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 28, 2026.
Cole County, Missouri, has about 78,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Cole County starts two cases, a criminal case in the Cole 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: Cole County public records, Cole County arrest records, Cole County warrants, Cole County inmate search, Cole 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 Cole County
The Cole County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Jefferson City make the DWI arrests in Cole County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Cole County: the Marshal's Office's 19th Judicial District (other agency); the Capitol Police (state agency); Lincoln University (campus police).
Jefferson City reported 1,990 arrests to the FBI for 2024, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Cole County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Cole 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 Cole County Sheriff's Office, held about 160 people on an average day in 2022 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at colecounty.org/245/Jail, phone 573-634-9160. The Cole County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DWI charge from Cole County is brought by the Prosecuting Attorney in the Cole County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at colecounty.org/180/Prosecuting-Attorney, phone 573-634-9180.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at colecounty.org/354/Calendars-and-Dockets.
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 Cole County Circuit Court, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
- The driving record: from the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau.
More on each: Cole County arrest records, Cole County police reports and Cole County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in Missouri?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Cole County heard?
In the Cole County Circuit Court, brought by the Prosecuting Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at colecounty.org/354/Calendars-and-Dockets.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Cole County held?
At the county jail, run by the Cole 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 Cole 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.