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 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Adams County, Indiana, has about 37,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Adams County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Adams Circuit and Superior Courts and a license case before the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and leaves three records. This guide follows the arrest from the roadside to the court file and the driving record.
This guide covers the law, the arrest, booking, the court case, the license case, the records and common questions.
Related guides: Adams County public records, Adams County arrest records, Adams County warrants, Adams County inmate search, Adams County criminal records, Indiana arrest records and Indiana inmate search.
The OWI Law in Indiana
Drunk driving is charged as OWI in Indiana, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Indiana is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect OWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes OWI Arrests in Adams County
The Adams County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Decatur and Berne make the OWI arrests in Adams County.
Together, the three agencies in Adams County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 231 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Adams County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Adams County
A driver arrested for OWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Adams County Sheriff's Office, held about 99 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at adamscosheriff.net/portal/Jail?hours=24. The Adams County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The Prosecuting Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Adams Circuit and Superior Courts.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.adams.in.us/184/Prosecutors-Office, phone 260-724-5338.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.adams.in.us/187/Superior-Court, phone 260-724-5347.
Statewide, mycase.IN.gov is the Indiana courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
An OWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
The Records an OWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Adams Circuit and Superior Courts, kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court.
- The driving record: from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Adams County arrest records, Adams County police reports and Adams County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Indiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Adams County heard?
In the Adams Circuit and Superior Courts, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.adams.in.us/187/Superior-Court.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Adams County held?
At the county jail, run by the Adams County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after an OWI arrest in Indiana?
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Adams 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.