Lewes Criminal History Records

Lewes is a small Sussex County city on the Delaware coast, so a Lewes criminal history search often flows through local police at 114 East Third Street and county offices in Georgetown. The Lewes Police Department keeps arrest and incident files for events inside city limits. The Sussex County Superior Court holds the felony docket. The State Bureau of Identification at Troop 4 runs the fingerprint side for certified reports. This page walks through each office, the direct contacts, and the online portals you can use from home.

Lewes Police Department

The Lewes Police Department is at 114 East Third Street, Lewes, DE 19958. Phone is (302) 645-6264 and fax is (302) 645-1080. The department runs with 13 sworn officers under Chief Thomas R. Spell. Officers answer calls, write incident reports, and hold a Lewes criminal history file for each arrest made inside city limits. The Records Division handles walk-in and mail requests for police reports.

Residents file a request under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act at Title 29, Chapter 100. The state gives agencies 15 business days to respond to a clean request. The City of Lewes website has the department's direct contact page.

Lewes PD works closely with the Sussex County Sheriff's Office on civil process and warrant service. Day to day, the department also shares data with the other Sussex municipal police forces and with Delaware State Police. That shared feed keeps a Lewes rap sheet current in the state database. When a case lands in court, the police file tracks right along with it in the court docket.

SBI Fingerprinting at Troop 4

The nearest SBI fingerprint desk sits inside State Police Troop 4 at 23652 Shortly Road, Georgetown, DE 19947. Hours are every other Wednesday, Noon to 6:30 PM, by appointment only. Lewes residents call (302) 739-2528 to book a slot. A second Georgetown site at the Thurman Adams State Service Center at 546 South Bedford Street, Room 202 runs Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

Fees for a Lewes criminal history report at either site run $52.50 for a State of Delaware check or $69.00 for a combined State and Federal check. Payment options include cash, credit and debit cards, bank checks, money orders, or company checks made out to Delaware State Police. Personal checks are not accepted. The full fee and service code list sits on the SBI certified criminal history page.

What to bring:

• Photo ID from any state (driver license, school ID, or state ID)
• Service code from the agency asking for the check
• Payment in an allowed form
• IdentoGO appointment confirmation

Appointments book through IdentoGO at uenroll.identogo.com. The portal walks each person through the correct service code, the fee, and the time slot. No Social Security number or birth certificate is needed at the fingerprint site. Results go to the agency that asked for the check, not to the applicant, unless the service code is for a personal report.

Sussex County Courthouse

The Sussex County Superior Court sits at 1 The Circle, Suite 2, Georgetown, DE 19947. Phone is (302) 855-7055. Hours run Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with public access from 8:30 AM. Felony Lewes criminal history cases land here. Misdemeanors often go to the Court of Common Pleas in the same building, and traffic citations run through the Justice of the Peace Court.

The Prothonotary's Office is the clerk for Superior Court and handles record requests. Public access terminals are open during court hours for free searches. Certified copies carry a fee. A full Lewes criminal history file at the court level has the indictment, motions, plea paperwork, sentencing orders, and disposition sheets.

The statewide case index at CourtConnect is the fastest online lookup. You can search by name or case number and pull up docket entries across all Delaware courts. CourtConnect reflects the case as the courthouse entered it, so recent filings may take a day or two to show. The portal also links back to the Delaware Courts main site for forms.

Sussex County Government

Sussex County Government runs the Recorder of Deeds, the Assessor's Office, and the Sheriff's Office from Georgetown. The Sussex County Sheriff's Office at 22215 DuPont Boulevard handles civil process, tax sales, and foreclosure sales. The office also answers questions about how to route a Lewes criminal record request and points callers to the right agency.

Property records from the Recorder of Deeds feed the state Public Access Web Service. Those files can be relevant in a Lewes criminal history matter involving real estate fraud, asset verification, or title disputes. Requests for county records fall under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act at Title 29, Chapter 100.

For the statewide sex offender database, the Delaware Sex Offender Central Registry lets users filter by city, zip code, or street. The registry is public and does not require a login. Failure to register is itself a criminal offense in Delaware, so the file is tightly tracked at the state level.

Sussex Correctional Institution

The Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown is the primary detention facility for Lewes arrests. People booked by Lewes PD or Delaware State Police pass through this site for fingerprinting, photographing, and intake. That data feeds the state criminal history database and the Delaware Department of Correction inmate locator.

The DOC online portal lets anyone search for current inmates by name or ID. Visitation needs advance scheduling and strict compliance with facility rules. Families tracking custody can sign up for free release alerts through VINE at vinelink.com. VINE covers Delaware and most other states, so one sign-up can follow a case through transfers.

The facility coordinates with Lewes Police, Georgetown Police, Seaford Police, and Delaware State Police Troop 4 and Troop 5 to process arrestees. That network keeps booking data flowing into the statewide system so any Lewes criminal history stays current across agencies.

Lewes Public Library and Local Resources

The Lewes Public Library at 111 Adams Avenue, Lewes, DE 19958 gives residents a quiet place to run searches on free databases. Phone is (302) 645-2733. Library staff can walk you through CourtConnect, point you to the FOIA request form, and help with Delaware Archives and Genealogy access tied to older Lewes criminal records. The library is a good first stop for anyone new to public records work.

Lewes City Council runs the local government with 5 elected members on 3-year terms. The council budget runs about $3.6 million a year. The small city government keeps the police department and the records desk close at hand for residents who need a paper copy of a Lewes criminal history item.

Delaware State Police troop maps are available at Troop 4. State Police serve the unincorporated parts of Sussex around Lewes and the state routes leading into the city. Troop 4 reports feed the same state database that holds a Lewes rap sheet from the city police side.

Clean Slate and Expungement

A Lewes criminal history may qualify for expungement under Title 11, Chapter 43, Subchapter VII. Section 4373 covers mandatory expungement for cases terminated in favor of the accused. Section 4374 covers discretionary expungement for misdemeanors and certain felonies. Section 4375 covers discretionary expungement after a pardon.

The Clean Slate Act effective August 1, 2024 made some expungements automatic. Simple drug possession convictions clear after 5 years. Other drug offenses, burglary tool possession, counterfeit controlled drug sales, and unauthorized credit card use clear after 10 years. Once the SBI runs the list, the Lewes rap sheet clears without a separate filing.

Fines, fees, and restitution must be paid first, though the court can waive those amounts for non-willful non-payment. The SBI expungement application costs $72.00 up front, with a second $75.00 money order on approval. Lewes residents can read the full statute at the state Title 11 site before they file.

Nearby Cities and County

Lewes sits on the Atlantic coast in eastern Sussex County, near Seaford to the west, Milford to the north, and Harrington further north in Kent County. Each city has its own records page on this site. Sussex County handles the court side for Lewes cases.

County

Lewes sits inside Sussex County. The county page lists the courthouse, sheriff, and state police contacts.