Search Lake County cases in Indiana MyCase first
For most public criminal-case research in Lake County, the fastest starting point is Indiana MyCase. The statewide Judicial Branch system can show public Lake County case information, charges, hearings, chronological docket entries, case status, financial entries and certain court orders. When you need a document that is not available online, an older file, or a certified copy, move from MyCase to the Clerk of the Lake Circuit/Superior Court.
Do not mix the court file with the arrest or background-check record
Lake County criminal information can exist in several government systems at the same time. Choosing the wrong system is one of the main reasons a search appears incomplete.
Criminal court case
Charges filed in court, hearings, motions, docket events, dispositions, sentencing entries and certain public court orders.
Arrest / local record
Sheriff’s offense reports, local record checks, warrant information and other Sheriff-maintained records.
Limited Criminal History
A separate statewide Indiana name-and-date-of-birth criminal-history product.
Current custody
Booking and custody questions belong with the Sheriff’s Corrections Division rather than the court clerk.
State incarceration
Use the Department of Correction locator when a sentenced person has entered state custody.
Federal prosecution
Lake County federal cases use the Northern District of Indiana and PACER, not Indiana MyCase.
How to search Lake County criminal cases on MyCase
The Indiana Judicial Branch’s MyCase system is the main online public case-search tool for Lake County.
Public users can search non-confidential cases without creating an account. Many Lake County courts use Indiana’s Odyssey case-management system, so their public case information is available through the statewide portal.
Open Indiana MyCase Read official MyCase helpChoose Party when you know the defendant’s name
MyCase allows a party search using a last name plus additional identifying information such as first name, middle name or date of birth.
Choose Case when you know a case or citation number
A known case number is normally the most precise route. MyCase also supports citation and cross-reference number searches.
Narrow the court to Lake County
Lake County has Superior Court criminal divisions, county divisions and several city or town courts. Limiting the court or county reduces unrelated Indiana results.
Filter toward criminal and citation cases
Look for criminal case types such as misdemeanor, felony or murder rather than opening unrelated civil, family or probate cases.
Open the chronological case summary
Review filing events, hearings, motions, warrant activity, pleas, disposition, sentencing and later post-judgment entries.
Move to the Clerk when a document is unavailable
MyCase does not publish every public criminal document online. A document can be publicly inspectable at the Clerk even when it cannot be downloaded remotely.
Use the right MyCase search fields
Indiana’s current MyCase guidance distinguishes a case-number search from a party-name search. Understanding that difference saves time when a common name returns too many results.
| Search field | How to use it | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Enter the court case identifier. | Hyphens and leading zeroes are not required. |
| Citation number | Use when a citation is known. | Useful for certain traffic or lower-level matters. |
| Cross-reference number | Use the reference number when one has been provided. | Do not combine it with the case-number field. |
| Last name | Primary party-name field. | Add another identifier for a meaningful person search. |
| First / middle name | Narrows same-name defendants. | Especially useful for common surnames. |
| Date of birth | Can narrow party searches. | DOB can be used to search but is not publicly displayed in case details. |
| Court | Select Lake County or a specific Lake court. | Useful when multiple courts return similar names. |
Criminal case codes can tell you what type of case you found
Indiana uses standardized case-type codes. These codes are especially helpful when a person has several Lake County cases.
Criminal misdemeanor
Used for misdemeanor criminal cases.
Felony levels
Indiana Level 1 through Level 6 felony case types.
Murder
Used for murder case filings.
Miscellaneous criminal
Criminal matters that use the miscellaneous-criminal case type.
Post-conviction
Post-conviction proceedings after the underlying criminal case.
Expungement petition
Special access rules apply depending on whether the petition is pending or granted.
Older felony code
Criminal felony cases filed under older Indiana case-number systems may use CF.
Pre-2014 felony classes
Older cases can use Indiana’s former Class A through Class D felony system.
