Ellis County Arrest Records Search | Recent Bookings

Ellis County, Texas · Recent bookings, current inmates, arrest reports and court outcomes

Find a New Ellis County Booking Before It Disappears From the Jail Roster

If the arrest happened recently, start with the Ellis County Sheriff’s live inmate roster. Look for the arrest date, inmate number and booking number, then open the individual entry and confirm you have the right person before checking bond, contacting the jail or sending money.

The roster is most useful for people who are still in county custody. If someone has already bonded out or been released, move to Ellis County court records or request the underlying arrest report instead of assuming the arrest never happened.

Ellis County also has an important court split: Class A and B misdemeanors go through the County Clerk, while felony cases go through the District Clerk. This guide shows exactly where to go next.

Full legal name Approximate arrest date Age or date of birth Booking number Arresting agency
WAXAHACHIE BOOKING CLOCK ROUTING CASE
RECENT COUNTY BOOKINGS
CLASS A / B COUNTY CLERK
FELONY DISTRICT CLERK
BOOKING
ARREST → CORRECT COURT RECORD
A booking is not a conviction. The Sheriff’s roster documents custody and arrest-related information. A charge may later be rejected, changed, dismissed, reduced, deferred or resolved in court. Verify the final case before drawing conclusions about guilt.
Official roster

Ellis County Sheriff Inmate Search.

Jail information

972-825-4931.

Detention center

300 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie.

Misdemeanors

County Clerk Criminal Division.

Felonies

Ellis County District Clerk.

30-second route

Choose what happened, not a generic records link

ARRESTED RECENTLY Check the newest custody entries

The roster prints a generation timestamp. Search or sort the current list and save the booking number.

Recent-booking steps
PERSON IS STILL JAILED Use the inmate entry as the starting record

Confirm identity, booking number and arrest date before dealing with bond, visits, calls or deposits.

Decode the entry
PERSON ALREADY RELEASED Do not rely on the current roster

Check the criminal court record and request the booking or arrest report when historical proof is needed.

Find a released booking
NEED THE POLICE REPORT Find who made the arrest

Waxahachie, Ennis, Midlothian and Red Oak maintain their own police reports. County jail custody does not make every report an ECSO record.

Find the record holder
NEED BOND OR RELEASE Verify all active matters

The WMDC booking area includes bond and release functions, but another warrant or case can prevent release.

Bond and release help
NEED THE CASE OUTCOME Split misdemeanor from felony

County Clerk handles Class A/B misdemeanors. District Clerk maintains felony court cases.

Verify the court result

Jump directly to the Ellis County task

Primary search intent

How to check Ellis County recent bookings

The Sheriff’s official page is labelled Inmate Roster. It displays an inmate count and a List Generated date/time so you can see how fresh the roster snapshot is.
Open the Sheriff-linked inmate roster Do not pay a third-party website just to reach the public county list. Open Ellis County Inmate Search
Check the “List Generated” timestamp This tells you when the displayed roster was produced. Refresh before relying on an older open browser tab.
Use the search control before scrolling hundreds of names Enter the identifier you know and clear extra filters when they produce no result.
Use the sort control for recent arrivals When you are looking for today’s or yesterday’s booking, sort around arrest date rather than assuming every filtered view remains chronological.
Open the correct person Compare the name, age, arrest date, inmate number and booking number.
Save the booking number immediately The booking number is more useful than repeatedly searching the name and is required for several jail services.
Record the arrest date Do not confuse the booking or arrest timestamp with the exact time the alleged offense occurred.
Check the booking photograph carefully Treat a photo as one identity clue, not proof by itself.
Move to court records for the legal outcome The jail entry answers custody questions. It is not the final prosecution history.
Save before the roster changes: exact booked name, inmate number, booking number, arrest date, age or other identifiers, displayed charge information and booking photograph if legitimately needed.
Important distinction: “Recent bookings” on this page means recent entries visible in the current Sheriff roster. Ellis County does not present this interface as a permanent day-by-day historical arrest archive.
Roster decoder

