Search Catoosa County Criminal History

Catoosa County criminal history records are managed by offices in Ringgold, Georgia. The Sheriff's Office on Highway 41 and the Superior Court Clerk on Lafayette Street are the two main places that hold criminal record data for the county. Catoosa County is part of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which also covers Walker, Chattooga, and Dade counties. With a population of about 67,580, the county sits in the far northwest corner of the state along the Tennessee border. This page explains where to search for Catoosa County criminal history and what you can expect to find at each source.

Catoosa County Sheriff Criminal Records

The Catoosa County Sheriff's Office is at 5842 Highway 41 in Ringgold, GA 30736. You can call them at (706) 935-2424. The office is open around the clock. The sheriff runs the county jail and keeps booking records for every person brought in on criminal charges in Catoosa County. These records include the person's name, arrest date, charges at the time of booking, bond amount, and the arresting officer. Sheriff Gary Sisk heads the department, which patrols over 160 square miles in northwest Georgia.

Arrest records created by the Catoosa County Sheriff feed directly into the state criminal history system. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, every law enforcement agency in the state must report arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. That means when someone gets booked into the Catoosa County Jail, the data flows into the GCIC database. You can call the sheriff's office to ask about someone currently held at the jail or to get details on a recent arrest in Ringgold or anywhere else in the county.

The Georgia Felon Search portal lets you run a statewide check for felony convictions that may include Catoosa County cases.

That tool costs $15 per search and pulls from the GCIC database. It only shows felony convictions. Misdemeanors and arrests that did not lead to charges will not show up. You need a name, date of birth, and sex to run the search.

Criminal Records at Catoosa County Clerk's Office

The Catoosa County Clerk of Superior Court is at 875 Lafayette Street in Ringgold, GA 30736. The phone number is (706) 935-4231. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The clerk handles all criminal case files that pass through the Catoosa County Superior Court. This covers felony charges, certain appeals, and other criminal matters within the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. Each case file contains the charges, hearing dates, plea details, motions, and the final disposition.

Catoosa County also has an online case search system. The Catoosa County court records search lets you look up cases without going to the courthouse. You can search by name or case number. This is a useful option if you want to check for a criminal case tied to Catoosa County before making the trip to Ringgold. In-person visits to the clerk's office are still the best way to get copies. Plain copies come with a per-page fee. Certified copies cost more and carry the court seal, which is what most legal proceedings need.

Note: The Catoosa County State Court handles some misdemeanor cases separately from Superior Court, so check both if you are unsure where a case was filed.

Catoosa County Criminal Record Restriction

Georgia uses the term record restriction instead of expungement. A restricted record is sealed from public view. Law enforcement keeps access. The general public does not. For people in Catoosa County who want to clear their criminal history after charges were dropped or a sentence was completed, restriction is the main path.

The process depends on when the arrest happened. For arrests before July 1, 2013, you start by contacting the arresting agency. In Catoosa County, that is usually the sheriff's office in Ringgold. They forward the request to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney. The DA has 90 days to respond. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you skip the agency step and go directly to the prosecutor. Charges that were never referred to a prosecutor get restricted on a set timeline under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. Misdemeanor charges take two years. Most felonies take four. Serious violent felonies need seven years. Dismissed charges and acquittals can be restricted sooner depending on the situation and whether the DA objects within ten days.

First Offender Cases in Catoosa County

The First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 gives first-time offenders in Catoosa County a way to avoid a formal conviction on their record. The judge sentences the person under First Offender status. They go through their sentence, which could be probation, jail time, or both. When they complete the terms, the court enters a discharge. That discharge triggers the restriction of the criminal history record from public searches.

In Catoosa County, First Offender cases are heard in Superior Court or State Court based on the charge level. Once the discharge comes through, the record drops off public searches in the county system and in the GCIC database statewide. There is also a retroactive option. People who qualified for First Offender status at the time of sentencing but did not receive it may be able to petition the original court in Catoosa County to apply it after the fact. This requires going back to the judge who handled the case.

Note: First Offender status does not apply to certain serious crimes, so check with the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit DA or a local attorney about eligibility.

State Tools for Catoosa County Criminal History

State-level search tools can turn up criminal history data linked to Catoosa County. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 per search and checks the GCIC database for felony convictions statewide. Results come back quickly. The fee is charged whether or not a record shows up. This tool only covers felony convictions. Arrests that did not lead to charges, misdemeanors, and restricted records from Catoosa County will not appear.

The GBI FAQ page covers common questions about criminal history records, including how to request your own record and how to dispute errors.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people currently in a state prison. If someone convicted in Catoosa County was sent to a GDC facility, their name would appear here. It does not include people in the Catoosa County Jail or those already released. For broader questions about how the criminal history system works, the GBI FAQ page explains who can request records, what the fees are, and how to challenge incorrect information. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, every person in Georgia has the right to review their own criminal history. The fee is capped at $15 plus fingerprinting costs.

How Catoosa County Criminal Records Work

Criminal history in Catoosa County comes from several sources that piece together over time. Arrest data from the sheriff's office shows what happened at booking. Court records from the clerk's office show how the case moved through the system. The GCIC adds data from other counties if the person has a record elsewhere in the state. Together, these sources build the full criminal history picture for a person in Catoosa County.

Not all of it is open to the public. Records restricted under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37 are hidden from public searches. Juvenile records are sealed in most situations. Federal criminal cases handled by federal courts do not appear in the state GCIC system. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, the GCIC can share criminal history with a defendant's attorney upon written request. In civil matters, criminal history data is generally only available with the person's written consent unless it involves a felony conviction.

Criminal History in Catoosa County Cities

Ringgold is the county seat of Catoosa County. Fort Oglethorpe is the largest city in the county. All criminal cases from these communities go through the Catoosa County court system no matter where the arrest took place. The clerk on Lafayette Street and the sheriff's office on Highway 41 handle all the criminal records for the county.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Catoosa County borders several other counties in northwest Georgia and is close to the Tennessee state line. If you cannot find what you need in the Catoosa County system, a neighboring county may have the record you are looking for. Cases near the border sometimes fall under a different jurisdiction.

Walker County is to the south and shares the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit with Catoosa County. Whitfield County sits to the east and is home to the city of Dalton. Dade County is to the west, a smaller county tucked between Walker County and the state line. Each county has its own sheriff, court clerk, and criminal record system, but all law enforcement in the region reports arrest data to the same statewide GCIC database.