Search Dodge County Criminal History

Dodge County criminal history records are kept by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Eastman, the county seat in middle Georgia. The county is part of the Oconee Judicial Circuit. Looking up a criminal record here means working through local and state channels. The clerk on Anson Avenue holds court case files that track charges, pleas, and final outcomes. The sheriff keeps arrest logs and jail booking data. State tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation add felony record searches that include Dodge County. This page walks through each source so you know where to go and what each one gives you.

Dodge County Sheriff and Criminal Records

The Dodge County Sheriff's Office is in Eastman, GA 31023. Call (478) 374-4711 to reach them. The sheriff runs the county jail and books everyone arrested in Dodge 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. The other part sits at the clerk's office, where court case outcomes are tracked.

When someone gets booked into the Dodge County Jail, the sheriff sends that data to the state. The report goes to the Georgia Crime Information Center. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, all local law enforcement in Georgia must send arrest data to the GCIC. So an arrest in Eastman or anywhere in Dodge County shows up in the state system after submission. Fingerprints from booking tie each record to a specific person. This prevents mix-ups from common names.

To check on someone in the Dodge County Jail, call the sheriff's office at the number above. Staff can tell you if a person is held, what charges they face, and if bond has been set. Walk-in requests work too but take a bit longer. The jail serves the whole county, including arrests made by the Eastman Police Department. Local police handle city arrests but the sheriff runs the jail where everyone ends up.

Criminal Records at Dodge County Clerk

The Dodge County Superior Court Clerk is at 5401 Anson Avenue, Suite 201, Eastman, GA 31023. The phone number is (478) 374-2871. This office holds criminal case files from the Dodge County Superior Court. Felony charges, bound-over misdemeanors, and appeals from lower courts all land here. Each case file has charges, court dates, plea details, motions, and the final result. Want to know how a criminal case ended in Dodge County? The clerk is the right place to check.

Visit the clerk to search the case index in person. Copies carry a per-page fee. Certified copies cost more and have the court seal. They work for legal matters. The clerk also connects with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority statewide database. Some Dodge County records appear in that system. Court data gets reported to the state under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34.

If you have a case number, that speeds up any search. Without one, staff look up records by name. Dodge County is part of the Oconee Judicial Circuit along with several other middle Georgia counties. The same judges rotate through the circuit. But the Dodge County Clerk keeps its own records separate from the other counties.

Dodge 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 see it. The public cannot.

Several situations lead to record restriction in Dodge County. Charges never sent to a prosecutor get restricted after a wait. Misdemeanor charges take two years from the arrest date. Most felonies take four years. Serious violent felonies require seven years. If charges were dismissed or you were acquitted, restriction can happen sooner. The prosecutor has ten days to object after an acquittal. No objection means the Dodge County record gets sealed.

People who finish a sentence under the First Offender Act can get their record restricted too. That law is at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60. A judge in Dodge County can hand down a sentence without a formal conviction if the person completes all the terms. Once discharged, the case drops off public searches. There is a retroactive option. If you should have been sentenced under First Offender but were not, you can petition the court in Eastman to apply it later.

The full rules for restriction are in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, start with the Oconee Judicial Circuit District Attorney. Older arrests need contact with the arresting agency first. The GBI FAQ page has the full process and eligibility details.

State Tools for Dodge County Criminal History

State tools can pull up criminal history tied to Dodge County. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 per search. It checks the GCIC database for felony convictions statewide, Dodge 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 turns up. Only felony convictions show here. Misdemeanors and pending charges do not appear.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people currently in state prison. Someone convicted in Dodge County who was sent to a GDC facility appears here. It does not cover people held in the Dodge County Jail or those who already served their time. Dodge County sits near several state prison facilities in middle Georgia, so there is a fair amount of GDC activity in the area. But the offender search only shows current inmates.

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

How to Search Dodge County Criminal History

There are a few ways to get criminal history records in Dodge County. Pick the path that fits the record type you need.

• Call the Dodge County Sheriff at (478) 374-4711 for jail bookings and arrest data
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk at 5401 Anson Avenue 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 piece. Court records from the clerk show charges and outcomes. The sheriff has bookings and bond status. State tools add felony conviction data and corrections info. You may need to check more than one to build a full picture of someone's criminal history in Dodge County.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Dodge County is in middle Georgia. Cases near the county line can land in a different jurisdiction. If you do not find what you need in Dodge County, check one of these neighbors.

Laurens County is to the north and is the larger neighbor with Dublin as its county seat. Bleckley County sits to the northwest. Telfair County borders Dodge to the south. Wheeler County is to the east, while Montgomery County is to the northeast. Pulaski County is to the west. Each has its own clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system. All report arrest data to the GCIC statewide database.