Know what the inmate-search result proves—and what it does not

Use each roster field for the right purpose
Field
Useful for
Do not assume
Next step
Inmate number
Distinguishing the person inside the jail system.
It identifies only one lifetime arrest.
Pair it with the booking number and arrest date.
Booking number
Identifying the specific intake event and using inmate services.
Every initial charge became a filed court charge.
Save it before requesting mail, visitation or records help.
Arrest date
Finding a recent custody event.
It is necessarily the offense date.
Compare it with the police report and court filing.
Age / identifying details
Separating people with similar names.
A name and age alone prove identity.
Match another independent identifier.
Booking photo
Additional identity checking while a person is displayed.
A photograph establishes guilt.
Match the booking number and court case.
Charge
Understanding the allegation associated with intake.
That is the final filed offense or final result.
Search the correct County or District Clerk record.
Bond
Identifying a possible release condition.
Paying one bond clears other cases or holds.
Confirm every active matter with jail staff.
Identity rule: Match at least two independent details before sending money, publishing an allegation, contacting an employer or assuming that a search result belongs to a particular person.
No result

A person was arrested, but you cannot find the booking

Booking is still being completed Wayne McCollum processes identity, property, medical screening and classification after intake.
No housing unit yet Ellis County says assignment to a housing unit can take up to 24 hours after arrest for visitation purposes.
The person bonded out quickly A current-custody roster is less useful after release. Check court records next.
A city department still has the person A municipal jail or police facility may temporarily hold someone before transfer to the county detention center.
The name is different Try the legal surname, hyphenated spelling, suffix, maiden name or another known spelling.
The arrest was outside Ellis County Search the county where the person was actually booked.
It was a citation or notice to appear A criminal case may exist without a Wayne McCollum jail stay.
The record is restricted Juvenile, expunged and legally confidential records may not appear publicly.
Use this when calling jail information
I am trying to confirm the custody or booking status of [full legal name]. The arrest may have happened on [date] through [agency]. Can you tell me whether the person is still processing, has been assigned to housing, was released, transferred, or appears under another booking number?
Wayne McCollum Detention Center / Jail Information: 972-825-4931
Sheriff Administration: 972-825-4901
Dispatch 24/7: 972-937-6060
Historical arrest path

If the person was released, stop treating the live roster as an archive

Need the booking photo?

ECSO says photographs for people still in custody can be accessed through Inmate Search.

For someone no longer in custody, submit an ECSO open-records request.
Need the arrest narrative?

Identify which police agency made the arrest and request its offense or incident report.

The jail may only be the housing agency.
Need the final charge?

Use County Clerk records for Class A/B misdemeanors and District Clerk records for felonies.

The court record is more important than the old booking label.
Need proof for work or licensing?

Obtain the actual dismissal, judgment or disposition instead of sending a screenshot of a jail entry.

Ask the correct clerk whether a certified copy is required.
Local record routing

Who made the arrest? That decides where the police report lives

The Ellis County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division primarily investigates reported criminal offenses in unincorporated Ellis County and areas outside incorporated cities that maintain their own police departments. A person can therefore be housed at Wayne McCollum even though a city police agency owns the arrest report.
Common Ellis County arresting-agency record routes
Agency
Where to start
Useful contact
What to prepare
Ellis County Sheriff
972-825-4901
Report/service number, date, location, names and exact record.
Waxahachie Police
Use WPD Records; current request form lists Records@waxahachiepd.org.
Case number, incident date, name, DOB and specific document.
Ennis Police
972-875-4455 ext. 2289 or 2224
Name, dates, DOB, location, time and case number.
Midlothian Police
469-672-0090
Arrest, incident, case, dash/body-camera or offense-report details.
Red Oak Police
972-617-7632
Specific record description, dates, case number and contact information.
Time saver: If the roster shows a city police agency, do not send the arrest-narrative request to the county jail first. Go directly to that department’s records unit.
Sheriff open records

