- 1). Gather all of the information related to your arrest that did not result in charges or in which charges were dropped by the prosecutor's office. You will need the date of your arrest, the charges (if any), the arresting officer's name, his law enforcement agency and any police or court case number. If your expungement relates to a conviction on your juvenile record or a prosecuted case for which you received a pardon, you will also need the record of the court case, such as the case number, conviction or acquittal date and prosecuting attorney name.
- 2). Prepare a petition on 8½-inch by 11-inch paper using a word processor or typewriter that will be filed with the court. There is no special court form. The petition should include the name of the court, a title such as "Petition to Expunge Arrest Record" and your identifying information: name, address and phone number. List all of the information you gathered in Step 1 in the petition and include a statement at the bottom that you want request your record expunged. For expungement of a juvenile record, you should also include any information to show why it would be in your best interest to have your juvenile record expunged. At the very end of the petition, include a statement that the contents of the petition are true to the best of your knowledge.
- 3). Prepare the completed petition for filing with the court by signing and dating it on the last page. Make at least three copies of the petition to take with you along with the original to the clerk of court's office. If criminal charges were filed and dropped, the petition will have to be filed in the court where the charges were filed. This is also true for an expungement related to a governor's pardon. If charges were never filed, the petition should be filed in the court in the county where you were arrest. If the expungement relates to a juvenile record, you will have to file it in the juvenile court where you were prosecuted.
- 4). File the original petition with the clerk of court and request that the three copies you made are stamped by clerk to indicate the original was filed. Keep one copy for yourself. Mail one copy to the law enforcement agency that arrested you or the prosecuting attorney, if any, and mail the other copy to the state central repository for records at: Indiana Government Center, 100 N. Senate, Room 302, Indianapolis, IN 46204. The clerk will notify you if the court grants the petition or if a hearing date will be set on your petition. Be sure to attend the hearing if one is set by the court and be prepared to answer questions by the judge about your petition.
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