Call jail administration at 785-625-1050 with the person's full name; the sheriff's front desk is 785-625-1040. Booking can take longer when someone refuses paperwork or identification is slow to verify, so a person picked up an hour ago may not be confirmed yet. The arresting agency matters too: Hays police, Ellis police, Victoria police, campus police at Fort Hays State and deputies all book into this one jail.

- Ellis County Jail, 105 W. 12th St., Hays, KS 67601; jail administration 785-625-1050, sheriff 785-625-1040. The sheriff, the jail, Hays police and the city court share the same block, beside the courthouse at 107 W. 12th St. - Rooks County Jail, 803 S. Elm St., Stockton, KS 67669, 785-425-6312 - Trego County Jail, 525 Warren, WaKeeney, KS 67672, jail admin 785-743-5722 - Russell County Jail, 210 E. 4th, Russell, KS 67665, 785-483-2151 - Ness County Jail, 221 W. Main St., Ness City, KS 67560, 785-798-3611 A person arrested here but moved to another jail is still tracked by the Hays sheriff.

Open VINELink, choose Kansas and search by name. A match shows the holding agency and custody status, and registering sends a notice by phone, text or email once that person is freed or moved. Toll-free help: 866-574-8463. If a fresh arrest does not appear, phone the jail.

The sheriff publishes no booking photos. A booking photo or arrest report can be requested from the sheriff at 785-625-1040 under the Kansas Open Records Act (K.S.A. 45-215), which lets an agency withhold some criminal investigation records. Records about an ICE detainee are requested through ICE FOIA.

Hays is where the Ellis County Sheriff's Office sits, and its deputies serve the county's warrants; a call to 785-625-1040 will settle whether one is out. Nobody in Kansas can search warrants statewide, yet Hays district court files are on Kansas CaseSearch, and a judge's warrant shows up there. Most people handle it by turning themselves in at the Ellis County Jail after a lawyer has spoken with the court. If a missed date is behind the warrant, the Hays clerk of the district court, on West 12th at number 107, answers at 785-628-9415.

Which agency filed the charge decides the bond. A county defendant normally appears before a judge on the day of arrest or the next morning, since K.S.A. 22-2901 requires a first appearance without unnecessary delay. Hays Municipal Court holds first appearances at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Thursday. Some walk out on a recognizance bond; others pay at the jail at the jail or use a bondsman from the court's approved list. Money in a person's jail account can also go toward bond. Our Ellis County bail page explains bond types and refunds.

- Felonies and county misdemeanors: Ellis County District Court, Ellis County Courthouse, 107 W. 12th St., Hays, KS 67601; 785-628-9415, fax 785-628-8415. It is part of the 23rd Judicial District with Gove, Rooks and Trego counties. Search cases by name on Case Search. - Hays city charges: Hays Municipal Court in the police building at 105 W. 12th St., 785-625-1070. - Ellis city charges: Ellis Municipal Court, 815 Jefferson, 785-726-4812, which sits twice a month. Our Hays court page walks through each step.

A judge can appoint counsel for someone who cannot afford one after a sworn financial affidavit. Appointed counsel is provided through the State Board of Indigents' Defense Services, 785-296-6631.

Visits are on a video phone in the lobby between the courthouse and the sheriff's office; contact visits are not allowed. Visiting runs Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., scheduled ahead and capped at 30 minutes: - Tuesday: Sections A and C - Wednesday: Sections B and D - Thursday: Sections E and F - Friday: Sections G and H Up to three approved visitors may sit in at once. Adults need photo ID, children come with a parent or guardian, and every visitor is checked for warrants. Leave bags, food, drinks, gum, phones and cameras outside. Family from out of state may ask about an exception. See our visitation page.

• Calls: outgoing only, through the jail's contracted phone provider, recorded and monitored. Billing questions: 800-382-2887; prepaid accounts: 800-943-2189. See our phone page and messaging page.
• Mail: inmate's full name, Ellis County Jail, 105 W. 12th St., Hays, KS 67601. Put the sender's full name and return address on the front, with no stickers, tape or drawings. Use white paper and envelopes, send five photos at most, and skip stamps, blank paper, clippings, perfume and markers. Legal mail must be marked and name the attorney or firm. See our mail page.
• Money: deposits cover bond, commissary and phone time, through the lobby kiosk (cash or card, weekdays) or an online card service. See our money page and commissary page.

Any minor a judge orders locked up goes to a youth detention facility, never the grown-up cells on 12th Street. The sheriff at 785-625-1040 can tell the family where.

Search KASPER, the Kansas Department of Corrections offender lookup, then use our Kansas prisons directory for that facility's phone and mail details.

Federal charges from Hays are filed in the Topeka division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas; the clerk's office is at 444 S.E. Quincy, Room 490, Topeka, KS 66683, 785-338-5400. The U.S. Marshals Service in Topeka, 785-596-9470, finds jail beds for people awaiting federal trial, sometimes in county jails like this one. After sentencing, use the BOP inmate locator.

1. ICE may lodge a Form I-247A detainer after booking.
2. Paying the state bond does not lift it.
3. Hays jailers may hold someone "up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released" (8 CFR 287.7(d)); if ICE does not take custody, the person is released.
4. Kansas falls under ICE's Chicago Field Office, 872-351-3990.
5. Look up a detainee with the ICE detainee locator or at 888-351-4024.

• Ellis County Sheriff's Office, 105 W. 12th St., Hays, KS 67601: 785-625-1040
• Hays Police Department, 105 W. 12th St., Hays, KS 67601: 785-625-1030, non-emergency 785-625-1011
• Ellis Police Department, Ellis, KS 67637: 785-726-4462
• Victoria Police Department, 206 Marc Wagner Dr., Victoria, KS 67671: 785-735-9354
• Fort Hays State University Police, 600 Park St., Hays, KS 67601: 785-628-5304
• Schoenchen and the rural townships have no police department; sheriff's deputies cover them.
• Kansas Highway Patrol: 785-296-6800. Emergencies: 911.