Request an Ellis County Sheriff arrest or offense record

ECSO’s dedicated Open Records page says requests must be submitted in writing. The Sheriff gathers responsive information and sends it to the District Attorney’s Office for review of what can legally be released.
Use the dedicated Open Records page Do not send a records request to the Sheriff’s Public Information Officer. Open ECSO records instructions
Identify the exact record Ask for an offense report, arrest-related report, photographs, 911 audio, body-camera record or another specific item instead of asking for “everything.”
Add the strongest identifiers Include the report/service number, incident date, location and involved names.
Provide valid contact information ECSO asks for your full name, mailing address and contact phone number.
The Sheriff form is optional The official page provides a form for convenience but says it is not required.
Use a currently accepted submission route The dedicated ECSO page lists in-person, mail, fax and email methods. Recheck the live page before sending because an older PIO notice contains different email-only wording.
Do not mistake the Texas 10-day rule If the information cannot be produced within 10 working days, ECSO says the District Attorney will notify you in writing of a reasonable production date. Ten working days is not a promise that every request will be completed by day 10.
Ellis County Sheriff’s Office – Open Records
300 S. Jackson St.
Waxahachie, TX 75165
Fax: 972-825-4941
Main: 972-825-4901
Copy-ready request
Under the Texas Public Information Act, I request the releasable records concerning the arrest or incident involving [full name] on or about [date/time] at [location]. The report or service number, if known, is [number]. I am specifically requesting [offense report / arrest report / booking photograph / 911 audio / body-camera record / other identified record]. Please notify me of applicable charges before processing if the cost will exceed $[amount].
Court-record split

Do not search the wrong Ellis County clerk

Class A & Class B misdemeanors

Ellis County states that County Court at Law 2 and County Court at Law 3 hear Class A and B misdemeanor offenses such as DWI, theft and assault.

The County Clerk Criminal Misdemeanor Division maintains those records.

Criminal Division: 972-825-5062

Felony cases

The County Clerk specifically directs felony questions to the Ellis County District Clerk.

Use the District Clerk record to follow indictments, motions, settings, pleas, dismissals, judgments and other felony case activity.

District Clerk: 972-825-5091

Best way to match the jail booking to court

Save the booking number and exact booked name Keep the arrest date and age or DOB information as identity controls.
Determine misdemeanor or felony This tells you which clerk maintains the court record.
Open Ellis County’s online records system The county links the LGS Online Records Search for public court records.
Search by cause number when known A cause number is usually safer than a common-name search.
Compare the filing date and charge Make sure the court record reasonably follows the same arrest event.
Read the final disposition for each count Look for dismissal, plea, deferred adjudication, conviction, acquittal or another final action.
“Released” does not mean “case dismissed.” Release ends a custody event. The criminal prosecution can continue for months after the person leaves jail.
Bond and release

Before paying bond, ask what else is keeping the person in custody

The Wayne McCollum Detention Center’s booking/processing area includes public-accessible property, bond and release areas where people can post eligible bonds, pay fines or retrieve authorised property.
Confirm the exact booked name
Confirm the booking number
List every displayed charge
Ask whether every charge has a bond
Check for another county’s warrant
Ask about parole, immigration or agency holds
Confirm whether a magistrate has changed the amount
Get a receipt for any payment
Bond-status call
I am calling about [full name], booking number [number]. Before any bond is paid, can you confirm every active charge, the current bond on each charge, and whether there is any warrant, detainer, court order or outside hold that would prevent release?
Jail Information: 972-825-4931
Wayne McCollum Detention Center:
300 S. Jackson St., Waxahachie, TX 75165
Ellis County operates a Bail Bond Board. If you use a commercial surety, verify the company’s current licensing status and read the written premium/collateral agreement before paying.
Open Ellis County Bail Bond Board
Wayne McCollum Detention Center

Know where you are going before driving to the jail

Detention center
300 S. Jackson Street
Waxahachie, TX 75165

Jail Information: 972-825-4931

Sheriff Administration
300 S. Jackson Street
Waxahachie, TX 75165

972-825-4901

Administrative hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Courts & clerks
109 S. Jackson Street
Waxahachie, TX 75165

The County Clerk, District Clerk and District Attorney are in this court/administration complex.

