I would base my decision on how recent his criminal arrest is to now.

If they left the state you will have to pay to have them arrested and brought back to appear in small claims court.

Generally required information may include: Applicant on-time for showing appointment Positive Government Issued ID Fully completed application for every occupant 18 years and older Applicant(s) able to pay complete deposit and rent deposit at time of lease signing Proof of adequate income which could include any of the following: Most recent paycheck stub Tax return copies for self-employed applicants Copies of deposit slips, investment earnings documents or Social Security earnings for retired applicants Any additional sources of income, ie child or spousal support, trust fund incomeIncome, Credit and Employment information required may include: Proof of verifiable employment and / or verifiable source of income Adequate gross income to rent ratio (2.5 to 3 times income to rent) No excessive debt which may impact applicant(s) ability to pay rent Good credit history free of negative credit issues which may indicate an applicant is high-risk and / or indicates a patternof payment delinquencyCourt Records: History of criminal activity (arrests and / or convictions by any occupant, adult or minor) which could negatively affect tenancyRental history information required may include: If applicant has prior rental experience, good references from prior landlord(s) No prior evictions on applicant(s) recordState dependent:ADVERSE ACTION NOTICE REQUIRED WHEN DENYING OR OFFERING CONDITIONAL TENANCY TO APPLICANTNote: In the event an applicant is denied tenancy, or any other form of adverse action is taken against the applicant including requiring an additional deposit, a qualified guarantor, last month’s rent, or increased monthly rent, the landlord is required to provide an Adverse ActionNotice.

I would want to know how long ago that arrest was. 

I have already learned a number of things you mention here-#identify property debt and title issues#find and read public recorded data from civil and criminal records I had an interesting case where civil records listed an owner at one address but there was a criminal arrest file for a domestic violence incident at another address. 

I can't get inside right now because there are some terrible tenants in there(drug use/arrests, domestic disturbance calls, etc.).

They make the call as to charging you with a violation, they have administrative powers to levy fines in hearings, they can also have someone arrested and charged.

The "unsafe" situation was there were drug dealers there and they found some needles laying around when they arrested the people and the county health officials condemned it.

One of them got arrested and the other one does not feel safe. and moved out.  

I found a domestic violence arrest record which listed an alternative address and voila that was how I finally found the guy.