Decatur County Jail Roster Overview
The local custody lookup for Decatur County is the BlueHorse current-inmates roster linked from the official Decatur County sheriff page. The roster is for the Decatur County Jail in Leon, the one confirmed local detention facility in the county facility map. It is operated by the Decatur County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Chris Lane and is the place to start when the question is how do I find someone in the Decatur County jail after a recent arrest or local hold.
The inspected public roster URL is http://inmates.bluhorse.com/default.aspx?ID=DECATURIA. Research found that the county-linked HTTP page rendered and the service endpoints responded, while HTTPS access produced expired-certificate or 403 behavior for command-line clients. That means the county's link is still the official route, but a browser or security setting may affect how the vendor page opens. The BlueHorse jail metadata also returned PastInmatesPublic: 0, so public past-inmate lookup appears disabled for Decatur County even though a past-inmate tab exists in the interface.
The county roster is not a statewide prison search, a federal inmate search, or an immigration detainee locator. It covers current public Decatur County Jail entries, including local pretrial detainees, local sentenced inmates, warrant or probation holds, and local holds pending release or transfer when applicable. People sentenced to state custody move to the Iowa Department of Corrections Offender Search. Federal inmates are searched through the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator, and immigration detainees are searched through the ICE Online Detainee Locator System.
The BlueHorse roster linked for Decatur County shows the current-inmate interface used for county jail searches.
The screenshot matches the roster channel discussed here: a current public list, profile tabs, and name filters rather than a separate historical archive.
How to Use the Decatur County Inmate Roster
Start with the official county sheriff page or go directly to the Decatur County BlueHorse roster. The roster loads facility metadata first, then populates the current-inmate list. No booking number is required for a basic public search. A first name, last name, or both can narrow the left-side list, and leaving both boxes blank displays the current public entries that the vendor service returns.
- Open the Decatur County Jail current roster at inmates.bluhorse.com/default.aspx?ID=DECATURIA or use the "Current Inmates - Decatur County Jail" link from the official sheriff page.
- Wait for the facility name to load. The page title changes to "Current Inmates - Decatur County Jail" after BlueHorse returns Decatur jail metadata.
- Review the current-inmate list in the left pane. The list is populated automatically from the public current-inmates service.
- Use the first-name and last-name boxes to filter the list. The page filters by matching the uppercase first-name and last-name attributes behind each list entry.
- Select a listed person to open the profile. BlueHorse then calls separate services for inmate information, arrest and incarceration information, charges, detainers, bonds, image data, and court tab details.
- Read the tabs as roster data, not as final court history. Charge descriptions, bond entries, and hearing rows should be compared with Iowa Courts Online or the Decatur County Clerk when a filed case is involved.
- If the person is not listed, move through the fallback chain: call the jail, visit the sheriff office or jail, make a Chapter 22 records request, check Iowa DOC, register with Iowa VINE, and use BOP or ICE locators if the custody path is federal or immigration-related.
Decatur County Roster Search Fields
The current public BlueHorse roster uses simple current-list filters. The broader page markup also contains past-inmate and agency-login controls, but Decatur County's jail metadata indicates public past-inmate access is disabled. Do not use the agency-login area unless an agency has issued credentials.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Optional | Filters current list entries by first-name attribute. |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Filters current list entries by last-name attribute. |
| Past Inmate tab | Tab | Not public for Decatur | Tab exists in markup, but PastInmatesPublic: 0 indicates public past-inmate access is off. |
| First Name (Past Inmate) | Text | Optional if enabled | Past search field exists in markup but is not a reliable public Decatur route. |
| Last Name (Past Inmate) | Text | Optional if enabled | Past search field exists in markup but Decatur public access appears disabled. |
| Perm Id | Text | Optional if enabled | Past-inmate identifier field, not useful for ordinary current roster searches. |
| State Id | Text | Optional if enabled | Past-inmate state identifier field in vendor markup. |
| Start Date / End Date | Date text | Optional if enabled | Past search dates initialize as mm/dd/yy, but public past access appears off. |
| Agency Login | User name and password | Required for agencies | Not a public search path. |
What a Decatur County Inmate Profile Shows
A Decatur County BlueHorse profile can show the current booking record, identity fields, custody location fields, charge rows, bonds, detainers, court rows, and an image area. The inspected list service returned booking number, first, middle, last and full name, date of birth, jacket number, location, release date, and farm-out fields. At inspection, the public service returned six current entries, but a live jail count can change quickly.
