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 October 2, 2026.
Jackson, Missouri, in Cape Girardeau County, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Jackson starts two cases, a criminal case in the Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court and a license case before the Department of Revenue, 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: Jackson public records, Cape Girardeau County DWI, Jackson arrest records, Jackson warrants, Jackson inmate search, Jackson criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
The DWI Law in Missouri
Drunk driving is charged as DWI in Missouri, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Missouri 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 Department of Revenue, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Jackson
The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Jackson (filed by the FBI as Jackson Police Department) make the DWI arrests in and around Jackson.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Cape Girardeau County: Southeast Missouri State University (campus police).
Together, the three agencies in Cape Girardeau County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,975 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Cape Girardeau County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Jackson
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, held about 220 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at capecountysheriff.org/inmate-roster/filters/current/booking_time=de..., phone 573.204.2933. The Jackson inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Jackson is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at capecounty.us/prosecuting-attorney, phone 573.243.2430.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1641.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
A DWI arrest starts two cases: the criminal one above and an administrative one over the license, run by the Department of Revenue. The driving record, kept by the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau, carries the result of both.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Missouri Sunshine Law.
- The court file: from the Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: Jackson arrest records, Jackson police reports and Jackson court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Jackson heard?
In the Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Jackson held?
At the county jail, run by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in Missouri?
The Department of Revenue, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Jackson website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.