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.
Butler County, Missouri, has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Butler County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Butler 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: Butler County public records, Butler County arrest records, Butler County warrants, Butler County inmate search, Butler County criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
The DWI Law in Missouri
In Missouri the offense is DWI, and the limit is 0.08.
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 Butler County
The Butler County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Poplar Bluff and Qulin make the DWI arrests in Butler County.
Together, the three agencies in Butler County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,303 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Butler County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Butler 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 Butler County Sheriff's Office, held about 15 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at butlersheriff.org/jail-facilities. The Butler 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 Butler County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at butlercountymo.com/prosecuting-attorney, phone 573-686-8060.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1650.
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 Butler County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: Butler County arrest records, Butler County police reports and Butler County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Butler County heard?
In the Butler County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Butler County held?
At the county jail, run by the Butler 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 Butler 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.