Caldwell Parish Criminal Court Records

Caldwell Parish criminal court records are filed and kept through the 37th Judicial District Court in Columbia. If you need to look up a criminal case, check charges, or request copies of court documents for someone in Caldwell Parish, this page covers your options for searching online and getting records in person or by mail.

The 37th Judicial District Court

The 37th Judicial District Court serves Caldwell Parish exclusively. All criminal cases in the parish go through this district, with the courthouse in Columbia. The Caldwell Parish Clerk of Court is Cherie Lott. The clerk's office is at 201 Main Street Suite 1, Columbia, LA 71418 (P.O. Box 1327). You can reach the office by phone at (318) 649-2272. The clerk's website is at caldwellclerk.org. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Cases from the 37th JDC can be appealed to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers north Louisiana. If a case went through an appeal, those records are held by the 2nd Circuit separately from the district court file in Columbia. The 2nd Circuit maintains its own docket and case records independent of the parish clerk's office.

La. R.S. 44:1 gives the public the right to access government records, and criminal court records are covered under that right. La. R.S. 44:32(A) requires the clerk to make records available to any adult who makes a request. You do not need to show a reason or be a party to the case. The Caldwell Parish Clerk's office holds records from the early 1900s, and electronic filing is now available for cases going through the 37th JDC.

How to Search Caldwell Parish Criminal Court Records Online

Caldwell Parish has several online options for searching criminal court records. The clerk's own website at caldwellclerk.org is the most direct starting point for Caldwell-specific records, and is shown below.

The clerk's website provides direct access to Caldwell Parish court record indexes. Check here first for the most current and complete view of cases filed in the 37th JDC.

The clerk's online portal is shown below and provides additional search options for Caldwell Parish records.

The online portal allows name and case number searches. Results show case status, charge information, and filing dates. Certified copies or full case documents must be requested from the clerk's office directly.

Clerk Connect is another statewide portal that covers Caldwell Parish. The Clerk Connect portal is shown below.

Clerk Connect gives you index-level access to cases filed in Caldwell Parish. It is a good option when you are searching across multiple parishes at once. The eClerks LA statewide portal is also available, as shown below, and provides free access to adult criminal records across all 64 Louisiana parishes including Caldwell.

eClerks LA is free for basic name searches and requires no account to run a lookup. Use it for case status and charge information before deciding whether to request full documents from the clerk's office. Juvenile records are sealed by Louisiana law and are not accessible through any of these public portals.

In-Person and Mail Requests

To get records in person, go to the Caldwell Parish Courthouse at 201 Main Street Suite 1 in Columbia. The Clerk of Court's office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Bring the full name of the person you are searching for and a case number if available. Staff can also search by name and date range. The clerk's office handles requests for docket sheets, case files, certified copies, and plain copies of criminal court documents.

Copy fees follow standard Louisiana clerk rates. Uncertified copies typically cost $1 per page. Certified copies carry an additional fee and include the clerk's seal, which is required for some legal purposes. For mail requests, write to the Caldwell Parish Clerk of Court at P.O. Box 1327, Columbia, LA 71418, and include a check or money order for the estimated fees. Clearly identify the name and case details in your letter. Call (318) 649-2272 before mailing to confirm the current fee schedule. The Caldwell Parish Sheriff's Office at (318) 649-2345 handles arrest records that did not result in court charges.

Types of Criminal Court Records Available

The 37th JDC clerk's office holds criminal court records from the early 1900s through current filings. These include charging documents such as bills of information and grand jury indictments, arraignment records, plea agreements, trial transcripts, verdicts, and sentencing orders. Bond documents, probation conditions, and motion filings are also part of most case files. Electronic filing is now in use for current cases, which means more recent records tend to be more accessible through the online portals than older paper files.

Under La. R.S. 44:36, felony conviction records are retained permanently. Misdemeanor records must be kept for at least 10 years. Traffic violation records are held for a minimum of 3 years. Very old records from the early 1900s may exist only in paper form and may not appear in the digital index. If you are looking for a historical case, call the clerk's office first to confirm what is available before making the trip to Columbia.

State-Level Criminal Record Resources

Several state-level tools provide broader criminal record access beyond what the parish court holds.

The Louisiana State Police holds the state's central criminal record repository under La. R.S. 15:578. Their background check service at LSP's background check portal costs $31 and covers conviction records from all 64 parishes including Caldwell. Louisiana is a closed record state under La. R.S. 15:587, so arrests not resulting in conviction are not included in this official check.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections offers a free DOC Offender Search covering current and former state-supervised offenders from Caldwell Parish and statewide. The Louisiana Sex Offender Registry is free and searchable by name or geographic area. For federal criminal cases involving Caldwell Parish residents, use PACER. Caldwell Parish falls under the Western District of Louisiana for federal court purposes.

Expungement of Criminal Records in Caldwell Parish

Louisiana expungement is governed by La. C.Cr.P. Art. 971 and related statutes. An expungement removes a record from public access but does not permanently erase the underlying data from law enforcement systems. Police and prosecutors can still access expunged records under certain circumstances.

To begin the process in Caldwell Parish, you file a motion with the 37th Judicial District Court in Columbia. Required fees are: Clerk of Court $200, Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information $250, District Attorney $50, and Sheriff $50. Not all records qualify. First-time non-violent offenders who have completed their sentence generally have the best chance. Arrests that did not lead to conviction can often be expunged more quickly than conviction-based records.

Once an expungement is granted, the record is removed from public tools like Clerk Connect and eClerks LA. It will not appear in standard background checks available to private parties. If you are unsure whether your case qualifies, consult a local attorney before filing the petition. Errors in the filing can delay the process and require paying fees a second time.

Cities in Caldwell Parish

Columbia is the parish seat and main community in Caldwell Parish. Other small communities include Grayson and Clarks. None of the cities in Caldwell Parish meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All criminal court records for the parish are filed with the Caldwell Parish Clerk of Court in Columbia through the 37th Judicial District Court, regardless of which community a case originated from.

Nearby Parishes

Caldwell Parish borders several other north-central Louisiana parishes. Records from neighboring parishes are handled by their own clerks of court and may fall under different judicial districts.