Tensas Parish DUI Records
Tensas Parish DUI records are filed through the 6th Judicial District Court and maintained by the Clerk of Court in St. Joseph, the parish seat. Tensas is one of Louisiana's smallest parishes by population, and its court operations reflect that smaller scale. If you need to find a DUI case record, obtain a certified copy, or look up an arrest history in Tensas Parish, your primary point of contact is the parish sheriff's office and the clerk of court in St. Joseph.
Tensas Parish Sheriff and Clerk of Court
The Tensas Parish Sheriff's Office is located at 203 Hancock Street in St. Joseph. Phone: (318) 766-4607. For DUI arrests in Tensas Parish, the sheriff's office handles initial detention, booking, and arrest records. If you need to find out whether someone was arrested for DWI in Tensas Parish, the sheriff is a good first contact. Arrest records at the booking stage are separate from the court record that develops once a case is formally charged.
The Clerk of Court in St. Joseph holds all criminal court filings for the 6th Judicial District. The 6th JDC serves East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas parishes together. This shared district means some administrative functions are split across the three parishes, but each parish's clerk keeps its own court records. DUI cases filed in Tensas Parish are held by the Tensas Parish Clerk, not by the clerks in the neighboring parishes.
Given the small size of Tensas Parish, the clerk's office operates on a smaller scale than urban parishes. In-person visits to St. Joseph are often the most reliable way to get records. Call ahead to confirm hours and what information you need to bring when you visit.
Online DUI Record Access in Tensas Parish
Online access to Tensas Parish DUI records is available through eClerks LA, the statewide court records platform. Even for a small parish like Tensas, eClerks LA may have docket-level information for cases filed in the 6th JDC. You can search by defendant name or case number to find basic case details.
The image below is from the eClerks LA platform, which is used statewide including for small parishes like Tensas to provide online access to DUI docket records.
If eClerks LA does not return results for the case you are searching, the next step is to contact the clerk's office in St. Joseph directly. Small parishes sometimes have limited online data coverage compared to larger ones.
Clerk Connect is another statewide option worth trying. It aggregates records from multiple Louisiana parishes and may supplement what eClerks LA shows for Tensas cases. Both tools are a reasonable starting point before you travel to the courthouse or submit a mail request.
Note: For Tensas Parish, phone contact with the clerk's office before visiting is especially recommended given the parish's remote location and limited online data availability.
DUI Laws That Apply in Tensas Parish
All DUI offenses in Tensas Parish are prosecuted under Louisiana state law. The primary statute is La. Rev. Stat. § 14:98, which defines operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Louisiana calls these offenses OWI, though DUI and DWI are commonly used in everyday references. A first offense is a misdemeanor.
Second offenses carry enhanced penalties under La. Rev. Stat. § 14:98.1. Third offenses are addressed at La. Rev. Stat. § 14:98.2, and fourth or later offenses are felonies under La. Rev. Stat. § 14:98.4. Felony DUI records in Tensas Parish are part of the public court record held by the clerk of court and also appear in statewide criminal history systems.
Louisiana's implied consent law at La. Rev. Stat. § 32:661 applies in Tensas Parish. Drivers arrested for DUI must submit to chemical testing when officers have probable cause. Refusal can lead to license suspension under La. Rev. Stat. § 32:667. Suspension proceedings are handled by the Office of Motor Vehicles, not the court, and are tracked separately from criminal case files.
Crash Reports and Motor Vehicle Records
Crash reports from DUI-related accidents in Tensas Parish can be ordered from the Louisiana State Police at crashreports.dps.la.gov for $11.50 each. These reports come from the law enforcement side and are separate from court filings. They document the officer's observations at the scene, which may include notes on impaired driving behavior.
Driving records showing DUI convictions and license suspensions are available from the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles via OMV ExpressLane for $20 per three-year record. A statewide background check through the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information costs $26 online and will pull DUI conviction history from Tensas Parish and all other parishes in Louisiana. This broader search is often faster than requesting parish-by-parish if you are not sure where a conviction occurred.
Public Records Access in Tensas Parish
Louisiana's public records law, La. R.S. 44:1, makes DUI court records in Tensas Parish available to the public. You do not need a special reason to request a court record. Sealed or expunged records are the exception and require court orders to restrict access. Standard filed DUI cases that have been adjudicated are open to anyone.
To get a copy of a DUI record in Tensas Parish, you can visit the clerk's office in St. Joseph or call (318) 766-4607 to ask about mail-in procedures. Copy fees vary. A statewide criminal history check through BCII at $26 may be faster than a local clerk search if you are not sure when or where in Louisiana a case was filed.