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 September 30, 2026.
LaPorte County, Indiana, has about 111,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in LaPorte County starts two cases, a criminal case in the LaPorte 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: LaPorte County public records, LaPorte County arrest records, LaPorte County warrants, LaPorte County inmate search, LaPorte 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 LaPorte County
The La Porte County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Michigan City, La Porte, Westville, Trail Creek, Kingsford Heights, Long Beach and one more cities make the OWI arrests in LaPorte County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in LaPorte County: the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (state agency); La Porte Metro Operations Drug Task Force (other agency).
Together, the four agencies in LaPorte County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,077 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for LaPorte County does not break OWI out.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in LaPorte 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 La Porte County Sheriff's Office, held about 350 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at laportecountysheriff.com/inmate-information, phone 219.362.6548. The LaPorte 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 LaPorte Circuit and Superior Courts.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at laporteco.in.gov, phone 219-326-6808.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/laporte-county.
Statewide, mycase.IN.gov is the Indiana courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
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 LaPorte 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: LaPorte County arrest records, LaPorte County police reports and LaPorte County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Indiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from LaPorte County heard?
In the LaPorte Circuit and Superior Courts, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/laporte-county.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in LaPorte County held?
At the county jail, run by the La Porte 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 LaPorte 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.