Chattooga County Criminal History Records

Chattooga County criminal history records are managed by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Summerville, the county seat in northwest Georgia. The clerk's office stores all court case files for criminal matters in the county. The sheriff tracks arrests, runs the jail, and keeps booking data. Chattooga County is part of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which it shares with Walker and Dade counties. State tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also cover records from Chattooga County. This page walks through each source and explains how to find criminal history information.

Chattooga County Clerk of Superior Court

The Chattooga County Superior Court Clerk is at the courthouse in Summerville, GA 30747. The phone number is (706) 857-0706. This office keeps criminal case files from the Chattooga County Superior Court. Felony cases are the main part of the criminal docket. Misdemeanors that get bound over from Magistrate Court are also in the clerk's records. Each case file holds the indictment, motions, plea entries, court dates, and the final judgment.

Walk into the clerk's office during business hours to search records. Staff can look up cases by name or case number. Plain copies cost a per-page fee. Certified copies cost more and come with the court seal. You need the certified version for legal filings. For personal reference, the plain copy works fine.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, the Chattooga County court system reports criminal history data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. Convictions and case dispositions enter the statewide GCIC database. A Chattooga County conviction will eventually show up in state-level searches as well.

Chattooga County sits along the Alabama state line. Some residents live near both state borders. Criminal records for events in Georgia stay in the Georgia system. If someone was arrested across the line in Alabama, that record is in Alabama's system and will not be in the Chattooga County clerk's files.

Chattooga County Sheriff's Office Records

The Chattooga County Sheriff's Office is in Summerville. Call (706) 857-0625. The sheriff provides law enforcement across the county and operates the jail. Booking records from the jail are a key piece of the criminal history picture. Each entry shows the person's name, arrest date, charges at intake, and bond information.

Arrest data from the Chattooga County Sheriff gets sent to the GCIC. O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34 makes this mandatory for all law enforcement in Georgia. Fingerprints collected at booking go to the state system too. That connects each arrest to a specific person through prints rather than just a name. The Summerville Police Department follows the same rules for arrests within city limits.

Call the sheriff to ask about someone in the jail. Staff can tell you if a person is in custody and the charges. To get a copy of an arrest report, put in an open records request. Reports tied to active cases may be held. The office will tell you what is available.

Chattooga County arrest data can take a short time to appear in the state GCIC database after the booking happens. For the most current local data, the sheriff's office is the best source.

Criminal Record Restriction in Chattooga County

Georgia uses record restriction to seal criminal records from public access. In Chattooga County, a restricted record cannot be found through public searches. It still exists in the system. Law enforcement can see it. The general public cannot.

Multiple paths lead to restriction. Charges never sent to a prosecutor can be restricted after a wait. Two years for misdemeanors. Four years for most felonies. Seven years for serious violent felonies. Dismissed cases and acquittals move faster. After a not-guilty verdict in Chattooga County, the prosecutor has ten days to object. If no objection comes, the record gets sealed. The rules are in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37.

The First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 provides another route. A first-time offender who finishes their sentence under this act gets discharged without a formal conviction on the record. Then the record is restricted from public view. A retroactive option exists for people who were not given First Offender treatment but should have qualified. For Chattooga County cases on or after July 1, 2013, you start with the district attorney in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. Older cases need contact with the arresting agency.

Pretrial diversion is also an option in some cases. If you complete a diversion program in Chattooga County, you can apply for record restriction once the program is done. The clerk's office can explain whether your case qualifies.

State Tools for Chattooga County Criminal History

State-run tools can pull criminal records tied to Chattooga County. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15. It checks the GCIC database for felony convictions across all of Georgia. Enter a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back fast. The $15 fee applies even if nothing is found. Only felony convictions appear. No misdemeanors or pending charges.

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

For a complete check of your own record, the GBI FAQ page explains the fingerprint-based process. Get printed at the Chattooga County Sheriff's Office, pay the fee, and the GCIC sends back everything on file under your prints in Georgia. This is the most thorough way to see your own criminal history.

How to Look Up Chattooga County Criminal Records

You have several options for finding criminal history in Chattooga County. Each source covers a different piece of the picture.

• Visit the Chattooga County Superior Court Clerk at the courthouse in Summerville for court case files
• Call the clerk at (706) 857-0706 for case lookups and document requests
• Contact the Chattooga County Sheriff at (706) 857-0625 for arrest reports and jail data
• Run a Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction data
• Check the GDC offender search for people in state prison

The clerk has court case records showing charges, pleas, and outcomes. The sheriff holds arrest and booking data. State databases fill in felony convictions and prison records from the rest of Georgia. For a complete view, check more than one source. People near the Alabama border may also need to check Alabama records if the incident happened across the state line.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

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

Walker County sits to the east and shares the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit with Chattooga County. Floyd County, which includes Rome, is to the south. Gordon County is to the southeast. Dade County is to the northeast, up in the far corner of the state. Each has its own court clerk and sheriff for criminal records.