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.
Wells County, Indiana, has about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). An OWI arrest in Wells County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Wells 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: Wells County public records, Wells County arrest records, Wells County warrants, Wells County inmate search, Wells 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 Wells County
The Wells County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Bluffton and Ossian make the OWI arrests in Wells County.
Together, the two agencies in Wells County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 588 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Wells County does not break OWI out.
The Markle Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Wells County, so its arrests are not broken out for Wells County here.
Booking After an OWI Arrest in Wells 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 Wells County Sheriff's Office, held about 77 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at wellscounty.org/sheriffs-office, phone (260) 824-3426. The Wells County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
An OWI charge from Wells County is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Wells Circuit and Superior Courts.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at wellscounty.org/prosecutor, phone (260) 824-4102.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/wells-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 Wells 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: Wells County arrest records, Wells County police reports and Wells County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OWI limit in Indiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is an OWI case from Wells County heard?
In the Wells Circuit and Superior Courts, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at in.gov/courts/local/wells-county.
Where is a person arrested for OWI in Wells County held?
At the county jail, run by the Wells 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 Wells 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.