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 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Pineville, Louisiana, in Rapides Parish, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Pineville starts two cases, a criminal case in the District Court and a license case before the Office 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: Pineville public records, Rapides Parish DWI, Pineville arrest records, Pineville warrants, Pineville inmate search, Pineville criminal records, Louisiana arrest records and Louisiana inmate search.
The DWI Law in Louisiana
Drunk driving is charged as DWI in Louisiana, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Louisiana is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Office of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Pineville
The Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Pineville (filed by the FBI as Pineville Police Department) make the DWI arrests in and around Pineville.
Together, the four agencies in Rapides Parish with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,333 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Rapides Parish does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Pineville
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the parish jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office, held about 990 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at t4c.nicic.gov/rapides-parish-sheriffs-office, phone 318-473-6700. The Pineville inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Pineville is brought by the District Attorney in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at rapidesda.org, phone 318.473.6650.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at rapidesclerk.org/rapid-e-search-online-access.
Louisiana has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Office of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Louisiana Public Records Law.
- The court file: from the District Court, kept by the Clerk of Court.
- The driving record: from the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Pineville arrest records, Pineville police reports and Pineville court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Louisiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Pineville heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at rapidesclerk.org/rapid-e-search-online-access.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Pineville held?
At the parish jail, run by the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in Louisiana?
The Office of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Pineville website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, parish, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.