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How do I find out where someone is being held after a DUI?

When a friend or family members is arrested by the police or sheriff deputy, they may feel helpless as a loved one is taken away in handcuffs. The family may have to wait for hours or even days before they can find out what will happen. To find out where someone is being held after an arrest, you may have to call around to multiple detention facilities or police offices.

The best way to find out where someone is being held after a DUI may be to contact the experienced East Bay DUI lawyer Lynn GorelickYour attorney is familiar with the various city and county facilities and can track down the individual. Your lawyer can also act quickly to get the individual released and begin building a case to fight the criminal charges.

California Arrest Process

One reason it may be difficult to find out exactly where someone is located is that they may be moved around over the course of a day or two. In many DUI cases, the individual will be released on their own recognizance after the arraignment. However, until release, the individual may be in the local police station, sheriff station, courthouse, or detention facility.

Detention Facilities in the East Bay

The specific detention facility may depend on whether the individual was arraigned if the individual is a juvenile, the arresting agency, county or city where the arrest occurred, and whether jail facilities were full.

Contra Costa Detention


The Martinez Detention Facility is the primary point of intake for individuals arrested in Contra Costa County.

Martinez Detention Facility (MDF)

1000 Ward Street

Martinez, CA  94553

(925) 335-4600

If the person was arrested in Contra Costa County, you may be able to find the booking report online. An Inmate Booking Report search will show information about recent arrests, including:

  • Name
  • Booking date and time
  • Booking number
  • Arrest location
  • Bail amount
  • Arrest charges

To find out more information about someone held at the Martinez Detention Facility, you can call (925) 335-4600 and get information about the charges, custody status, bail amounts, and release date.

Alameda County Detention


If the individual was arrested in Alameda County, you may be able to locate the person through the county website's Inmate Locator search tool. This generally requires entering, at a minimum, the inmate's first and last name. The search results should show:

  • Name
  • Personal File Number (PFN)
  • Custody Status
  • Holding Facility


The primary detention facility in Alameda County is the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.


Santa Rita Jail

5325 Broder Blvd

Dublin, CA  94568

(925) 551-6500


Other detention facilities in Alameda County include: 


Fremont Detention Facility

1990 Stevenson Blvd.

Fremont, CA  94538

(510) 790-6703


Berkeley Police Department's Jail Facility

Ronald T. Tsukamoto Public Safety Building

2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way

Berkeley, CA 94704

(510) 981-5766

Still Cannot Locate the Individual

If you still cannot locate the individual who was arrested, you can contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer. An East Bay criminal defense lawyer is familiar with the arrest and booking procedures of local law enforcement, can contact the detention facilities, and let you know where your loved one is being held and how to get them released. 

Locating and Releasing a Loved One After an Arrest

It can be just as stressful for friends or family members when a loved one is taken away by the police. The arrest and booking process can be confusing and the person arrested may have no way to contact others to let them know where they are being held.

The family members may want to secure bail, get a lawyer, and get their loved one released as soon as possible, which requires finding out where the person is. By contacting an experienced East Bay defense attorney, the family can find out where the person is being held, determine if he or she is going to be released, whether there is a bond, and the specific criminal charges. The lawyer can also begin to build a strong defense quickly, including helping a driver keep their license.

East Bay DUI defense attorney Lynn Gorelick has more than 30 years of DUI experience and understands how to challenge DUI charges in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. If you have any questions about a loved one who has been arrested, contact East Bay criminal defense lawyer Lynn Gorelick today.

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