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 September 30, 2026.
Bates County, Missouri, has about 16,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Bates County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Bates 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: Bates County public records, Bates County arrest records, Bates County warrants, Bates County inmate search, Bates County 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 Bates County
The Bates County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Butler, Adrian and Rich Hill make the DWI arrests in Bates County.
Together, the four agencies in Bates County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 245 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Bates County does not break DWI out.
The Drexel Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Bates County, so its arrests are not broken out for Bates County here.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Bates County
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Bates County Sheriff's Office, held about 11 people on an average day in 2021 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at batescountysheriff.gov/inmate-roster. The Bates County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The Prosecuting Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the Bates County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at batescounty.net, phone (660) 386-7776.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at batescounty.net/bates-county-circuit-court, phone 660-386-7776. That page belongs to a lower court, not to the Bates County Circuit Court.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Revenue runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau 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 Missouri Sunshine Law.
- The court file: from the Bates County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: Bates County arrest records, Bates County police reports and Bates County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Bates County heard?
In the Bates County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at batescounty.net/bates-county-circuit-court.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Bates County held?
At the county jail, run by the Bates 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 Bates County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.