Candler County Criminal History Records

Candler County criminal history records are kept by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Metter, the county seat in east-central Georgia. The clerk stores court case files for criminal matters heard in the Candler County Superior Court. The sheriff tracks arrests and runs the county jail. Candler County is part of the Middle Judicial Circuit, which also covers several neighboring counties. Both local offices and state-level tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation can help you find criminal history data tied to Candler County. This page explains each source and the steps to access records.

Candler County Superior Court Clerk

The Candler County Superior Court Clerk is at the courthouse in Metter, GA 30439. The phone number is (912) 685-5257. The clerk's office holds all criminal case files from the Candler County Superior Court. Felony cases make up most of the criminal docket, along with some misdemeanors that move up from lower courts. Each file includes the indictment or accusation, court dates, plea entries, and the final judgment.

Walk into the clerk's office to search records during business hours. Staff can pull up cases by name or by case number. Copies are available. Plain copies cost a set per-page fee. Certified copies are more expensive but have the court seal on them. You need certified copies for any official legal use. The clerk can also tell you the current status of a case if it is still open.

Criminal history data from the Candler County court system gets sent to the Georgia Crime Information Center under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34. This is mandatory for all courts in Georgia. So a conviction in Candler County enters the statewide database and can turn up in state-level searches later on.

Some records may be available through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority online system. Not all Candler County records are digitized, but the statewide effort to bring court records online has been growing over the years.

Candler County Sheriff's Office Records

The Candler County Sheriff's Office is in Metter. Call (912) 685-2277 for help. The sheriff handles law enforcement across the county and operates the county jail. Booking records from the jail are a key part of the criminal history system. Each booking entry shows the arrest date, the person's name, charges, and bond information.

Every arrest by the Candler County Sheriff gets reported to the GCIC under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34. Fingerprints from booking also go to the state system. That links each arrest to a specific person through prints, not just a name match. The Metter Police Department also reports its arrests the same way.

You can call the sheriff's office to ask about someone in the jail. Staff can confirm if a person is in custody and what they were booked on. For a copy of an arrest report, you file an open records request with the sheriff's office. Some reports may not be available while a case is still under active investigation. Ask the staff about what can be released.

Booking data updates as new arrests come in. There can be a short lag before new records show up in the state database. Local data at the sheriff's office is the most current source for recent Candler County arrests.

Record Restriction in Candler County

Georgia calls it record restriction. Not expungement. A restricted record in Candler County is sealed from the public. It still exists in the system. Law enforcement can still see it. But a regular person or background check service cannot access it.

There are several ways to get a record restricted. If charges were never referred to a prosecutor, the waiting period is two years for misdemeanors and four years for most felonies. Serious violent felonies take seven years. Cases that ended in dismissal or an acquittal can be restricted sooner. After an acquittal, the Candler County prosecutor has ten days to object. If they don't, the record gets sealed. All the rules for this are in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37.

The First Offender Act plays a role too. Under O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, a person with no prior convictions who finishes their sentence under this act gets discharged without a conviction on the record. The file is then restricted. A retroactive option exists for people who should have qualified at the time of sentencing but were not given First Offender treatment. For Candler County arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you start with the district attorney in the Middle Judicial Circuit.

State Tools for Candler County Criminal History

State databases cover Candler County along with the rest of Georgia. The Georgia Felon Search is $15 per search. It checks the GCIC for felony convictions statewide. You need a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back quickly. The $15 fee applies whether a record is found or not. Only felony convictions show up. Misdemeanors and pending charges are not included.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people who are currently in a state prison. Someone convicted in Candler County and serving time at a GDC facility would appear here. People in the county jail or those who have already finished their sentence will not show up.

For a fingerprint-based check of your own criminal history, the GBI FAQ page walks through the steps. Get printed at a local agency like the Candler County Sheriff, pay the fee, and the GCIC sends back everything on file under your prints in Georgia. This is the most thorough way to see what is in the system.

How to Look Up Candler County Criminal Records

You have a few ways to find criminal records in Candler County. Pick the one that fits what you need.

• Visit the Candler County Superior Court Clerk in Metter for court case files and certified copies
• Call the clerk at (912) 685-5257 for case lookups
• Contact the Candler County Sheriff at (912) 685-2277 for arrest and jail records
• Run a Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction data
• Check the GDC offender search for people in state prisons

Each source covers a different part of the system. Court records show charges and outcomes. The sheriff holds arrest and booking data. State databases add felony conviction records and corrections information. For a full picture, check more than one source.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Candler County is in east-central Georgia. If the record you need is not in the Candler County system, check one of these neighboring counties.

Emanuel County is to the west. Bulloch County, which includes Statesboro, is to the northeast. Tattnall County sits to the south. Evans County is to the southeast, and Toombs County borders to the southwest. Each has its own court clerk and sheriff handling criminal records.