LaSalle Parish Criminal Court Records

LaSalle Parish criminal court records are filed and maintained through the 28th Judicial District Court in Jena, where the Clerk of Court keeps all case files, indices, and certified copies for this parish. Online index searches are available through eClerks LA at no cost, while full documents and certified copies require a direct request to the Jena courthouse. This guide covers how to find and request LaSalle Parish criminal court records, what types of records exist, and what state and federal tools are available for broader searches.

The 28th Judicial District Court in LaSalle Parish

The 28th Judicial District Court serves LaSalle Parish only. All criminal cases filed in LaSalle Parish go through this court in Jena. The Clerk of Court handles all filings, case access, and copy requests for the parish. If you need LaSalle Parish criminal court records, the Jena courthouse is the right place to direct both in-person visits and mail requests.

LaSalle is one of Louisiana's smaller parishes by population, with around 14,000 residents. The 28th JDC serves the parish on its own, which simplifies the process compared to multi-parish districts. There is one clerk's office and one courthouse for all district-level criminal cases. If you know an offense occurred in LaSalle Parish, the Jena courthouse is the right contact every time.

Appeals from the 28th JDC go to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers south-central Louisiana parishes. If a criminal case from LaSalle Parish was appealed after trial, those records are separate from the trial-level files held by the LaSalle Parish Clerk. The 3rd Circuit maintains its own docket and is not part of the parish clerk's system.

Under La. R.S. 44:32(A), the clerk must make records available to any adult who asks. You do not need to be a party to the case or give a reason for your request. Most adult criminal court records in LaSalle Parish are public. Juvenile records are sealed and cannot be accessed through any public tool. Expunged records are removed from public access once the court grants the petition.

How to Search LaSalle Parish Criminal Court Records Online

LaSalle Parish criminal court records are available online through the eClerks LA statewide portal. This tool covers all 64 Louisiana parishes including LaSalle and provides free index-level searches without an account. You can look up cases by name or case number and get key case details including charge descriptions, filing dates, and dispositions. This is a fast way to confirm whether a criminal case was filed in LaSalle Parish before requesting copies from the courthouse.

The eClerks LA portal provides free statewide index access to LaSalle Parish criminal records and lets you check case status without visiting the Jena courthouse.

eClerks LA is an index tool. It shows that a record exists and gives you key case metadata, but it does not provide the full case file. For document images and certified copies, you need to contact the Jena courthouse directly. The portal also offers case monitoring alerts, which let you track active cases and receive updates without checking back manually each time a new entry is filed.

For document-level access, a subscription to eClerks LA gives you more functionality than the free search tier. If you only need to find a case number before requesting copies by mail, the free search is usually enough to get started. Note that very old records may not be digitized and would require an in-person visit to the Jena courthouse regardless of which online tool you use.

In-Person and Mail Requests

The LaSalle Parish Courthouse is in Jena, the parish seat. The Clerk of Court office handles all in-person record requests during standard business hours, Monday through Friday. Go to the clerk's office and bring the full name of the person whose records you need and any case number you have. A date range or approximate filing year helps staff narrow down older records. Staff can confirm the copy fee and pull the file while you wait, depending on availability and office volume that day.

For mail requests, write to the LaSalle Parish Clerk of Court in Jena. Include a check or money order for estimated copy fees and note the case name and approximate filing date. Call the clerk's office before sending to confirm the mailing address and the current fee schedule. Copy fees follow standard Louisiana clerk rates. Uncertified copies are typically $1 per page. Certified copies carry the clerk's seal and include a per-document certification fee. Allow at least one to two weeks for mail requests, as processing time depends on office workload and the number of documents requested.

LaSalle is a small parish, and the clerk's office is staffed accordingly. Calling ahead before a visit or mail request is always a good idea, especially for older cases that may require extra retrieval time from paper records stored off-system.

Types of Criminal Court Records in LaSalle Parish

Criminal court records from the 28th JDC include a full range of document types generated from felony and misdemeanor cases filed in LaSalle Parish. These include charging instruments, grand jury indictments, bills of information, arraignment records, plea agreements, trial transcripts, jury verdicts, sentencing orders, and post-conviction filings. Probation and parole information may appear in some case files, though active supervision records are held by state agencies rather than the clerk's office. Arrest data that did not result in a formal court filing is typically held by the LaSalle Parish Sheriff, not the clerk.

Under La. R.S. 44:36, felony conviction records are kept permanently. Misdemeanor records must be retained for at least 10 years. Traffic offense records are kept for a minimum of 3 years. These retention rules apply statewide, including in LaSalle Parish. For cases from many years back, call the clerk's office first to confirm what is available and whether older records have been digitized or remain in paper-only format before making the trip to Jena.

State-Level and Federal Criminal Record Resources

State-level tools can fill gaps that the LaSalle Parish clerk's records do not cover.

The Louisiana State Police maintains the state's central criminal record repository. Their background check portal costs $31 and returns an official statewide compiled record. Louisiana is a closed record state under La. R.S. 15:587, meaning the check covers convictions only, not arrests that did not lead to a conviction. It is commonly required for employment and licensing and covers all 64 parishes including LaSalle.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections Offender Search is free and covers current and former DOC-supervised individuals, including those from LaSalle Parish who received a state prison sentence. The Louisiana Sex Offender Registry, maintained by Louisiana State Police, is also free and searchable by name, address, or zip code. LaSalle Parish registrants appear alongside those from other parishes.

For federal cases, LaSalle Parish falls under the Western District of Louisiana. Federal court records are available through PACER at $0.10 per page after a quarterly usage threshold. Federal charges are filed and maintained separately from state district court records and do not appear in the LaSalle Parish clerk's system.

Expungement of Criminal Records in LaSalle Parish

Expungement removes a criminal record from public view without fully erasing it. Louisiana expungement law is set out in La. C.Cr.P. Art. 971 and related articles. To file in LaSalle Parish, you petition the 28th Judicial District Court in Jena. The required agency fees are: $200 to the Clerk of Court, $250 to the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, $50 to the district attorney, and $50 to the sheriff. Total fees run $550 before any attorney costs. Some waivers may be available for indigent petitioners.

Not all records qualify. Non-violent first offenses after sentence completion are among the most common eligible cases. Arrests that did not result in a conviction may qualify on a shorter timeline. Before filing, confirm eligibility by calling the clerk's office or a local attorney. LaSalle Parish is a small community, and the clerk's office can often point you in the right direction for basic eligibility questions. Once the court grants an expungement, the record is removed from eClerks LA and other public tools. Law enforcement agencies retain access under conditions defined by state law. The Louisiana Supreme Court self-help page has forms and step-by-step guidance for those handling the process without an attorney.

Cities in LaSalle Parish

Jena is the parish seat and the largest community in LaSalle Parish. No cities in LaSalle Parish meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. For criminal court records, all cases filed in LaSalle Parish go through the Clerk of Court in Jena. Other communities in the parish, including Olla and Tullos, do not have individual pages here. All residents and parties with cases in LaSalle Parish direct their record requests to the Jena courthouse.

Nearby Parishes

LaSalle Parish borders several other parishes in central Louisiana. Records from those parishes are handled by their own clerks and may fall under different judicial districts.