| Field or Tab | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Mugshot / image | The image area loads through GetImageSkt; the endpoint returned image data for a current public profile, so current profiles can display booking photos. |
| Name and demographics | First, middle, last, suffix, sex, date of birth, height, weight, race, hair, eye, skin, build, and nationality fields may appear or may be blank depending on public settings. |
| Booking # and Jacket # | The booking number identifies a custody event; the jacket number is a local person identifier that may connect multiple events. |
| System identifiers | FBI, State ID, State Alt ID, INS, KOMS, and Tomis fields can exist but may be blank or null. |
| Address/contact fields | Address, city, state, ZIP, and phone fields exist in the profile structure, but public values may be blank and should be treated cautiously. |
| Building / Pod / Cell / Bed | Housing location fields identify the jail housing area, such as a pod, cell, or bed, rather than a public street address. |
| Book Date / Release Date | Booking date and release date fields show the custody timeline when populated; a blank release date often means the person is still in custody. |
| Arrest Agency | The agency associated with the arrest or custody entry. |
| Charges | Rows can include Code, Description, Type, Disposition, Case #, OTN #, and Offense Date. |
| Detainers | Rows can include Description, Agency, Bond Amount, and Bond Type for holds from another authority. |
| Bonds | Rows can include Agency, Bond Type, Bond Amount, and Bond Status. |
| Court | Rows can include Court, Date, Room, and Hearing Type if the tab is populated. |
| Previous Bookings | Previous-booking lists appear only for logged-in agency users, not the ordinary public view. |
Finding County, State, and Federal Inmates
A Decatur County arrest can move through several systems. The county jail roster is the first place to check for current local custody. After sentencing to state prison or placement under Iowa DOC supervision, the record may move to the Iowa DOC locator. A federal prosecution, federal sentence, U.S. Marshals hold, or immigration matter can require a different federal tool. The safest approach is to match the search tool to the custody authority.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County jail, pretrial, local sentence, warrant hold | Decatur County BlueHorse roster | Current public entries at Decatur County Jail. |
| State prison or DOC supervision | Iowa DOC Offender Search | Sentenced prisoners and DOC-supervised people, with weekly-update cautions. |
| Federal inmate | BOP inmate locator | Federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to present, searchable by name or number. |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator System | Current ICE custody and CBP custody over 48 hours, searched by A-number or biographical data. |
| Custody notifications | Iowa VINE | Notification service for custody or case status updates where available. |
Decatur County Jail Facility and Contact Card
Current official and high-authority sources resolve the Decatur County detention facility list to one local jail: Decatur County Jail. No separate county annex, work-release facility, regional jail, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention facility was found inside Decatur County. Leon law-enforcement routing also reinforces the sheriff as the central local contact.
Decatur County Jail
206 NE 2nd Street
Leon, IA 50144
641-446-4111
Operator: Decatur County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff's Office: 201 NE Idaho St., Leon, IA 50144
Public hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; after hours, go to the jail.
Full Access Channel Chain
If the roster does not answer the question, Decatur County records research points to a chain of official and practical channels. Use the phone first for current custody, bond logistics, visitation gaps, and time-sensitive release questions. Use an Iowa Chapter 22 request when the record is not online, when an older booking is needed, or when a booking photo or police report must be requested from the agency that created it.
- Online roster: BlueHorse current roster for Decatur County Jail.
- Phone: Decatur County Sheriff/Jail at 641-446-4111.
- In person: Sheriff's Office at 201 NE Idaho St. during posted business hours; jail at 206 NE 2nd Street when the office is closed.
- Records request: Iowa Chapter 22 request to the Decatur County Sheriff's Office or Jail. No dedicated sheriff records portal was found. Published local fees include $10 for a police report and $0.50 per page for copies.
- Court records: Iowa Courts Online and the Decatur County Clerk for filed charges, hearing dates, dispositions, and public court documents.
