Meade County’s inmate search tool lists people currently held at the Meade County Detention Center. The roster is maintained by the Meade County Sheriff’s Office, located at the Meade County Courthouse, 200 N Fowler St., Meade, KS 67864. Federal detainees are not listed on this county roster — a separate federal locator covers those cases. Meade County is part of Kansas’s 16th Judicial District.
Looking for someone booked tonight? See If someone was just booked tonight for phone-first contact info.
Searching the Meade County jail roster
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office publishes an online inmate search through the county’s official website. No login is required. Search by the person’s last name or first name. The roster shows people currently in custody at the Meade County Detention Center.
- Go to the Meade County inmate search.
- Enter the person’s last name in the search field.
- Review the results for a name match. The record will show booking date and charges if the person is in custody.
If you prefer to call, reach the Meade County Sheriff’s Office at the courthouse, 200 N Fowler St., Meade, KS 67864. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Note that callers have reported difficulty reaching the District Court Clerk’s phone lines; the Sheriff’s Office is the correct contact for custody questions, not the Clerk.
What the roster does (and doesn’t) show
A new booking can take time to appear on the online roster. Processing at the Meade County Detention Center must be completed before a record becomes visible, so someone arrested within the past several hours may not yet show up in a search. Refresh the page and try again if the name is absent shortly after an arrest.
The roster covers only people held at the Meade County Detention Center on state or local charges. Juvenile records, sealed cases, and federal detainees do not appear. People held on federal charges — even if arrested in Meade County — are processed through the federal system and will not show on this county tool. The roster also reflects current custody only; it is not a historical log of past bookings. Booking photos may appear in official records but are not guaranteed to be publicly accessible, as the Meade County Sheriff’s Office retains discretion over their release under Kansas law.
A booking that happened tonight may still be working through the intake process at the Detention Center on North Fowler Street.
If someone was just booked tonight
Phone is your most direct path right now. Call the Meade County Sheriff’s Office — see the Sources section for the current number, and confirm it before calling. That’s the right office for custody questions tonight, not the courthouse clerk. The Sheriff’s Office can confirm whether the person has been booked into the Meade County Detention Center and give you the next steps.
Waiting for news is genuinely hard. A first court appearance before a judge follows booking — that’s when a magistrate sets bond or releases the person on their own recognizance. The Sheriff’s Office can tell you when that appearance is scheduled; the Meade County District Court Clerk, Branda Tilley, can also confirm the court date once the case is filed. Unless the magistrate orders otherwise, a bond on a felony or misdemeanor against a person carries a no-contact condition with the alleged victim for at least 72 hours — that is a bond condition, not a jail hold, and the magistrate can modify it.
Visitation is not available tonight. Plan to contact the Detention Center the next business day for visiting hours and procedures. Note that money orders are not accepted at the Meade County Detention Center; confirm accepted payment methods when you call. The Meade County Courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tomorrow morning, call the District Court Clerk’s office at the Meade County Courthouse, 200 N Fowler St., to get the case number and confirm the first appearance time. You can also check the Kansas Judicial Branch’s CaseSearch portal for district court filings once the case appears in the system. If you need an attorney, the Kansas Bar Association’s lawyer referral service and the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services can help locate counsel.
If the person isn’t on the Meade County roster
Timing is the most common reason a name doesn’t appear. Booking intake takes time, and the online roster at meadeco.org may lag behind the physical log at the Detention Center. Call the Sheriff’s Office directly to confirm custody status before assuming the person isn’t there.
- State custody transfer: If the person was sentenced on a prior case, they may have been transferred to a Kansas Department of Corrections facility. Search the KASPER offender search — note that KASPER is a historical record of people who have been in state custody, not a real-time list of current prisoners.
- Federal custody: Arrests on federal charges — drug trafficking, immigration, firearms offenses — go to the federal system. The Bureau of Prisons Federal Inmate Locator covers people in federal custody nationwide. County rosters never display federal detainees.
- Neighboring county: The arrest may have occurred in Ford, Clark, Gray, or another adjacent county. Check those sheriffs’ rosters directly.
- Already released: Bond may have been posted or the person released on recognizance before the roster updated.
- Custody notification via VINELink: Register for automated custody alerts — Kansas VINE sends notifications when a person’s custody status changes.
Nationwide inmate lookup
The Meade County roster covers only the local Detention Center. A nationwide search tool may help surface records from other Kansas counties, other states, or federal facilities that local portals often leave gaps on — useful when you’re uncertain where someone may be held.
Sponsored: Nationwide Records Search (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).
This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.
Resource comparison
| Resource | What it confirms | What it won’t show | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meade County inmate search | Current custody at Meade County Detention Center; booking date; charges | Federal detainees; juveniles; sealed cases; historical bookings | Search by last name; call Sheriff’s Office if name is absent |
| Meade County Sheriff’s Office — see Sources for number | Real-time custody status; booking confirmation; first appearance scheduling | Federal cases; cases in other counties | Call during business hours (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.) for custody questions |
| Kansas Judicial Branch CaseSearch | District court case filings statewide; charges; case numbers; hearing dates | Municipal court cases; cases not yet filed; federal cases | Search by name after case is filed; free, no login required |
| KASPER offender search — Kansas Department of Corrections | Historical record of people who have been in state custody | Current county jail inmates; people never sentenced to state prison | Use only if person may have been transferred to state custody |
| VINELink | Custody status notifications; release alerts for Meade County and statewide | Federal custody; detailed charge information | Register for automated alerts using the person’s name or ID |
Related Meade County resources
Meade County arrest records · Meade County warrant search
Nearby counties: Ford County inmate search · Clark County inmate search · Gray County inmate search · Kiowa County inmate search
Sources
Sources used for this page, verified 2026-11-10:
- Meade County inmate search — Meade County official website
- Meade County Sheriff’s Office — official county page
- Contact Inmates — Meade County — official county page
- 16th Judicial District — KS Courts — includes Meade County District Court contact and clerk information
- Kansas Judicial Branch district court records portal
- Kansas Judicial Branch CaseSearch
- KASPER offender search inmate locator
- VINELink — Kansas VINE
- Kansas Bar Association lawyer referral service
- Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services
Errors or outdated information? Report a correction.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find who is currently in the Meade County jail?
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office maintains an online inmate search through the county’s official website at meadeco.org. Search by last name to see people currently held at the Meade County Detention Center. The roster covers county and state-charge detainees only — federal detainees do not appear there. If a name is absent and you believe the person was recently arrested, call the Sheriff’s Office directly, as new bookings can take time to appear online.
How do I find out when a first court appearance is scheduled after an arrest in Meade County?
Call the Meade County Sheriff’s Office to confirm the person is in custody and ask about the scheduled first appearance. Once the case is filed, the District Court Clerk — Branda Tilley, at the Meade County Courthouse, 200 N Fowler St. — can confirm the hearing date and case number. You can also search the Kansas Judicial Branch’s CaseSearch portal for district court filings statewide at no charge. Bond is set by a judge at the first appearance; the Clerk’s office is the right contact for scheduling, not the jail.
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