Read the docket from filing through final disposition
The chronological case summary is often more useful than the first charge listed on the screen. It lets you follow what actually happened after the prosecutor filed the case.
| Docket item | What it can show | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Charge | Offense alleged by the State. | Whether it remained active, was amended or dismissed. |
| Initial hearing | Early court appearance and procedural orders. | Counsel, bond and next hearing date. |
| Warrant entry | Possible warrant-related court activity. | Confirm current warrant status with the responsible court or Sheriff. |
| Plea | How the defendant responds to a count. | The later disposition, not just the original plea. |
| Disposition | Outcome of an individual count. | Guilty, dismissed, not guilty, amended or another result. |
| Sentencing | Jail, prison, probation, fines, restitution or other conditions. | Read the sentencing order where available. |
Why the case is online but most criminal documents are not
Indiana’s current public-access table makes an important distinction between case information and documents.
For ordinary public users, felony and misdemeanor case summaries can be searchable on MyCase, but online document access is much narrower.
| Case type | Public orders online | Other public documents online | Public access in person |
|---|---|---|---|
| CM — Misdemeanor | Sentencing orders only | No | Non-confidential orders and documents |
| F1–F6 — Felony | Sentencing orders only | No | Non-confidential orders and documents |
| MR — Murder | Sentencing orders only | No | Non-confidential orders and documents |
| PC — Post-conviction | Sentencing orders only | No | Non-confidential orders and documents |
| MC — Miscellaneous criminal | Non-confidential orders | No | Non-confidential orders and documents |
Lake County has several criminal court paths
Lake County does not operate as one single criminal courtroom. Indiana’s court numbering system lists four Lake Superior Court Criminal Divisions, along with county divisions and several city and town courts.
Criminal Divisions 1–4
Serious criminal cases are handled through the Superior Court’s criminal-division structure.
Lower-level criminal matters
County divisions can handle misdemeanor and Level 6 felony matters according to local jurisdiction and assignment rules.
Local cases
Certain misdemeanors, infractions and ordinance matters can be filed in a city or town court.
Current Odyssey/MyCase coverage includes Lake Superior Court criminal divisions as well as active city and town courts such as Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Hobart, Lake Station, Merrillville, Schererville and Lowell.
Official county court information: Lake County Courts.
Use the Lake County Clerk for the official court record
The Clerk of the Lake Circuit/Superior Court is the custodian of the Clerk’s record and seal, accepts court filings, enters judgments and orders, and makes certified copies.
Courts Building — Crown Point
Courts Building, 1st Floor2293 N. Main Street
Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone:
(219) 755-3460
Fax: (219) 755-3520
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Make the request specific
Have the defendant’s name, exact case number, court/division and the name or date of the document you need whenever possible.
Use the Clerk when you need:
- certified criminal-case documents
- documents MyCase does not display online
- older records with limited electronic availability
- official judgment or sentencing records
- a non-confidential filing for formal use
- help identifying the branch or division holding a record
Lake County Clerk has several locations
The main Crown Point office is the logical starting point for most criminal court-record questions, but Lake County also publishes branch contacts in Hammond, East Chicago, Gary and the Juvenile Justice Complex.
| Location | Address | Phone | Useful note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Point | 2293 N. Main Street, Courts Building, 1st Floor, Crown Point, IN 46307 | (219) 755-3460 | Main Clerk location and best starting point for county criminal-record questions. |
| Hammond | 232 Russell Street, Hammond, IN 46320 | (219) 933-2857 | Useful for records connected with the Hammond branch or older locally stored matters. |
| East Chicago | 3711 Main Street, East Chicago, IN 46312 | (219) 398-2442 | Call before traveling to confirm the record is maintained there. |
| Gary | 400 Broadway / 15 West 4th Avenue, Gary, IN 46402 | (219) 881-6065 | Branch access for applicable Gary-area files and court business. |
Map of the main Lake County Courts Building
The Clerk’s primary Crown Point office and major county court operations are located at the Lake County Government Center/Courts campus. Confirm the correct division before an in-person visit.
