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.
De Soto Parish, Louisiana, has about 27,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in De Soto Parish 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: De Soto Parish public records, De Soto Parish arrest records, De Soto Parish warrants, De Soto Parish inmate search, De Soto Parish 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 De Soto Parish
The De Soto Parish Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Mansfield make the DWI arrests in De Soto Parish.
Together, the two agencies in De Soto Parish with all twelve months of 2019 on file reported 793 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for De Soto Parish does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in De Soto Parish
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the parish jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the De Soto Parish Sheriff's Office, held about 110 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at dpso.org/inmateRoster. The De Soto Parish inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from De Soto Parish is brought by the District Attorney in the District Court.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at search.desotoparishclerk.org.
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: De Soto Parish arrest records, De Soto Parish police reports and De Soto Parish court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Louisiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from De Soto Parish heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at search.desotoparishclerk.org.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in De Soto Parish held?
At the parish jail, run by the De Soto 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 De Soto Parish website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official parish, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.