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 person kept in custody after an arrest in Merrick County is held at the county jail, run by the Merrick County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Merrick County public records, Merrick County arrest records, Merrick County warrants, Merrick County criminal records, Merrick County court records, Nebraska arrest records and Nebraska inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Merrick County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Merrick County is held at the county jail, run by the Merrick County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Merrick County Sheriff's Office at merrickcounty.ne.gov/sheriff-office (page title: Sheriff Office | Merrick County), phone (308) 946-2345, 911 Location 1821 16th Avenue Central City, NE 68826, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at (308) 946-2345.
The Merrick County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 6 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 6 beds, and it ran at 112 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Merrick County has about 7,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 8 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Merrick County Jail
The Merrick County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Central City make the arrests that end in a booking 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 largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Merrick County Sheriff's Office's 50 for 2025 and Central City's 21 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Merrick County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 71 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Merrick County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services lists its inmates at dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov/Corrections/COR_input.jsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Merrick County?
Ask the Merrick County Sheriff's Office at (308) 946-2345; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at merrickcounty.ne.gov/sheriff-office.
How many people are in the Merrick County jail?
About 6 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 6 beds.
What is the phone number for the Merrick County jail?
(308) 946-2345, the number on the page of the Merrick County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Merrick County go?
To a facility of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services; its inmate locator is at dcs-inmatesearch.ne.gov.
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.