Access Charlton County Criminal History

Charlton County criminal history records are managed by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Folkston, the county seat near the Florida border. This is a rural county in the far southeast corner of Georgia, bordering the Okefenokee Swamp. Criminal case files sit with the clerk. Arrest records and jail data are at the sheriff's office. The county is part of the Waycross Judicial Circuit. State-level tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also pull criminal records from Charlton County. This guide covers each source and how to get the records you need.

Charlton County Superior Court Clerk

The Charlton County Superior Court Clerk is at the courthouse in Folkston, GA 31537. The phone number is (912) 496-2354. This office holds all criminal case files from the Charlton County Superior Court. Felony cases are the core of the criminal docket. Some misdemeanors that move up from Magistrate Court also end up in the clerk's records. Each case file contains the indictment, motions, plea entries, hearing dates, and the final judgment.

You can visit the clerk's office in person during business hours. Staff will search for cases by name or case number. Copies of documents cost a per-page fee. Certified copies cost more and come with the court seal. If you plan to use a document in a legal proceeding, get the certified version. Plain copies are fine if you just want to read the file.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, criminal history data from Charlton County gets reported to the Georgia Crime Information Center. That means convictions from this county feed into the statewide database. A Charlton County case can show up in a state-level search through the GCIC system.

Charlton County has a small population, so the court docket tends to be lighter than in metro Georgia counties. This can mean quicker turnaround on record requests and less time waiting at the clerk's office.

Charlton County Sheriff and Arrest Records

The Charlton County Sheriff's Office is in Folkston. Call (912) 496-7321 for assistance. The sheriff provides law enforcement throughout the county and runs the county jail. Booking records from the jail are part of the criminal history system. Each record shows the arrest date, the person's name, charges filed at intake, and bond details.

Arrests made by the Charlton County Sheriff get reported to the GCIC. O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34 requires this of every law enforcement agency in Georgia. Fingerprints taken at booking go to the state system too. That links the arrest to a specific person through their prints. The Folkston Police Department follows the same reporting rules for arrests within city limits.

Call the sheriff's office to check if someone is currently in the Charlton County Jail. Staff can confirm custody status and the charges at booking. To get a copy of an arrest report, file an open records request. Some reports tied to active investigations may not be available right away. The staff will tell you what can be released and when.

Because Charlton County is near the Florida state line, some cases involve people from both states. Criminal records for activity in Georgia stay in the Georgia system. If someone was also arrested in Florida, those records are in the Florida system and would not show up in a Charlton County search.

Criminal Record Restriction in Charlton County

Georgia uses record restriction to seal criminal history from public view. In Charlton County, a restricted record cannot be found through regular public searches. The record still exists. Law enforcement can still see it. The general public cannot.

There are several paths to restriction. Charges that were never referred for prosecution can be restricted after a waiting period. Two years for misdemeanor arrests. Four years for most felony arrests. Seven years for serious violent felonies. Cases that ended in a dismissal or acquittal can qualify sooner. After a not-guilty verdict in Charlton County, the prosecutor has ten days to file an objection. No objection means the record is sealed. The full set of rules is in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37.

The First Offender Act is another avenue. Found at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, this law lets a first-time offender who finishes their sentence get discharged without a formal conviction. The record then gets restricted from public access. There is a retroactive option for people who should have gotten First Offender treatment but were not given it at sentencing. For Charlton County arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you start by contacting the district attorney in the Waycross Judicial Circuit. Older arrests require contact with the arresting agency first.

State Tools for Charlton County Criminal History

State databases can pull criminal records from Charlton County and every other county in Georgia. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 per search. You enter a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. The tool checks the GCIC database for felony convictions statewide. Results come back fast. The fee applies whether a match is found or not. Only felony convictions show up here. No misdemeanors, no pending cases.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free to use. It covers people who are in a GDC state prison right now. Someone convicted in Charlton County and sent to a state facility would appear. People in the county jail or people who already finished their time will not show up in these results.

For a fingerprint-based check of your own record, the GBI FAQ page has the full process. Get fingerprinted at the Charlton County Sheriff's Office, pay the fee, and the GCIC sends back a complete report of what is on file under your prints. This is the most thorough option for checking your own history in Georgia.

How to Search Charlton County Criminal Records

There are a few ways to look up criminal history in Charlton County. Each covers a different part of the system.

• Visit the Charlton County Superior Court Clerk at the courthouse in Folkston for court case files
• Call the clerk at (912) 496-2354 for case lookups and copy requests
• Contact the Charlton County Sheriff at (912) 496-7321 for arrest and jail records
• Run a Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction records
• Use the GDC offender search for people currently in state prison

The clerk has court case records with charges, pleas, and outcomes. The sheriff holds arrest reports and jail data. State tools fill in the gaps with felony convictions and prison records from across Georgia. To get the full picture, you may want to check more than one of these sources. The small size of Charlton County means local lookups tend to be faster than in busier metro counties.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Charlton County is in the far southeast corner of Georgia. If you cannot find a record in the Charlton County system, try one of these neighboring counties.

Camden County is to the east along the coast. Ware County, which includes Waycross, sits to the north. Brantley County is to the northeast. Clinch County is to the west. Each county runs its own court clerk and sheriff for criminal records. Ware County is the largest of the group and home to the Waycross Judicial Circuit office.