Parking near the jail and courts

Ellis County project and facility records identify a parking garage constructed between the downtown court building and jail complex. Follow the current garage and street signage when you arrive because access, reserved spaces and availability can change. Do not park in marked law-enforcement, employee or restricted areas.
Local convenience: The jail at 300 S. Jackson and the court/administration offices at 109 S. Jackson are in the same downtown Waxahachie government area. If you need both jail information and a clerk record, verify office hours first so you do not make two trips.
Current visit rules

Ellis County visits are video visits—even when you go to the jail

Ellis County states that all visits, remote or on-site, are conducted through video. The current schedule is Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the last sign-in at 7:30 p.m.
Wait until the inmate has housing The Sheriff says an inmate must be assigned to a housing unit before receiving visitation and that assignment can take up to 24 hours after arrest.
Create a JailATM account Select Video Call on the JailATM system, create the visitor account and then schedule. Open JailATM
Schedule ahead A same-day appointment is not guaranteed.
Do not arrive late Ellis County warns that arriving late cuts the visit short and missing the appointment causes the inmate to lose that visit.
Bring authorised photo ID Accepted categories include an appropriate driver license/state ID, passport or immigration card, or military ID.
Leave bags and phones outside the visitation area Cell phones, purses, packages, umbrellas, handbags and other containers are prohibited.
Ellis County visitation rules currently published by ECSO
Item
Current rule
Days
Tuesday–Saturday
Hours
12 p.m.–8 p.m.; last sign-in 7:30 p.m.
Visit type
All visits are video, including on-site visits.
Inmate allowance
Two 20-minute visits per week.
Visitor allowance
One visit per day; up to two adults per visit.
Children
A person under 18 must be with an adult; one child per adult may enter the visitation area.
Clothing
Visitors must be properly dressed; prohibited clothing includes mini-skirts, tank tops, biker shorts, spandex/stretch clothing and transparent or provocative clothing.
Digital inmate correspondence

Do not mail an ordinary personal letter directly to 300 S. Jackson

Ellis County changed the normal personal-mail process. Ordinary letters, documents and photos are sent to an off-site JailATM processing address, scanned and delivered electronically to the inmate. The mailed originals are destroyed after processing and are not returned.

Current personal-mail address

JailATM.com – Ellis County Jail
Inmate ID: Inmate full name and booking number
2830 S. Hulen St. Box 809
Fort Worth, TX 76109
Include inmate full name
Include Sheriff booking number
Include sender return address
Maximum 5 pages
Write only on the front side
Maximum 1 photograph per mailing
Paper no larger than 8.5 × 11 inches
Do not send legal or medical mail to the scan center
Official-page conflict resolved: An older visitation-rules section still contains a different photo quantity. The Sheriff’s dedicated Inmate Correspondence page is the current mail-specific instruction and says one photo per mailing. Follow the dedicated mail page immediately before sending anything.

Legal, medical, books, magazines and newspapers

Inmate Full & Last Name
Inmate Book-In Number
c/o Wayne McCollum Detention Center
300 S. Jackson St.
Waxahachie, TX 75165
Legal and medical correspondence

Send it directly to the detention facility, not to the off-site scanning address.

Books and subscriptions

Softback books, magazines and newspapers must come from the publisher. ECSO says they cannot be sent from a retail vendor such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

ECSO currently limits subscriptions to no more than two at one time and says items containing staples will be returned.
Trust account and commissary

New booking found but TouchPay will not accept the inmate yet?