- Iowa DOC: Iowa DOC Offender Search for sentenced prisoners and DOC supervision.
- VINELink: Iowa VINE for custody and case notifications.
- BOP and ICE: Federal and immigration locators for custody outside the county jail system.
- Decatur County Sheriff Iowa app: The app is documented as a public-safety communication, tips, reporting, news, and information channel. No inmate roster, warrant search, or mugshot feature was confirmed, so it should not replace the roster.
Booking Process in Decatur County
Decatur County does not publish a detailed local booking manual online, so the reliable description comes from the jail roster fields, the jail address, and Iowa court timing law. A person may be arrested by the Decatur County Sheriff's Office, Lamoni Police, Iowa State Patrol, another local agency, or by court order. If local custody is required, the person is transported to Decatur County Jail for intake.
During intake, BlueHorse field evidence supports a booking number, jacket number, book date, possible book time, arrest date, arrest agency, offense date, booking/search officer fields, and housing fields. The public profile structure can include demographics, a booking-photo image slot, charges, bonds, detainers, incarceration information, and court rows. Charge rows are roster entries and may not match final prosecutor-filed charges.
Iowa Code section 804.21 requires a person arrested on a warrant to be taken without unnecessary delay before a committing magistrate unless released by bond or recognizance as allowed. Section 804.22 addresses release and initial appearance after warrantless arrest. The statewide Uniform Bond Schedule applies only in defined pre-appearance situations. After the first appearance, the judicial officer sets release conditions under section 811.2.
Visitation Schedule and Published Gaps
Current Decatur County official sources reviewed did not publish a visitation schedule, visitor ID rule, dress code, child-visitor rule, attorney-visit rule, visitor entrance, parking instruction, phone vendor, video-visit vendor, mail policy, commissary vendor, or deposit method for the jail. Because the county page says after-hours assistance should go to the jail, call 641-446-4111 before arriving, mailing property, sending funds, or scheduling any visit.
| Topic | Decatur County Finding | Practical Step |
|---|---|---|
| In-person schedule | Not published in current official sources. | Call 641-446-4111 before traveling. |
| Video visitation | Not published in current official sources. | Do not assume a video vendor exists without jail confirmation. |
| Visitor ID | Not published in current official sources. | Ask the jail what identification is accepted. |
| Dress code and child visitors | Not published in current official sources. | Confirm rules before a visit is scheduled. |
| Attorney visits | Not published in current official sources. | Attorneys should coordinate directly with the jail. |
| Visitor entrance and parking | Not published in current official sources. | Confirm the entrance, ADA access, parking, and item restrictions before arrival. |
| Mail, phone, commissary, deposits | Not published in current official sources. | Call before sending money, property, or mail. |
How to Contact or Support a Decatur County Inmate
The Decatur County jail research found no official mail format, legal-mail rule, mail-scanning vendor, commissary vendor, kiosk, online-deposit provider, phone-deposit method, or fee schedule for inmate funds. Do not borrow vendor instructions from Decatur County, Georgia or other similarly named counties. Iowa DOC family-service pages may help families of sentenced state prisoners, but they do not establish Decatur County Jail procedures.
For a current Decatur County Jail inmate, confirm custody on the BlueHorse roster and then call the jail at 641-446-4111 before mailing anything, sending money, or attempting to arrange a call or visit. For a state prisoner who has left county custody, use the Iowa DOC Offender Search and DOC family resources instead. For a federal or ICE detainee, use the federal locator and follow the holding agency's instructions.
Commissary, Money, and Bond Logistics
No official Decatur County source found during research identified an inmate commissary vendor, online deposit link, kiosk location, deposit limit, tablet program, or phone account provider for the jail. The sheriff page does publish a general fee schedule that includes $10 police reports, $0.50-per-page copies, and $60-per-day room and board, but those are not commissary or deposit instructions.
Bond status can appear on the BlueHorse Bonds tab, and detainers can show bond amount and type, but payment methods were not published locally. Call the jail at 641-446-4111 for current bond status and payment logistics, then verify court-set bond and hearing information through Iowa Courts Online or the Decatur County Clerk.
Note: Confirm current custody and local rules with Decatur County Jail before sending money, mailing property, scheduling a visit, or attempting to post bond.