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 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Merrick County, Nebraska, has about 7,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Merrick County starts two cases, a criminal case in the County Court and a license case before the Department 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: Merrick County public records, Merrick County arrest records, Merrick County warrants, Merrick County inmate search, Merrick County criminal records, Nebraska arrest records and Nebraska inmate search.
The DUI Law in Nebraska
In Nebraska the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in Nebraska is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DUI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Department of Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Merrick County
The Merrick County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Central City make the DUI arrests in Merrick County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Merrick County: the State Patrol in Merrick County (state police); the State Patrol in Merrick County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the two agencies in Merrick County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 71 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Merrick County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Merrick County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Merrick County Sheriff's Office, held about 6 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at merrickcounty.ne.gov/sheriff-office, phone (308) 946-2345. The Merrick County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The County Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the County Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at merrickcounty.ne.gov/attorney-county, phone (308) 946-3861.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nebraskajudicial.gov/courts/merrick-county-court, phone 308-946-2812. That page belongs to a lower court, the County Court, not to the Merrick County District Court.
Statewide, Nebraska Trial Court Case Search is the Nebraska Judicial Branch's statewide case search, with a fee per search.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Nebraska Public Records Statutes.
- The court file: from the County Court, kept by the Clerk of the District Court.
- The driving record: from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Merrick County arrest records, Merrick County police reports and Merrick County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Nebraska?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Merrick County heard?
In the County Court, brought by the County Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nebraskajudicial.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Merrick County held?
At the county jail, run by the Merrick County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Nebraska?
The Department of Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
Is this the official Merrick 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.