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 on September 24, 2026.
St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, has about 40,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in St. John the Baptist 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: St. John the Baptist Parish public records, St. John the Baptist Parish arrest records, St. John the Baptist Parish warrants, St. John the Baptist Parish inmate search, St. John the Baptist Parish criminal records, Louisiana arrest records and Louisiana inmate search.
The DWI Law in Louisiana
In Louisiana the offense is DWI, and the limit is 0.08.
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 St. John the Baptist Parish
The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office makes the DWI arrests in St. John the Baptist Parish.
The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office reported 1,078 arrests to the FBI for 2024, all offenses together; the FBI's count for St. John the Baptist Parish does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in St. John the Baptist 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 St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office, held about 74 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at stjohnsheriff.org/crime-arrests/parish-prison, phone (985) 652-9513. The St. John the Baptist Parish inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from St. John the Baptist Parish is brought by the District Attorney in the District Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at stjohnda.com/main.aspx, phone (985)497-8270.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at sjbparishclerk.gov, phone 985-497-3331.
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: St. John the Baptist Parish arrest records, St. John the Baptist Parish police reports and St. John the Baptist Parish court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Louisiana?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from St. John the Baptist Parish heard?
In the District Court, brought by the District Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the parish is at sjbparishclerk.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in St. John the Baptist Parish held?
At the parish jail, run by the St. John the Baptist 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 St. John the Baptist 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.