Clarke County Criminal History Records

Clarke County criminal history records are managed through the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, which merged the city and county governments into one. This setup means the police department, sheriff's office, and court clerk all serve the same area under a single local government. Searching for criminal records here involves a few offices spread across Athens. The clerk at 325 East Washington Street holds court case files. The sheriff on Lexington Road keeps jail and booking data. The police department handles arrest reports. This page breaks down how to search for Clarke County criminal history and what each source can give you.

Clarke County Police and Criminal Records

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is the main law enforcement agency for the unified government. Their office is at 3035 Lexington Road, Athens, GA 30605. Call (706) 613-3330 for questions. Unlike most Georgia counties where a sheriff handles primary policing, Clarke County has a police department that takes on that role. The police handle arrests, incident reports, and investigations across the county. When someone gets arrested in Clarke County, the police department creates the arrest record. That record includes the person's name, charges, date of arrest, and the officer involved. This data then gets sent to the Georgia Crime Information Center as part of the state criminal history system.

You can file an open records request with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department to get copies of arrest reports or incident records. Georgia's open records law gives the public a right to most government documents. Walk in during business hours or call ahead to ask about the steps. Some records tied to active investigations may be held back until the case wraps up. The police department is the right place to start if you need arrest-level detail for a Clarke County criminal history search rather than court case outcomes.

Clarke County Sheriff and Jail Records

The Athens-Clarke County Sheriff's Office is at 3015 Lexington Road, Athens, GA 30605. You can reach them at (706) 613-3250. In the unified government setup, the sheriff's main job is running the county jail and providing court security. The sheriff does not handle primary law enforcement here like in most other Georgia counties. That falls to the police department instead.

The Clarke County Sheriff's Office website provides details on jail operations and inmate services for Athens-Clarke County.

Jail booking records at the Clarke County facility are part of the criminal history picture. Every person booked into the jail gets a record that shows charges at the time of arrest, bond amount, booking date, and release information. The sheriff's office can also assist with fingerprint-based criminal history requests. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person can request their own criminal history record through a fingerprint submission at a law enforcement agency. The Clarke County Sheriff's Office handles that process locally. You bring a valid ID, get printed, and the request goes to the GCIC for processing. Results come back by mail in most cases.

Note: The Clarke County jail booking system may take a brief period to update after a new arrest is processed at the facility.

Criminal Records at Clarke County Clerk

The Clarke County Superior Court Clerk is at 325 East Washington Street, Athens, GA 30601. Call (706) 613-3190 for information. This office holds case files for all criminal matters heard in Clarke County Superior Court. That covers felony charges, certain misdemeanor cases, and appeals from lower courts. Each case file includes charges, court dates, plea details, the verdict, and the sentence. If you want to know how a specific criminal case turned out in Clarke County, this is the office that has the answer.

The Clarke County Clerk of Courts page provides information on how to access court records and case filings for the Athens-Clarke County court system.

Walk-in searches are available during regular office hours at the Washington Street location. There is a per-page fee for copies. Certified copies of Clarke County court documents cost more than plain ones. The clerk can also check on pending cases. Some Clarke County court records are accessible through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which maintains a statewide database. Not every record shows up there, but many do. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, local agencies like the Clarke County court system must report criminal history data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. A Clarke County conviction should appear in a state-level search as a result of that reporting.

Clarke County Criminal Record Restriction

Record restriction is Georgia's version of sealing a criminal record. A restricted record in Clarke County gets hidden from public view. It still exists. Law enforcement and certain agencies can still see it. The general public cannot pull it up in a standard search.

There are specific situations that can qualify someone for record restriction in Clarke County. When charges are never prosecuted, the record can be restricted after a waiting period. Misdemeanor charges need two years. Most felony charges need four years. Serious violent felonies require seven years to pass before restriction is possible. Dismissed cases and not guilty verdicts can move faster through the process. After an acquittal, the Clarke County prosecutor has ten days to file an objection. If none comes in, the record gets restricted. People who complete a sentence under Georgia's First Offender Act, codified at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, may also qualify. That law lets a judge hand down a sentence without a formal conviction for first-time offenders who meet the criteria. Once the terms are completed without problems, the conviction never officially enters the record and the case gets restricted in Clarke County.

For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, the restriction process starts with the Clarke County District Attorney's office. Older arrests require going through the arresting agency first. The O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37 process also lets you challenge wrong information on your criminal history record, and the agency has 60 days to investigate and respond.

State Tools for Clarke County Criminal Records

Beyond local offices, state-run tools can pull up Clarke County criminal history data. The Georgia Felon Search checks the GCIC database for felony convictions statewide. It costs $15 per search. You enter the person's first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back fast. The fee applies whether or not a record is found. This tool only shows felony convictions. It will not display misdemeanors, pending charges, or restricted records from Clarke County or anywhere else in Georgia.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search costs nothing to use. It shows people who are currently in a state prison. Someone convicted in Clarke County and sent to a GDC facility would show up in this search. People held in the Clarke County Jail or those who already served their full sentence will not appear. The tool is narrow but helpful if you know the person went to state prison after a Clarke County case.

The GBI FAQ page on criminal history records covers common questions about the request process. It explains what types of records are available, the fees involved, and the typical timeline. The GBI manages the state criminal history database that includes data reported from all Georgia counties, Clarke County included. This is a good resource if you are not sure which type of search fits your situation.

How to Search Clarke County Criminal History

There are several ways to get criminal history records in Clarke County. The best path depends on the type of record you need and how quickly you need it.

• Call the Athens-Clarke County Police at (706) 613-3330 for arrest reports and incident records
• Contact the Clarke County Sheriff at (706) 613-3250 for jail bookings and inmate data
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk at 325 East Washington Street for court case files
• Use the Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction records
• Search the GDC offender database for people serving time in state prison

Each source handles a different slice of the Clarke County criminal history system. The police department has arrest details and field reports. The sheriff tracks jail bookings and bond status. Court records from the clerk show charges, pleas, and case outcomes. State tools add felony convictions and corrections data from across Georgia. Because of the unified government in Athens-Clarke County, the police and sheriff work under the same local government structure, but they keep separate sets of records. You may need to contact more than one office to get a full picture of someone's criminal history in Clarke County.

Criminal History in Clarke County Cities

Clarke County operates under the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County. Athens is both the city and the county, merged into a single government entity. With a population of about 129,995, Athens is the only major city here. The unified police department covers the whole county, so there are no separate city police forces within Clarke County. All criminal records funnel through the same Athens-Clarke County system, which simplifies the process for anyone searching for records tied to this area.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Clarke County sits in northeast Georgia and borders several counties in the area around Athens. Criminal cases that happen near the county line could fall under a neighboring jurisdiction. If you do not find what you need in the Clarke County system, one of these nearby counties may have the record you are looking for.

Oconee County borders Clarke to the south and is one of the smaller but fast-growing counties near Athens. Oglethorpe County is to the east. Madison County sits to the northeast, and Jackson County is to the northwest. Barrow County is to the west. Each one has its own court clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system.