Find Criminal History in Dawson County

Dawson County criminal history records are held by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Dawsonville, the county seat in the north Georgia mountains. The county is part of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit. If you need to pull up a criminal record here, both local and state options are available. The clerk on Tucker Avenue keeps court case files showing charges, pleas, and outcomes. The sheriff on Highway 53 East has arrest logs and jail data. State tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation provide another way to check felony records for Dawson County. This page covers each source and what you can get.

Dawson County Sheriff and Criminal Records

The Dawson County Sheriff's Office is in Dawsonville, GA 30534. Call (706) 344-3535 to reach them. The sheriff runs the county jail and processes all bookings for arrests made in Dawson County. Each booking record includes the name, arrest date, charges filed, bond amount, and release status. This data is one half of the criminal history picture for the county. The other half lives at the clerk's office, which tracks court case outcomes.

When someone is booked into the Dawson County Jail, that data gets sent to the state. The report goes to the Georgia Crime Information Center. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, local law enforcement must submit arrest data to the GCIC. An arrest in Dawsonville or anywhere else in Dawson County ends up in the state system after the sheriff submits it. Fingerprints taken at booking link the record to a specific person. This is more reliable than a name-based match.

Dawson County has grown a lot in recent years. The area north of metro Atlanta has seen steady population growth. More people means more law enforcement activity. The sheriff's office handles everything from minor offenses to serious felony arrests. To check on someone in the Dawson County Jail, call the number above. Staff can confirm if a person is held, list the charges, and tell you if bond has been set. You can also go to the office in person.

Criminal Records at Dawson County Clerk

The Dawson County Superior Court Clerk is at 25 Justice Way, Suite 1100, Dawsonville, GA 30534. The phone is (706) 344-3511. This office holds all criminal case files from the Dawson County Superior Court. Felony charges, some bound-over misdemeanors, and appeals from lower courts land here. Each file has the charges, court dates, plea info, motions, and the final result.

You can visit the clerk's office to search the case index in person. Per-page fees apply for copies. Certified copies cost more and carry the court seal. These are needed for legal proceedings. The clerk works with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which runs a statewide database. Some Dawson County records show up there too. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, the court must report criminal case data to the state.

The clerk can check the status of a pending case. A case number makes things faster. Without one, staff search by name. The Dawson County Magistrate Court handles some lower-level cases on its own, so you may need to check both courts if you are not sure where a case ended up. Dawson County is in the Northeastern Judicial Circuit along with Hall County. The same judges serve both counties, but each clerk keeps records separately.

Dawson County Criminal Record Restriction

Georgia uses the term record restriction, not expungement. A restricted record gets sealed from public view. It still exists. Law enforcement sees it. The public does not.

Charges never sent to a prosecutor get restricted after a wait. Misdemeanors take two years from the arrest date. Most felonies take four years. Serious violent felonies need seven years. Dismissed charges or acquittals can be restricted faster. The prosecutor gets ten days to object after an acquittal. If no objection is filed, the Dawson County record is sealed from public searches.

The First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 is another route. It lets a judge hand down a sentence without a formal conviction. The person must complete all terms. Once discharged, the case drops off public criminal history searches. A retroactive option exists too. If you should have been sentenced under First Offender but were not, you can petition the court in Dawsonville to apply it after the fact. This is a real option for people who went through the Dawson County courts years ago and did not know about the law.

The restriction rules are in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, start with the Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney. For older arrests, contact the arresting agency first. The GBI FAQ page has more on who qualifies.

State Tools for Dawson County Criminal History

State-run tools can show criminal history tied to Dawson County. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 per search. It checks the GCIC database for felony convictions across Georgia, including Dawson County. You need a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back quickly. The fee is charged even if no record turns up. Only felony convictions show. Misdemeanors and pending charges do not appear.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It lists people currently in state prison. Someone convicted in Dawson County who was sent to a GDC facility shows up here. It does not include people in the Dawson County Jail or those who already completed their sentence. The search is narrow but useful if the person went to state prison.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person can request their own criminal history record from the GBI. Get fingerprinted at a law enforcement agency, pay the fee, and the GBI sends a full GCIC report. The Dawson County Sheriff's Office handles fingerprinting for people in the area.

How to Search Dawson County Criminal History

There are several paths to find criminal history records in Dawson County. The best route depends on what type of record you need.

• Call the Dawson County Sheriff at (706) 344-3535 for jail bookings and arrest data
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk at 25 Justice Way 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 part of the system. The clerk has court case outcomes. The sheriff has arrest and booking records. State tools provide felony conviction data and prison info. Dawson County has seen rapid growth, so the volume of records is larger than you might expect for a mountain county. You may need to check more than one source to piece things together.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Dawson County is in the north Georgia foothills. It borders several other counties. Cases near the line can end up in a different jurisdiction.

Forsyth County is to the south and is much more populated. Lumpkin County is to the north. Pickens County sits to the west. Hall County is east and shares the Northeastern Judicial Circuit with Dawson. Cherokee County is to the southwest. Each has its own court clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system. All report data to the GCIC statewide database.