Access Dade County Criminal History

Dade County criminal history records are maintained by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Trenton, the county seat at the far northwest tip of Georgia. The county is part of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. If you need to look up a criminal record in Dade County, there are local and state options to use. The clerk's office on Government Street holds court case files with charges, pleas, and final outcomes. The sheriff on Main Street keeps arrest logs, booking data, and jail records. State databases from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation offer felony record checks that cover Dade County. This page breaks down each source and how to use it.

Dade County Sheriff and Criminal Records

The Dade County Sheriff's Office is in Trenton, GA 30752. Call (706) 657-3233 to reach them. The sheriff runs the county jail and processes all bookings for people arrested in Dade County. Each booking creates a record with the person's name, arrest date, charges, bond amount, and release status. This data makes up one part of the criminal history picture for the county.

When someone gets booked into the Dade County Jail, the sheriff's office creates a record that stays on file locally and also gets sent to the state. That report goes to the Georgia Crime Information Center. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, local law enforcement must send arrest data to the GCIC. So an arrest in Trenton or anywhere in Dade County will show up in the state system once submitted. Fingerprints taken at booking tie the record to a specific person rather than just a name.

Dade County is a small county. The sheriff's office is the main law enforcement agency. If you want to check on someone in the Dade County Jail, call the number above. Staff can tell you if a person is held, what charges they face, and if bond has been set. You can go to the office in person too. Walk-in requests take more time but staff can pull up booking records while you wait. The jail is small. Turnover is fast. People who stay longer may get moved to a regional facility.

Criminal Records at Dade County Clerk

The Dade County Superior Court Clerk is at 265 Government Street, Trenton, GA 30752. The phone number is (706) 657-4778. This office holds all criminal case files from Dade County Superior Court. Felony charges, bound-over misdemeanors, and appeals from lower courts all end up here. Each case file tracks charges, court dates, plea details, motions, and the final outcome. If you need to know how a criminal case turned out in Dade County, the clerk's office is where to go.

You can visit the clerk in person to search the case index. Copies have a per-page fee. Certified copies cost more and carry the court seal. They work for legal matters. The clerk also works with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which runs a statewide database of court filings. Some Dade County records appear in that system as well.

The clerk can check the status of a pending case. Having a case number helps speed things up. Without one, staff will search by name. Dade County is part of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which also includes Walker County and Chattooga County. The same judges rotate through all three counties in that circuit. But each county clerk keeps its own records separately.

Dade County Criminal Record Restriction

Georgia calls the process record restriction. It is not expungement. A restricted record gets sealed from public view. It still exists in the system. Law enforcement can still see it. The public cannot.

Several situations can lead to a record being restricted in Dade County. Charges that were never sent to a prosecutor get restricted after a set wait. For misdemeanor charges, the wait is two years from the arrest date. Most felonies take four years. Serious violent felonies need seven years. If charges were dismissed or you were acquitted, restriction can come faster. The prosecutor has ten days to object after an acquittal. If no objection is filed, the Dade County record gets sealed.

People who complete a sentence under the First Offender Act can also get their record restricted. That law is at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60. It lets a judge in Dade County hand down a sentence without a formal conviction, provided the person finishes all terms. Once discharged, the case falls off public criminal history searches. There is a retroactive path too. If you should have been sentenced under First Offender but were not, you can petition the court in Trenton to apply it after the fact.

The restriction process is covered by O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you start by going to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney. Older arrests require contact with the arresting agency first. The GBI FAQ page explains who qualifies and how the process works.

State Tools for Dade County Criminal History

State-run tools can pull up criminal history tied to Dade County. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 per search. It checks the GCIC database for felony convictions statewide, Dade County included. You need a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex to run a search. Results come back fast. The fee applies even when no record is found. This tool only covers felony convictions. Misdemeanors and pending charges do not show up.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people currently in a state prison. Someone convicted in Dade County and sent to a GDC facility appears here. It does not include people in the Dade County Jail or those who already served their time. The search is narrow but helpful if the person went to state prison after a case in Trenton.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person can request their own criminal history record. You get fingerprinted at a law enforcement agency, pay the state fee, and the GBI sends back a full report. The Dade County Sheriff's Office can handle fingerprinting for people in the area. This is the most thorough option since it pulls from the full GCIC database.

How to Search Dade County Criminal History

There are a few ways to get criminal history records in Dade County. The right path depends on what you need.

• Call the Dade County Sheriff at (706) 657-3233 for jail bookings and arrest data
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk at 265 Government Street for case files and certified copies
• Use the Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction records ($15)
• Search the GDC offender database for people in state prison (free)
• File an open records request with the sheriff for specific arrest reports

Each source covers a different slice of the system. Court records from the clerk show charges and case outcomes. The sheriff has bookings and bond status. State tools add felony conviction data and corrections info. Dade County is small, so the volume of records is lower than in metro areas. But the same state reporting rules apply. You may still need to check more than one source to build a full picture.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Dade County sits at the northwest tip of Georgia. It borders Tennessee and Alabama. Only two other Georgia counties share a border with it. Criminal cases near the county line can land in a different jurisdiction.

Walker County is to the east and south. It is the closest Georgia neighbor and sits in the same Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. Chattooga County is to the southeast. Both have their own court clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system. All report arrest data to the GCIC statewide database. If you cannot find a record in Dade County, check Walker County first since it is the most likely neighboring jurisdiction for cases near the border.