Sheriff records are separate from the criminal court docket
The Lake County Sheriff’s Bureau of Identification (B of I) is the Sheriff’s records office. It maintains Sheriff’s criminal records, offense reports, accident reports and related local records.
Bureau of Identification
Address: 2293 N. Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: (219) 755-3316
Fax: (219) 755-3323
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
| Service | Current Sheriff fee | Useful detail |
|---|---|---|
| Local record check | $7 | Record-check service hours are currently 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. on business days. |
| Offense report | $4 | For Sheriff’s offense-report copies subject to release rules. |
| Accident report | $15 | The Sheriff advises allowing up to 72 hours for completion. |
A person seeking a Sheriff’s record check on themselves must present valid driver’s-license or state-identification documentation.
The Sheriff’s current instructions for mailed local record requests require a copy of valid identification, a copy of the subject’s Social Security card and a notarized signed release from the person named in the record-check request.
Sheriff’s Bureau of IdentificationFor current jail custody, contact the Sheriff’s Corrections Division
The Lake County Jail is operated by the Sheriff’s Department. A jail or booking record answers a different question from the criminal court docket: it concerns custody, intake and release rather than the final legal outcome of the case.
Use the Sheriff’s Warrant Division for current warrant questions
The Lake County Sheriff’s Warrant Division maintains active misdemeanor and felony warrant information in law-enforcement systems and responds to public inquiries concerning possible outstanding warrants.
The Sheriff also provides an Active Warrants search from its official website.
Lake County Active WarrantsUse Indiana State Police for a statewide Limited Criminal History
Indiana State Police operates a separate Limited Criminal History service.
The current ISP description says a Limited Criminal History is an Indiana-only name-and-date-of-birth search. It contains qualifying felony and misdemeanor arrest information and does not include criminal-history information from other states.
What ISP says the report can contain
- misdemeanor and felony arrest information
- names and aliases associated with the record
- arrest dates
- charges
- court dispositions when reported
- Indiana records only
ISP notes that records have been maintained from approximately the mid-1930s to the present, but completeness depends on county participation and reporting.
Current online fee
The live ISP service currently lists the Limited Criminal History online charge at $15 for subscribers and a separate credit-card amount shown by the service for non-subscriber payment. Confirm the amount displayed on the live request screen before paying.
Use IDOC when the person has moved into state custody
After a Lake County conviction results in commitment to the Indiana Department of Correction, the court case remains in MyCase but current correctional-location questions belong with IDOC.
Indiana provides an official Incarcerated Locator.
Search Indiana DOCExpungement can change what appears in public search results
Indiana’s expungement law is primarily contained in Indiana Code 35-38-9. Different sections apply depending on whether the matter was an arrest without conviction or resulted in a conviction.
Indiana Judicial Branch guidance updated in 2026 explains that qualifying arrest or charge records can be expunged in circumstances specified by statute, while conviction expungement depends on the type of conviction and applicable statutory requirements.
Expungement petition cases use the Indiana case code XP. Pending or denied petitions have different public-access treatment from granted relief.
Indiana Judicial Branch Expungement ResourcesJuvenile and sealed matters are not ordinary public criminal searches
Indiana’s current public court-document table shows juvenile delinquency records as unavailable to ordinary members of the public through MyCase and through ordinary public in-person access.
Other records can also be excluded from public access because of Indiana court rules, state law, federal law or a specific sealing order.
Official access guidance: Indiana Public Access to Court Documents.
Federal cases from Lake County are not in MyCase
Lake County is served by the Hammond Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
U.S. District Court — Hammond Division
5400 Federal PlazaSuite 2300
Hammond, IN 46320
Clerk’s Office:
(219) 852-6500
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Central Time
Federal criminal dockets are searched through PACER, not through Indiana MyCase.
