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 4, 2026.
Brown County, Indiana, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Brown County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Brown 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: Brown County public records, Brown County arrest records, Brown County warrants, Brown County inmate search, Brown 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 Brown County
The Brown County Sheriff's Office makes the OWI arrests in Brown County.
The Brown County Sheriff's Office reported 89 arrests to the FBI for 2025, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Brown County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Brown 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 Brown County Sheriff's Office, held about 43 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at browncounty-in.gov/237/Jail, phone 877-998-5678. The Brown County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OWI charge from Brown County is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Brown Circuit and Superior Courts.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at browncounty-in.gov/170/Prosecutor, phone 812-988-5470.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/brown-county.
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 Brown 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: Brown County arrest records, Brown County police reports and Brown County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Indiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Brown County heard?
In the Brown Circuit and Superior Courts, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/brown-county.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Brown County held?
At the county jail, run by the Brown 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 Brown 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.