Ellis County arrest records and inmate search
Search a name across the Wayne McCollum Detention Center roster, Texas court records and Texas prisons, plus federal custody. The county seat is Waxahachie.
Checking the registry instead? Ellis County sex offender registry
Ellis County inmate search: who is in the Ellis County jail. One name search reaches the Wayne McCollum Detention Center roster and every other record type below.
Ellis County is home to about 222,829 people (US Census Bureau, 2023 estimate), up 15.8% since the 2020 census: under 1% of Texas’s residents, the 25th most populous of its 254 counties. People arrested here are booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center. A search here checks that roster together with the records below, so one search answers whether a person is in the Ellis County jail, in a Texas state prison or in federal custody.
- Ellis County jail bookingsThe Wayne McCollum Detention Center roster: who was booked, when, and on what charges
- Texas court recordsthe statewide court source: case, charge and disposition
- Texas warrantsthe statewide warrant system
- Texas prison recordsthe Department of Corrections: people serving a state sentence
- Texas sex offender registryregistration, offense and address; one of the 58 registries in the search
- Federal custodyFederal Bureau of Prisons inmates
Ellis County jail roster: what a booking record shows.
A booking record is made when someone is taken into custody at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center. It is an arrest-stage record: it says the person was booked on a date, on the charges written down at booking, and whether bond was set. It never says the person was convicted.
Most official rosters list only the people held now, so an entry usually comes down after release.
What a Ellis County booking record shows
Ellis County arrest records: arrest, charge and outcome. Three records, three places.
Booking at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center
Shows that someone was arrested in Ellis County and what they were booked on. Searchable here through the Wayne McCollum Detention Center roster.
Filed in the District Court
Prosecutors decide what to charge. A felony goes to the District Court; a misdemeanor to the County Court at Law. The charge filed can differ from the charge at booking.
Disposition in the court file
Conviction, dismissal or acquittal is in the court record, kept by the District Clerk (felonies) or County Clerk (misdemeanors). Texas court records in the search carry it where the court publishes it.
An arrest record alone never proves a crime. Read the guide to arrest records for how bookings, charges and dispositions differ, and why a dismissed charge can still appear.
Ellis County arrest records by city. Waxahachie, Midlothian and Ennis and 1 more.
Ellis County has 4 cities and towns of 10,000 people or more. Someone arrested by a city police department in Waxahachie or Midlothian is usually booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center, unless the city runs a jail of its own, so a search of the Wayne McCollum Detention Center roster covers arrests across the county.
City populations: US Census Bureau, 2023 estimates. Linked cities have a sex offender page with a map and a search by address.
Ellis County court records: finding a case and its outcome.
In Texas, felony cases from Ellis County are heard in the District Court, and misdemeanors in the County Court at Law. The District Clerk (felonies) or County Clerk (misdemeanors) keeps the case files, which is where a disposition, a sentence and later sealing or expungement orders are recorded.
Texas’s statewide court source is part of a name search here, so a result can show how a case ended, not only that it began.
Finding a Ellis County case yourself
- Get the full name and a date of birth; a case number, if you have one, is faster still.
- Ask the District Clerk (felonies) or County Clerk (misdemeanors) for Ellis County, in Waxahachie, by name and date of birth or by case number.
- For a certified copy of a judgment, ask the District Clerk (felonies) or County Clerk (misdemeanors); certified copies usually carry a small fee.
Ellis County warrant search: Texas warrant lookup.
Texas publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it, so a warrant entered there for someone in Ellis County shows with the person’s other records. Not every local warrant reaches a published list. A search that finds nothing is not proof that no warrant exists; to be certain, ask the Ellis County sheriff’s office or the District Clerk (felonies) or County Clerk (misdemeanors).
Ellis County mugshots: where booking photos are published.
A booking photo is taken at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center when someone is booked. Where Ellis County publishes it, it appears on the official roster, usually only while the person is held.
OffenderSearch does not show or sell booking photos, and never charges to remove anything. A photo on a commercial mugshot site is not a conviction, and several states restrict sites that charge to take one down.
Ellis County sex offender registry. About 446 on our index have an address in Ellis County.
The registry is a separate public record from arrests and court cases: it lists people required to register after a sex offense conviction, usually with an address. The count near an address is free.
Ellis County criminal background check: search by name.
- Type a first and last name, and add an age or date of birth so the right person rises to the top.
- Tick “Also check criminal records” on the look-up page to add criminal records to the registry check (it uses 2 searches).
- 25 searches are free with a personal account. No card.
Not a consumer report. Hiring or renting? Use an FCRA-regulated check; see what an employer’s check shows.
Ellis County criminal records FAQ
How do I find out if someone is in the Ellis County jail?
Search the person's name here: the search covers the Wayne McCollum Detention Center roster, Texas state prisons, and federal custody, and each result names the facility. Adding an age or date of birth tells people with the same name apart.
Where are Ellis County court records kept?
Felony cases from Ellis County are heard in the District Court, and the District Clerk (felonies) or County Clerk (misdemeanors) keeps the case files. Misdemeanors go to the County Court at Law.
Can I search Ellis County warrants online?
Texas publishes a statewide warrant system, and a name search here includes it. Not every local warrant reaches that system, so to be certain, ask the Ellis County sheriff's office or the District Clerk (felonies) or County Clerk (misdemeanors).
Is an arrest in Ellis County the same as a conviction?
No. A booking at the Wayne McCollum Detention Center records an arrest and the charges at that moment. Whether the person was convicted is decided in the District Court (for a misdemeanor, the County Court at Law), and only the court record shows the outcome. Court records in the search carry that outcome where the court publishes it.
Does OffenderSearch show Ellis County mugshots?
No. Booking photos are not shown or sold here. Where Ellis County publishes a photo, it is on the sheriff's official roster. No law requires anyone to pay a website to remove a booking photo, and several states restrict sites that charge for it.
How many registered sex offenders live in Ellis County?
About 446 on our index have an address in Ellis County. The Ellis County sex offender registry page has the count, a map and a search by address.
Can I use a Ellis County criminal record search to hire someone or rent to them?
No. A search here is not a consumer report. A hiring, tenant, credit or insurance decision needs an FCRA-regulated report from a consumer reporting agency, with the person's written consent.