Rush County Criminal Case Files
Rush County criminal court records are kept by the Clerk of the Circuit and Superior Courts after a case is opened in Rush Circuit Court or Rush Superior Court. The clerk's official scope includes felony, misdemeanor, and miscellaneous criminal matters, and the prosecutor's criminal division prosecutes felony, misdemeanor, juvenile, and infraction cases in Rush County. The file can include the charging information, probable-cause material if public, initial hearing entries, appearances, motions, orders, plea documents, judgment, sentencing, probation terms, restitution, fines, fees, and final orders.
The Rush County Prosecutor page identifies Philip J. Caviness as prosecutor and lists the criminal division, pretrial diversion, bad-check program, infraction deferral, and child-support division. The prosecutor decides what charges to file after law enforcement referral, while the clerk maintains the court record once the case exists. For a narrower look at the arrest-to-charge path, use the Rush County arrest records and court charge page; this criminal record page stays focused on the complete case file and outcome.
The Rush County Prosecutor source is useful because it confirms the office that files and prosecutes Rush criminal matters.
That source ties criminal case records to the local prosecutor, not just a statewide search screen.
Rush County Criminal Courts
Rush County has two official trial courts of record: Rush Circuit Court and Rush Superior Court. Both are in the Rush County Courthouse, both handle criminal and civil cases originating in Rush County, and both are supported by the same elected clerk. Rush Circuit Court is listed with Judge Brian D. Hill, phone 765-932-2078, and circuitadmin@rushcounty.in.gov. Rush Superior Court is listed with Judge Leigh Morning, phone 765-932-3520, and rushsuperior@rushcounty.in.gov. Office hours for the court pages are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM.
Rush local rules add a local assignment rule that matters when reading a criminal record. Criminal cases with material elements or separate counts involving drugs or alcohol go to Superior Court. All other criminal cases go to Circuit Court unless a transfer or special assignment occurs. If the State dismisses and refiles a criminal case, the refiled case returns to the court from which dismissal was taken. Transfers between the courts may occur by order and acceptance, and local rules say only the court identifier part of the cause number changes.
| Court or office | Rush criminal record role | Contact point |
|---|---|---|
| Rush Circuit Court | Criminal cases not assigned to Superior by local drug or alcohol rule | 101 E Second St, third floor, 765-932-2078 |
| Rush Superior Court | Criminal cases with drug or alcohol elements, plus transferred matters | 101 E Second St, third floor, 765-932-3520 |
| Clerk of the Circuit and Superior Courts | Official criminal case file, copies, payments, criminal documents | Room 209, 765-932-2086 |
| Rush County Prosecutor | Charging, plea negotiations, diversion, infraction prosecution | Room 317, 765-932-2000 |
Search Rush County Criminal Records
Public Rush County criminal court records are searched primarily through Indiana MyCase. The Indiana Judicial Branch Rush County page links the public case search, and the Rush County Clerk page links a case lookup with a warning that not all cases may be found because of age or public-record limits. MyCase is free, but it is not the official court record. Official certified copies, older files, non-linked documents, and verified balances must come from the clerk.
- Open MyCase and choose case, party, or attorney search.
- Search by Indiana cause number when known, or search by defendant last name with a first name, middle name, or date of birth qualifier.
- Limit results by court, criminal case type, status, or filing-date range when too many records appear.
- Open the case and review the chronological case summary for filings, hearings, orders, warrants, bonds, plea entries, disposition, and sentencing.
- Contact the Rush County Clerk for certified copies, official balances, or public documents that do not have a MyCase document link.
MyCase search tips say case-number searches should use one of case number, citation number, or cross-reference number. Party searches should use last name or business name, and the asterisk wildcard works as a starts-with search. No search returns more than 1,000 results. Captcha may appear after repeated searches. Date of birth can help narrow a party search, but it does not display in public case details.
Rush County Criminal Case Flow
A Rush County criminal case record changes as the case moves through the courts. The first public court entry may be a charging document, probable-cause finding, initial hearing, bond order, or warrant entry, depending on the case. Later entries may show counsel appointment, pretrial conferences, motions, plea hearings, trial settings, dismissals, judgments, sentencing, probation, community corrections, restitution, and court costs. The chronological case summary, often called the CCS, is the date-by-date list of those events.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Initial Hearing or Arraignment › Pretrial and Motions › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing and Financial Orders
| Stage | What the Rush County record may show |
|---|---|
| Charges filed | Offense name, statute, level, filing court, prosecutor action, and cause number. |
| Initial hearing or arraignment | Advisement, plea entry, bond terms, counsel status, and next hearing. |
| Pretrial and motions | Appearances, continuances, discovery, suppression motions, warrants, and transport orders. |
| Plea or trial | Plea agreement, verdict, dismissal, acquittal, or other charge-level outcome. |
| Sentencing | Judgment, jail or prison term, probation, community corrections, restitution, fines, costs, and credits. |
Rush County Criminal Record Fields
A Rush criminal court record uses Indiana cause-number and docket conventions. The number can encode the county, court, filing date, case type, and sequence. MyCase may allow hyphens and leading zeroes to be included or omitted, and local rules state that a transfer between Circuit and Superior changes only the court identifier portion of the number. When the record is public, the case detail can help separate a filed charge from a conviction, and it can show whether a later order changed the public status of the case.
