Polk County Released Inmates

Polk County sits in west Arkansas on the Oklahoma line, with Mena as the county seat. Sheriff Scott Sawyer runs the sheriff's office and a 24-bed county jail. The sheriff's office serves about 24,000 people. Polk County released inmates can be tracked through an inmate search, through state ADC tools, and through VINELink. This page walks through the sheriff's office, the jail, the court side, and the state tools that fill gaps when the local data is thin.

Where to Find Polk County Released Inmates

The Polk County Sheriff's Office in Mena is the first stop for custody data. Sheriff Scott Sawyer runs the office at 507 Church Ave, Mena, AR 71953. Main phone is 479-394-2511. Fax is 479-394-1975. Email is ssawyer@polkcountyar.org. The sheriff's page on the Arkansas Sheriff's Association site lists the basic office info and shortcuts to the jail.

The Polk County Sheriff page at the state sheriff's association is shown below.

For live inmate data, an alt search tool is available through a third-party listing. The Polk County inmate search page pulls the current roster. Search by name. Each record shows mugshot, address, booking info, charges, and bond amount. State prison data is on the ADC inmate tool.

Polk County Jail in Mena

The Polk County Jail sits at 507 Church Avenue #1, Mena, AR 71953. The jail has a 24-bed capacity and runs at a medium security level. Phone is 479-394-2511. Fax is 479-394-1975. The jail administrator is Craig Mohr, at cmohr@polkcountyar.org. Chief Deputy Randy Jewell is at 479-216-6606, or rjewell@polkcountyar.org.

The facility is small, which means the jail often ships out inmates to larger counties when it runs over capacity. Booking covers fingerprints, a mugshot, and the log of charges. People held include pretrial defendants, short-sentence misdemeanor cases, and state holds waiting for ADC transfer. The jail holds both men and women.

The Polk County Inmate Search portal page is shown below. It runs a name search against the current jail roster.

Click a record for the charge, the bond, and the court date. Records update as the jail books and releases people.

Polk County Court Records

The Polk County Circuit Clerk sits at 507 Church Avenue, Mena, AR 71953. The sheriff's office can route court questions to the right clerk. Phone through the sheriff line at 479-394-2511. The Circuit Court hears felony, civil, probate, and family cases. The Arkansas Court of Appeals oversees contested decisions.

For online case data, use the Arkansas Judiciary CourtConnect tool. Search by name, case ID, or filing date. The tool shows the docket, charges, and dispositions for most cases. Juvenile files and sealed records do not appear on the public side. District court in Mena handles misdemeanors and small civil claims.

FOIA Requests in Polk County

The Arkansas FOIA at Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101 et seq. governs access to public records in Polk County. Agencies have three business days to respond. The sheriff's office takes FOIA requests in person at 507 Church Avenue or by mail or fax. A phone call can start a simple request, but a written follow-up is a good idea for anything but a basic release date.

Typical requests cover arrest reports, booking photos, dispatch logs, and release dates. Exemptions include active cases, grand jury notes, personnel files, medical data, and juvenile files. Copy fees are modest. The sheriff does not require a special form.

• Full name and approximate date of the arrest
• Record type: arrest report, booking log, or release date
• Your phone, email, and a mailing address for the response

Background Checks for Polk County

Two state tools cover background data for Polk County. The ARCH system at Ark. Code Ann. § 12-12-1501 et seq. runs paid public searches with no consent step. Each search is $24.00. The Arkansas State Police CBC handles consent-based checks at $22.00 per state name check through the Information Network of Arkansas.

Volunteers pay $11.00 for the state check. National fingerprint checks are $13.00, or $11.00 for volunteers. See the ASP FAQ page for what data shows up. Mail requests to the ASP Identification Bureau cost $25 per check under form ASP-122.

Parole, ADC, and Victim Alerts

People released from state prison back to Polk County often report to a parole officer under the Arkansas Department of Community Correction. The DCC runs supervision from regional offices. Ark. Code Ann. § 12-27-145 covers what the state can post on parolees, including name, aliases, a recent photo, and programs completed.

Crime victims can sign up for release alerts at VINELink. The alerts go out by phone, text, email, or TTY. Sign-up is free. VINELink covers both the Polk County Jail and the state prison system. For state prison data, the ADC inmate tool is the search front-end.

Polk County Sheriff's Office Info

Sheriff Scott Sawyer has been in office at 507 Church Ave in Mena. The sheriff's office covers law enforcement for the unincorporated parts of the county, plus the jail, court security, and warrants. The deputies work a rural patrol area that runs up to the Oklahoma line. The 24-bed jail is small but sits in the center of town near the courthouse.

The sheriff's records side handles arrest reports, incident reports, and accident reports. Walk-ins are welcome during office hours. Written requests are required for any record that needs copies. The sheriff can also route questions to the right court clerk when a case has moved to trial.

Released Inmates Data in the Mena Area

Polk County covers Mena, Cove, Hatfield, Vandervoort, Wickes, and Grannis. Arrests anywhere in the county end up at the Mena jail. Mena is the county seat and the court hub. A small airport in the north part of the county sometimes draws federal cases, but most day-to-day bookings are state or county matters.

Polk County borders Sevier, Howard, Montgomery, Scott, and Oklahoma state. Arrests near the Oklahoma state line may be routed based on jurisdiction. The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts page covers statewide court data. The Arkansas Attorney General page has FOIA guidance if a request gets stuck.

Overflow and Transfers from the Polk County Jail

The Polk County Jail has just 24 beds. That small capacity means the sheriff regularly transfers inmates to larger facilities when the jail runs full. Common destinations include the Sevier County jail in De Queen, the Hempstead County jail in Hope, and occasionally the Garland County jail in Hot Springs. Family trying to find a Polk County booked inmate may need to call more than one sheriff's office if the Mena roster comes up empty.

Transfers between Arkansas county jails happen on short notice, often overnight. The sheriff's office can confirm the current holding location by phone at 479-394-2511. For released inmates moved to the Arkansas Department of Corrections, the ADC inmate search picks up the trail once an ADC number is issued. Transport from Mena to the Ouachita River Unit or the East Arkansas Regional Unit can take a week or more depending on transport schedules.

Bonding Out of the Mena Jail

Bonds in Polk County are set at first appearance in either district or circuit court. A judge reviews the charges, reads any prior record, and sets an amount. Cash bonds are paid at the courthouse. Surety bonds run through a licensed bondsman, typically at 10% of the total bond as a non-refundable fee. Property bonds use Polk County real estate as collateral. Own recognizance release is possible on minor charges with no prior record.

Once bond is posted, release can take one to three hours at the 24-bed Mena jail. Released inmates walk out with a paper court date and any conditions the judge set. Conditions can include no contact orders, drug testing, curfews, and GPS monitoring on domestic violence cases. VINELink gives victims free alerts when a person is released or transferred.