Ellis County’s visitation rules state that an inmate’s account can take approximately 24–48 hours after book-in to become active. That can explain why a deposit fails immediately after a very recent arrest.
Confirm the booking number first Reopen the official inmate record so funds do not go to a similar name.
Use TouchPay ECSO links TouchPay for inmate deposits. Open TouchPay
Online not working? A newly booked account may not yet be active. Recheck the booking and allow for the published account-activation window.
Other current options ECSO states that money may also be deposited with cash, credit or debit card in the Sheriff’s Office lobby or by telephone.
TouchPay telephone deposit: 866-232-1899

What commissary means at Wayne McCollum

The detention center uses a mobile commissary cart that is brought into eligible housing areas. Inmates can purchase items such as hygiene products and snacks using available account funds. ECSO says commissary operates seven days a week, excluding segregation-unit cart service.

Inmate telephone service

Why the first jail call may work differently from later calls

During booking

ECSO says an inmate can make free local calls during booking to arrange bail, notify family or contact a lawyer.

Most cell phones are not treated as local; the booking phone can make collect calls outside the local dialing area.

After placement in population

Calls are collect calls through the jail telephone service.

Published calling hours are 10 a.m.–10:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.–12:30 a.m. on weekends.

Correct Solutions telephone support: 877-618-3516
Staff cannot pass personal messages. Ellis County says detention officers are not permitted to deliver written or verbal messages to inmates. Use the approved mail or telephone system instead.
Case-safety reminder: Do not discuss witnesses, passwords, evidence, alibis or defence strategy on ordinary jail calls. Use counsel for confidential legal communication.
Read current inmate telephone rules
Health and urgent concerns

If a family member has medication, medical or mental-health needs

Wayne McCollum provides medical intake, clinical, dental and mental-health-related services inside the detention center. The facility has medical examination areas in processing and the infirmary.

Medical Intake

443-410-4058

Nurses Station

443-410-4083

Jail Information

972-825-4931

Family members can report an urgent concern, medication issue or important health history, but staff may be restricted from disclosing private medical information back to the caller.
Open ECSO medical contacts
Warrant verification

Ellis County does not publish a simple Sheriff warrant-name search like some larger counties

The Sheriff’s Warrants Division executes written arrest orders issued by Ellis County District and County Courts and also attempts warrants from other agencies.

To ask about a person wanted on an Ellis County warrant, use the Sheriff’s official Warrants/Fugitive Transport information or the relevant court record rather than relying on an unverified third-party “active warrant” page.
Sheriff / Warrants information: 972-825-4901
Do not attempt to detain or confront a wanted person. Similar names, recalled warrants and delayed information can cause dangerous mistakes. When the warrant concerns you, speak with a lawyer before deciding how to appear.
Old or damaging arrest record

Correct an error first; consider expunction or nondisclosure separately

Identify which record is causing the problem Compare the jail booking, arresting-agency report, County or District Clerk court case and Texas DPS history.
Obtain the final disposition Do not start a correction or record-clearing effort using only the jail roster.
If the information is factually wrong, contact the record owner The District Clerk cannot rewrite a city police report, and the Sheriff cannot independently change a clerk judgment.
If the record is accurate but should be legally restricted, check eligibility Texas uses different rules for expunction and orders of nondisclosure.
Use Ellis County’s local expunction resource The District Clerk publishes agency-contact information specifically for Ellis County expunction filings. Open Ellis County Expunctions
Confirm the current court and filing fee Older fee schedules remain online. Call the District Clerk before relying on a fee amount from an old PDF.

Expunction

Can remove qualifying records when Texas statutory requirements are met. Eligibility is limited and fact-specific.

Order of nondisclosure

Restricts public disclosure of certain qualifying criminal-history information but does not erase the record from every authorised government user.

Do not assume a dismissed case automatically disappeared. A dismissal, expunction and nondisclosure are legally different events.
Contacts and directions

Ellis County arrest, jail and court contact sheet

Ellis County Sheriff / Jail
300 S. Jackson St.
Waxahachie, TX 75165

Administration: 972-825-4901

Jail Information: 972-825-4931

Sheriff Dispatch

972-937-6060

24/7 non-emergency communications.