Search federal court cases Hammond DivisionLocal search tips that make Lake County records easier to find
Start county-wide
Lake County has criminal, county, city and town court paths. Begin with a Lake-wide MyCase search.
Add date of birth
DOB can narrow a MyCase party search even though the birth date is not displayed publicly.
Save the case number
Once the correct case is identified, stop repeating name searches and use the exact case number.
No document button?
Felony and misdemeanor online document access is limited. Call the Clerk before concluding a filing is unavailable.
Read every count
One count can be dismissed while another produces a conviction or sentence.
Recent arrest?
Contact jail booking or Sheriff’s records first if the court case has not yet been easy to identify.
Current warrant?
Confirm it with the Sheriff’s Warrant Division rather than relying on an old docket event.
State background check?
Switch from MyCase to Indiana State Police when the request is specifically for Limited Criminal History.
Federal charge?
Search PACER and the Hammond Division; federal cases do not appear as Lake County MyCase prosecutions.
Using these records for employment, housing or another screening decision
A public MyCase search, Sheriff’s record check and Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History are different products with different scopes.
Employment, housing, credit, insurance and other eligibility decisions can also involve the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and state or local requirements, particularly when a consumer-reporting company supplies the background report.
Questions people commonly have before searching Lake County records
1. Where do I search Lake County, Indiana criminal court cases online?
Use Indiana MyCase. It provides public non-confidential case information for Lake County courts using the state’s Odyssey case-management system. Search by party, case number, citation number or other supported identifiers.
2. Is MyCase free?
Yes. Public MyCase searching and access to documents that Indiana makes remotely available are provided without an ordinary case-search charge.
3. Can I search Lake County criminal cases by name?
Yes. Use the Party search. Indiana’s search guidance allows a last name combined with at least a first name, middle name or date of birth to narrow the search.
4. Why can I see the case but not the criminal documents?
Indiana’s remote-document rules are narrower than its case-index access. For felony and misdemeanor cases, ordinary public users generally receive sentencing orders online while other non-confidential documents may require an in-person or Clerk request.
5. Where do I obtain a certified Lake County criminal court record?
Contact the Clerk of the Lake Circuit/Superior Court. The main office is at 2293 N. Main Street, Courts Building, 1st Floor, Crown Point, Indiana 46307.
6. Does the Lake County Sheriff provide local criminal-record checks?
Yes. The Sheriff’s Bureau of Identification currently lists local record checks at $7. The Sheriff’s local check is separate from the Indiana State Police statewide Limited Criminal History.
7. How do I check a Lake County warrant?
Use the Lake County Sheriff’s Warrant Division and official Active Warrants service. The division maintains misdemeanor and felony warrant information and responds to public inquiries.
8. How do I obtain a statewide Indiana criminal-history search?
Use the Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History service. It is a name-and-date-of-birth search of qualifying Indiana records and does not include criminal histories from other states.
9. Can an expunged Lake County case disappear from MyCase?
Yes. Indiana’s MyCase guidance explains that sealed, confidential and expunged cases are not ordinary publicly searchable cases. Expungement eligibility and effect depend on Indiana law and the particular court order.
10. Where do I search a federal criminal case from Lake County?
Lake County is within the Hammond Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. Search the federal docket through PACER rather than Indiana MyCase.
Official sources for verifying Lake County criminal-record information
- Indiana Judicial Branch — MyCase
- Indiana Judicial Branch — Searching MyCase
- Indiana Judicial Branch — MyCase Search Tips
- Indiana Judicial Branch — Public Access to Court Documents
- Indiana Judicial Branch — Lake County
- Lake County — Clerk of the Lake Circuit/Superior Court
- Lake County Courts
- Lake County Sheriff — Bureau of Identification
- Lake County Sheriff — Warrants
- Lake County Sheriff — Contact and Jail Numbers
- Indiana State Police — Limited Criminal History
- Indiana Department of Correction — Incarcerated Locator
- U.S. District Court — Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search