Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
O'Brien County, Iowa, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in O'Brien County is held at the county jail, run by the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: O'Brien County public records, O'Brien County arrest records, O'Brien County warrants, O'Brien County criminal records, O'Brien County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in O'Brien County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in O'Brien County is held at the county jail, run by the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office at obriencountysheriff.com (page title: O'Brien County Sheriff), phone (712) 757-3415, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at (712) 757-3415.
The O'Brien County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2020 the jail held about 34 people, up from about 34 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 34 beds, and it ran at 100 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
O'Brien County has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 24 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the O'Brien County Jail
The O'Brien County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Sheldon make the arrests that end in a booking in O'Brien County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Sheldon's 177 for 2025 and the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office's 151 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in O'Brien County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 328 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in O'Brien County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Iowa Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in O'Brien County?
Ask the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office at (712) 757-3415; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at obriencountysheriff.com.
How many people are in the O'Brien County jail?
About 34 on an average day in 2020, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 34 beds.
What is the phone number for the O'Brien County jail?
(712) 757-3415, the number on the page of the O'Brien County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in O'Brien County go?
To a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Is this the official O'Brien County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.