| Field | What it shows in Rush County |
|---|---|
| Cause number | Indiana case number, court identifier, date, case type, and sequence. |
| Court | Rush Circuit Court or Rush Superior Court, including transfers if any. |
| Case type and status | Felony, misdemeanor, miscellaneous criminal, open, closed, disposed, sealed, expunged, or confidential. |
| Parties and counsel | State, defendant, prosecutor, defense attorney, public defender, or pro se status when public. |
| Charges | Offense description, charge level, statute reference, amendments, dismissals, or reductions. |
| CCS entries | Filings, motions, hearings, orders, continuances, warrants, bonds, dispositions, and payments. |
| Financials | Court costs, fines, fees, credits, restitution, public-defender fees, diversion fees, and balances subject to clerk verification. |
| Restrictions | Redacted birth dates, personal identifiers, juvenile data, protected-party information, sealed entries, or expunged records. |
Rush Criminal Charges vs Convictions
A criminal charge is an accusation filed by the State. A conviction is an outcome after a guilty plea, verdict, or other judgment that results in guilt being entered. Rush County criminal court records can show charges that were filed but later amended, reduced, dismissed, or resolved without conviction. That is why a record should be read by charge count and by final disposition, not just by the first charge list visible in a search result.
| Point of comparison | Charge | Conviction |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Formal accusation filed in court by the State. | Final finding or plea that establishes guilt on a count. |
| Where it appears | Charging document, CCS, initial hearing, bond, warrant, and charge list. | Judgment, disposition entry, sentencing order, and financial orders. |
| Can change? | Yes. Charges can be amended, reduced, dismissed, or added. | Can be modified by later court order, appeal, post-conviction relief, sealing, or expungement. |
| Record-reading risk | A filed charge alone does not prove guilt. | Sentencing and financial entries should be checked for the actual count resolved. |
The Rush County Public Defender page also matters because appointed counsel can appear in criminal, CHINS, juvenile, and child-support matters when the Rush County Courts appoint the office. Public-defender information can help explain an appearance entry, but it does not replace the court's disposition or sentencing order.
The public defender source confirms the local office connected to appointed representation in Rush criminal cases.
Appearance and counsel entries in MyCase should be read with this local appointment structure in mind.
Rush County Criminal Sentencing Records
Sentencing entries can include jail time, prison commitment, probation, community corrections, court costs, fines, restitution, and special conditions. Rush County Court Services was restructured in 2016 as an umbrella agency over Community Corrections and Probation while keeping those functions distinct. Court Services lists Addictions Intervention Court, adult and juvenile probation, community service, community transition, day reporting, electronic monitoring, and pretrial release. Those terms may appear in a criminal CCS or sentence.
Rush County also has a prosecutor pretrial diversion program for eligible misdemeanor defendants with little or no criminal history. The prosecutor page says felonies are not eligible, and successful completion after one year can lead to dismissal. Diversion differs from a sentence after conviction because the case may be dismissed after conditions are met. A criminal record can also show restitution and criminal costs. Rush PayGov has a criminal costs and fines link, but the clerk should confirm official balances.
Note: PayGov payment does not change a charge, sentence, warrant, or bond term unless the court record shows the related order.
Rush County Sealed Criminal Records
Indiana law and court rules restrict some criminal court records. Juvenile court and law-enforcement records are confidential except where IC 31-39 allows access. Access to Court Records Rule 5 excludes some entire cases and many specific records, including medical, mental-health, substance-abuse, adoption, juvenile, identifier, and protected-party information. MyCase may also omit public documents if they are older, not linked, or only available at the clerk's office.
Indiana expungement law allows certain arrests, charges, juvenile allegations, misdemeanors, and convictions to be sealed or expunged if statutory conditions are met. MyCase may show an expungement case while pending or denied. Once granted, the underlying case may be removed from public access depending on the order and statute. Expunged or sealed records are not physically destroyed and remain available to courts and criminal-justice agencies for official purposes.
| Point of comparison | Sealed | Expunged |
|---|---|---|
| Public view | Hidden from general public access by rule, statute, or order. | Removed or limited from public access after a qualifying expungement order. |
| Record existence | The court record still exists. | The record is not destroyed, even when public access is restricted. |
| Who may see it | Courts and authorized agencies may retain access. | Courts and criminal-justice agencies may retain official access. |
| Rush filing route | Order or confidential filing through the court and clerk. | Petition filed in the court where the Rush case occurred. |
The Indiana expungement source is the controlling state law reference for eligibility and effect.
Rush criminal court records should be checked for the order that grants, denies, recalls, or limits public access.
Rush County Criminal Public Access
Indiana Access to Court Records Rule 4 states that court records are publicly accessible unless excluded by the court-record rules or other law. Indiana Access to Public Records Act, IC 5-14-3, also starts from a general rule of access for public agency records, with exceptions. For Rush County criminal records, that means public dockets and many final orders can be searched in MyCase, while official records, certified copies, non-linked documents, and older files remain clerk tasks.
Self-represented Rush filers should note the local no-email filing rule. The clerk page and 2026 local rules say the clerk's office does not accept emailed filings. Pro se filings may be made through state e-filing, in person, by U.S. Mail, or by fax if the local fax limits apply. Fax filing is limited to pro se litigants, must not exceed ten pages including the cover sheet, must not require a fee, and must be followed by the original as soon as practicable.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana is separate from Rush County prosecution. Federal criminal cases use federal court systems, not Rush County MyCase, even if the person lives in Rush County.
Federal and county criminal records must be searched through the correct court system because the custodians differ.
The U.S. Attorney Southern District contact source provides the federal prosecutor contact route for cases outside Rush County's state trial courts.
That federal contact source should be kept separate from the Rush County Prosecutor and clerk channels used for state criminal cases.
Public Record Search
Sponsored Results