Bent County booking reports are held by the sheriff's office in Las Animas, the county seat along the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado. The county has a small population spread across a wide area of plains and farmland. Every arrest in Bent County results in a booking report created at the county jail. These records are public under Colorado law. Below you will find details on how to get them, which tools can help you search, and what the process looks like for formal records requests.

Bent County Sheriff Booking Data

All bookings in Bent County go through the sheriff's office. When someone is arrested by any law enforcement officer in the county, they end up at the Bent County jail for processing. The booking process includes fingerprinting, photographing, and entering all the arrest information into the records system. That booking report then becomes available to the public.

Call 719-456-1363 to reach the Bent County Sheriff's Office. You can ask about any person who has been booked at the jail. Give the staff a name and, if possible, a date of birth. They will check the system and let you know what they find. You can also visit the office in Las Animas during business hours to make your request face to face.

Bent County does not maintain an online inmate search portal. That is common for counties with smaller populations in Colorado. The phone call is the fastest way to check on current bookings if you cannot make the drive to Las Animas.

Note: If you are calling about someone who was arrested recently, the booking record may take a few hours to be fully entered into the system.

Statewide Search Tools for Bent County

Two statewide systems can help you find booking-related information for Bent County. The first is VINE. This free service lets you search for inmates across Colorado by name. If someone is currently held at the Bent County jail, VINE should show their custody status. You can sign up for notifications that alert you by phone, email, or text if the person is released or moved. VINE is available every day, all day. The phone line is 1-888-263-8463.

The other option is the CBI Internet Criminal History Check. For $6.00 you can run a name-based search that pulls arrest data from all Colorado counties. Bent County records are included. Results show the arresting agency, the date, the charges, and what happened with the case. This is a good tool if you need to look at someone's full arrest history in the state, not just their most recent booking.

The CBI records check tool covers arrests from every county in Colorado, including Bent County.

You can access the CBI search from anywhere with an internet connection. Results are delivered right away after payment.

Bent County Booking Record Access Rights

The Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act spells out your rights when it comes to booking reports. Under C.R.S. 24-72-301, records of official actions like arrests are open for public inspection. You do not need to explain why you want the records. The Bent County Sheriff must respond within 3 working days. Extensions of up to 7 additional days are allowed for larger requests.

C.R.S. 24-72-302 defines what counts as arrest records information. It includes the name, date of birth, and address of the person arrested, plus the arresting agency, the date and place, and the charges. That is exactly what a Bent County booking report contains.

Bent County Records Request Fees

The fee structure for records requests is set by state law. The first hour of research and retrieval is free. After that, the Bent County Sheriff's Office may charge up to $33.58 per hour. Paper copies cost $0.25 per page. Most booking report requests are simple and can be handled within the free first hour. The $6.00 CBI search is a flat fee regardless of how many results come back.

You will need to sign a form saying you will not use the records for direct business solicitation for monetary gain. That is a state requirement. It applies to criminal justice records from every county in Colorado.

Booking Photos and Sealed Records

Booking photos taken at the Bent County jail are public records. You can request them through the sheriff's office. However, Colorado law puts limits on what you can do with them. Under C.R.S. 24-72-305.5, it is a misdemeanor to publish booking photos online and then charge a fee to remove them. The fine goes up to $1,000.

Some records get sealed over time. The CBI automatically seals arrest records when no charges are filed within a year, for arrests after January 1, 2022. Courts can also seal records on petition. Once sealed, those Bent County booking records are no longer available to the public through any search method. The sheriff cannot release them and they will not appear in a CBI check.

Note: If you believe a record exists but cannot find it, it may have been sealed. Contact the Bent County Sheriff for more details on what records are available.

Nearby Counties

Bent County is surrounded by several other rural counties in southeastern Colorado. The booking report is always held by the county where the arrest took place.