Terms of Use

1. What This Website Is

This is a private reference site that operates independently of government. It does not store official criminal records, retrieve records on a visitor's behalf, perform official background checks, or file documents.

Its materials direct visitors to the custodians of McDonough County records, including the sheriff, the Illinois Circuit Court, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification, and the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. The website may also connect visitors to outside search tools for lawful personal research.

2. Rules for Using This Site

As a condition of access, you will not:

• Break any federal, state, or local law while using this site
• Use information you find here to stalk, harass, or threaten anyone
• Base hiring, housing, lending, or insurance decisions on content from this site
• Try to break into our systems or gain access you are not supposed to have
• Run bots, scrapers, or automated tools against our pages
• Do anything that slows the site down or blocks other people from using it

3. No Harassment, Stalking, or Discrimination

Information found here or through a linked tool must not be used to harass, stalk, intimidate, threaten, or unlawfully discriminate against anyone. Such conduct is prohibited and may violate the law. This restriction is especially important for the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. Registry information exists for public-safety awareness, not confrontation, vigilantism, unlawful exclusion, or punishment of a listed person. The Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act, 730 ILCS 150, governs registration duties, while suspected violations should be reported to law enforcement.

4. We Are Not a Consumer Reporting Agency

McDonough County Criminal History is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA. It does not create background checks, credit reports, or consumer reports. Its advertising partners are not presented as services for applicant screening, rental decisions, insurance pricing, or credit decisions. You agree not to use website or linked-tool data to:

• Decide whether to hire or fire someone
• Screen potential renters or housing applicants
• Judge creditworthiness or set insurance premiums
• Determine who qualifies for licenses, permits, or government programs
• Do anything else that falls under FCRA rules

Anyone who needs a report for a regulated purpose must use an authorized, FCRA-compliant provider and follow all applicable law. The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification supplies official Illinois criminal-history products, but the requesting party remains responsible for choosing a legally suitable process.

5. No Legal Advice

Website content is general information, not legal advice. It cannot determine how a McDonough County charge, conviction, warrant, expungement, or sealing rule applies to an individual matter. Consult an Illinois-licensed attorney for advice about a specific situation.

6. No Warranties

All website content is supplied "as is." We make no promise that:

• The information here is accurate, complete, or current at any given time
• The site will stay up and running without interruptions
• Our pages are free of errors, bugs, or security holes
• Results from our partner search tools will be thorough or accurate

Criminal records change as charges are filed or dismissed and as eligible records are sealed or expunged under 20 ILCS 2630/5.2. Updates and reporting delays can create gaps. Nothing published here is an official statement from the McDonough County Circuit Clerk, sheriff, Illinois State Police, or another government agency.

7. Third-Party Services and Links

Links lead to sheriff pages, Illinois court portals, state agencies, legal-aid resources, and outside search services. Following a link opens a service outside our control. We are not responsible for its content, privacy practices, charges, availability, or results. Review the destination's own terms before using it.

8. Intellectual Property

Text, graphics, logos, and code belong to McDonough County Criminal History or its content partners. No one may copy, distribute, modify, or create derivative material from that content without prior written permission.

9. Limits on Our Liability

To the maximum extent allowed by law, we are not liable for damages arising from website use, including reliance on material obtained here or through a linked service.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from claims, actions, or demands caused by your use of the website or violation of these terms, including associated legal fees and costs.

11. Governing Law

Illinois law governs these terms. Any dispute arising from website use must be brought in a court located in Illinois.

12. Changes to These Terms

These terms may be revised at any time. A revised version becomes effective when it is posted on this page.

13. Cutting Off Access

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate access at any time, for any reason, and without prior notice.

14. Severability

If a court finds one provision invalid or unenforceable, the remaining terms continue in effect. The affected provision will be modified only to the extent needed to make it enforceable.

15. Questions

Questions about these terms may be submitted through the Contact page.