NO FCRA USE. This privately operated website has no connection to a local, state, or federal government agency. Neither the website nor its advertising partners supplies a service intended for credit decisions, employment screening, tenant screening, insurance underwriting, or another activity regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Its purpose is to identify criminal-record resources for Ritchie County and West Virginia. It is neither a private-investigation service nor a consumer reporting agency.
1. What This Website Is
This is a private reference site operating independently from government. It does not hold official criminal files, retrieve a record on a visitor's behalf, perform an official background check, or submit court papers for anyone.
Its material directs visitors to Ritchie County record custodians, including the Ritchie County Sheriff, Magistrate and Circuit Courts, the West Virginia State Police Criminal Identification Bureau, and the West Virginia Sex Offender Registry. It may also connect a visitor with an outside search service.
2. Rules for Using This Site
As a condition of use, you must not:
- Violate a federal, West Virginia, or local law through the website
- Use obtained information to threaten, stalk, or harass another person
- Rely on website content for housing, hiring, credit, or insurance decisions
- Attempt to enter systems or areas without authorization
- Operate a bot, scraper, or other automated collection tool against the pages
- Interfere with performance or prevent another visitor from using the service
3. No Harassment, Stalking, or Discrimination
Information obtained here or through a linked tool may not be used to harass, intimidate, stalk, threaten, or discriminate against anyone. Such conduct may also be criminal. This restriction is especially important for the West Virginia Sex Offender Registry. West Virginia law limits misuse, and the State Police warns against threatening, intimidating, or harassing a listed person. Registry information supports lawful safety awareness, not vigilantism or discriminatory action.
4. We Are Not a Consumer Reporting Agency
We are not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and do not create credit reports, background checks, or any other consumer report. The website and its advertising partners do not offer services designed to evaluate job candidates, rental applications, insurance pricing, or credit. Information from these pages or a linked tool must not be used to:
- Make a hiring, firing, or other employment choice
- Evaluate a prospective renter or housing applicant
- Assess creditworthiness or determine an insurance premium
- Decide eligibility for a permit, license, or public program
- Carry out any other decision regulated by the FCRA
When a regulated purpose requires a background check, use the authorized West Virginia State Police fingerprint process or a screening provider that complies with the FCRA.
5. No Legal Advice
The material is not legal advice. General descriptions of Ritchie County records cannot determine how a charge, conviction, warrant, or expungement law applies to a particular person. Seek advice from an attorney licensed in West Virginia.
6. No Warranties
All website material is supplied "as is," without a guarantee that:
- Any item is complete, accurate, or current at a particular moment
- Access will remain continuous or free from interruption
- The pages contain no defect, error, or security weakness
- An outside search provider will return complete or correct results
Criminal files change when charges are filed, amended, dismissed, sealed, or expunged. Updates can create unavoidable gaps. No website statement should be treated as an official certification from the Ritchie County courts, Sheriff, West Virginia State Police, or another government body.
7. Third-Party Services and Links
Links can lead to sheriff pages, court portals, West Virginia agencies, legal-aid organizations, and outside search services. Following one takes the visitor to a platform we do not control. We are not responsible for its availability, content, fees, or privacy practices. Review the destination's terms before using it.
8. Intellectual Property
The text, graphics, logo, and code belong to Ritchie County Criminal History or its content partners. They may not be copied, changed, distributed, or used to create another work without prior written consent.
9. Limits on Our Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim liability for harm arising from use of the website, including reliance on information found here or through a linked service.
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from a claim, demand, or legal proceeding caused by your use of the website or violation of these terms, including related costs and legal fees.
11. Governing Law
West Virginia law governs these terms. Any lawsuit arising from use of the website must be brought in a court located in West Virginia. Public access to Ritchie County court records follows §51-4-2, agency-record requests follow West Virginia FOIA §29B-1-3, and CIB dissemination follows §15-2-24; those statutes do not make this website a public office.
12. Changes to These Terms
These terms may be revised at any time. A revision becomes effective when the updated text is posted here.
13. Cutting Off Access
Access may be restricted or ended at any time, for any reason, without advance notice.
14. Severability
If a court finds one provision invalid or unenforceable, the remaining terms continue in effect. The affected provision will be narrowed only as much as needed to make it enforceable.
15. Questions
Questions about these conditions may be submitted through the Contact page.