County Clerk
109 S. Jackson St.
Waxahachie, TX 75165

Main: 972-825-5070

Criminal: 972-825-5062

Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

District Clerk
109 S. Jackson St., 2nd Floor
Waxahachie, TX 75165

972-825-5091

Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

County & District Attorney
109 S. Jackson St.
Waxahachie, TX 75165

972-825-5035

Indigent Defense Coordinator
109 S. Jackson St.
Waxahachie, TX 75165

972-825-5385

Español: 972-825-5482

Wayne McCollum Detention Center map

Ellis County courts and clerk offices map

10 Ellis County questions

Recent booking and arrest-record questions answered

How do I see recent Ellis County Texas bookings?

Open the Ellis County Sheriff’s official Inmate Search. The roster shows a List Generated timestamp and current inmate entries with details such as arrest date, inmate number and booking number. Use the search and sort controls to narrow the list. Because it is primarily a current-custody roster rather than a permanent historical arrest archive, someone who has already been released may require a court-record search or open-records request.

What does the Ellis County inmate roster show?

The current Ellis County roster can display the inmate’s name, inmate number, arrest date, age or basic identifying information, booking number and booking photograph. Open the individual entry for additional available booking information. Always compare more than one identifier before assuming that a record belongs to a particular person.

Why can I not find someone recently arrested in Ellis County?

A person may still be going through booking and classification, may have bonded out quickly, may be held temporarily by a municipal police department, may have been booked in another county, or may appear under a different spelling. Ellis County says an inmate must be assigned to a housing unit before visitation and that housing assignment can take up to 24 hours after arrest. Call jail information at 972-825-4931 when the current custody location remains unclear.

How do I get an Ellis County booking photo after someone is released?

The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office states that a booking photograph for a person still held at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center can be accessed through the Inmate Search. If the person is no longer in Sheriff’s custody, submit an open-records request to the Sheriff’s Office.

Does an Ellis County booking charge mean the person was convicted?

No. An arrest or booking entry records an allegation and custody event, not a finding of guilt. For Class A and Class B misdemeanor cases, check Ellis County Clerk criminal records. For felony cases, check Ellis County District Clerk records. Read the final disposition for each charge instead of relying only on the jail entry.

How do I request an Ellis County Sheriff’s arrest or offense report?

Use the Ellis County Sheriff’s dedicated Open Records Requests page. Requests must be in writing and should identify the report or service number, incident date, location, people involved and the exact record requested. The Sheriff’s current records page lists in-person, mail, fax and email submission routes and states that its request form is optional.

Where do I search Ellis County misdemeanor and felony court records?

Use the county’s Online Records Search. Class A and Class B misdemeanors are maintained by the Ellis County Clerk, while felony court records are maintained by the Ellis County District Clerk. Search by cause number when available because it is more precise than a name-only search.

How do I find bond information for someone in Ellis County Jail?

Open the individual inmate record and then call Ellis County Jail Information at 972-825-4931 when the current bond or release condition is unclear. The Wayne McCollum Detention Center has public-accessible bond and release areas where eligible bonds or fines can be handled. Verify every charge, warrant and hold before paying because clearing one matter does not necessarily result in release.

How do I visit someone at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center?

Ellis County uses video visitation for both on-site and remote visits. Register through JailATM and schedule the visit. Current general visitation is Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., with the last sign-in at 7:30 p.m. Inmates are allowed two 20-minute visits per week, and a visitor may schedule one visit per day.

Can an Ellis County arrest record be expunged or sealed?

Some Texas arrest records may qualify for expunction or an order of nondisclosure, but eligibility depends on the arrest, charge, disposition, waiting period and other criminal-history factors. Ellis County maintains a dedicated District Clerk expunction resource with agency contact information. Obtain the complete court disposition and confirm current filing requirements with the District Clerk before filing.

Official source desk

Primary Ellis County resources used for this page

Leave a Comment