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 4, 2026.
Newton County, Texas, has about 12,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Newton County Sheriff's Office and one city agency. An arrest leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the District Attorney files charges, a case in the Newton County District Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it, with the arrest counts each agency reported.
This guide covers who makes arrests, how many arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Newton County public records, Texas arrest records, Texas inmate search and Texas criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Newton County
The Newton County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Newton County. It reported 62 arrests for 2025.
One city in Newton County reports its arrests to the FBI separately:
- Newton, 1,571 residents: 32 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Newton County
Each agency reports its arrests to the FBI by month, and the FBI publishes them on the Crime Data Explorer. These are the full-year totals, all offenses, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026; a year with months missing or not reported is left out.
- Newton County Sheriff's Office: 62 for 2025, 29 for 2024, 35 for 2023, 36 for 2022, 37 for 2021 and 26 for 2020.
- Newton: 32 for 2025, 20 for 2024, 21 for 2023, 12 for 2022, 18 for 2021 and 15 for 2020.
Together, the two agencies with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 94 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 94 in 2025 against 49 in 2024, up 92 percent.
Through July 2026, the two agencies with every month so far on file reported 74 arrests, against 50 in the same months of 2025.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Newton County Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Newton County is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 12 people on an average day, up from about 10 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 14 beds, and it is running at 86 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Newton County Sheriff's Office at co.newton.tx.us/page/newton.sheriff (page title: Newton County, Texas), phone 409-379-3636, 110 E. Court Street Newton, TX 75966, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice lists its inmates at inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Newton County
An arrest in Newton County can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Newton County District Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at co.newton.tx.us/page/newton.county.clerk, phone (409) 379-5341); the District Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at co.newton.tx.us/page/newton.district.attorney, phone 409-379-8600).
Texas is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: the Conviction Database search lets anyone look up convictions and deferred adjudications by name, for $3 a search, through the Texas Department of Public Safety. That record shows what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Newton County
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the Texas Public Information Act the agency must answer within 10 business days, and it may charge the copy rates set by the Attorney General, plus labor for large requests.
- An arrest by the Newton County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 409-379-3636.
- An arrest in Newton: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 409-379-8600, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Newton County District Court, through the court records page at co.newton.tx.us/page/newton.county.clerk, phone (409) 379-5341.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the Department of Public Safety.
Cities in Newton County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for Newton, the one city in Newton County.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the county jail and the case goes to the Newton County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Newton County each year?
The Newton County Sheriff's Office reported 62 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and the two agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported 94 between them.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Newton County?
Ask the Newton County Sheriff's Office at 409-379-3636; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at co.newton.tx.us/page/newton.sheriff.
Where are people arrested in Newton County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Newton County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Newton County?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Texas Department of Public Safety: the Conviction Database search lets anyone look up convictions and deferred adjudications by name, for $3. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Texas Public Information Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Newton County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Newton County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Texas Public Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days.
Is this the official Newton 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.