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.
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, has about 158,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Ouachita 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: Ouachita Parish public records, Ouachita Parish arrest records, Ouachita Parish warrants, Ouachita Parish inmate search, Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish
The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Monroe, West Monroe and Sterlington make the DWI arrests in Ouachita Parish.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Ouachita Parish: the University of Louisiana at Monroe (campus police); the Tensas Basin Levee District (state agency).
Together, the four agencies in Ouachita Parish with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,783 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Ouachita Parish does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Ouachita 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 Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office, held about 1,320 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at opso.net/bookings. The Ouachita Parish inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The District Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at govinfo.gov.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at opclerkofcourt.com.
Louisiana has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
A DWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Office of Motor Vehicles. The driving record, kept by the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, carries the result of both.
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: Ouachita Parish arrest records, Ouachita Parish police reports and Ouachita Parish court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Louisiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Ouachita Parish heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at opclerkofcourt.com.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Ouachita Parish held?
At the parish jail, run by the Ouachita 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 Ouachita 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.