Lamar County Criminal History Search

Criminal history records in Lamar County are held by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Barnesville, Georgia. Lamar County is part of the Towaliga Judicial Circuit and has a population close to 18,500. The clerk's office at the courthouse in Barnesville keeps case files from Superior Court, while the sheriff holds arrest and booking data from the county jail. You can look up criminal records in person at the Lamar County courthouse or use state tools run by the GBI. This page explains each source, how to use them, and what you can expect to find in the Lamar County criminal history system.

Lamar County Superior Court Clerk

The Lamar County Superior Court Clerk is in Barnesville. Call (770) 358-5145 for record requests. The clerk keeps files on all criminal cases heard in Lamar County Superior Court. These cover felony charges, appeals from lower courts, and misdemeanor cases bound over from Magistrate Court. Each case file tracks charges, court dates, plea info, and the final outcome.

Certified copies carry the court seal and cost a per-page fee. Plain copies are cheaper. Not every outside agency will take a plain copy. Bring a valid ID when you go in person. Staff look up cases by name or case number. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person can check their own criminal history record by filing a written request. The state sets the fee at $15, not counting fingerprint costs.

The Towaliga Judicial Circuit includes Lamar, Butts, and Monroe counties. Judges rotate through all three. The district attorney for the Towaliga Circuit handles felony prosecutions in Barnesville. That same office processes record restriction requests for Lamar County arrests that took place after July 1, 2013. For older arrests, you go through the arresting agency instead.

Lamar County Sheriff's Office

The Lamar County Sheriff's Office is in Barnesville. The main number is (770) 358-5151. The sheriff runs the county jail and keeps booking records for everyone brought in on criminal charges. These records show the arrest date, charges at intake, and bond info. Call the office to check on someone in the Lamar County jail.

Warrant service is part of what the sheriff does. When a judge signs an arrest warrant, the sheriff carries it out. That arrest data goes into the criminal history system. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, all local law enforcement in Georgia must report arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. An arrest made in Lamar County gets sent to the GCIC database. The report lists who made the arrest, the date, the charges, and the court result once the case finishes. Because of this, Lamar County criminal data appears in state-level searches too, not just at the local office in Barnesville.

Record Restriction in Lamar County

Georgia does not have expungement. The state uses record restriction. A restricted record in Lamar County is sealed from the public. It still exists in the system. Law enforcement can see it. The general public cannot find it through a normal search.

Charges that were dismissed or not prosecuted can be restricted. Pretrial diversion completions qualify too. The First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 is one of the most common paths to restriction. It lets a first-time offender avoid a formal conviction if the court agrees. When the sentence is done, the record gets restricted across the state. Offenders under 21 with certain misdemeanor convictions can also apply for restriction of their Lamar County criminal history record.

For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, the request starts with the Towaliga Circuit DA in Barnesville. Older arrests go through the arresting agency. The process can take weeks or months depending on the case type and the office workload. There is no set timeline in state law for how fast the DA must respond.

State Tools for Lamar County Criminal Records

You do not need to go to Barnesville to check criminal history tied to Lamar County. The Georgia Felon Search lets you search the GCIC database for felony convictions across the state. The fee is $15. You enter the person's first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back right away. The fee applies even if the search turns up nothing.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It lists people in state prison right now. If someone was convicted in Lamar County and sent to a GDC facility, they show up there. It does not cover people in the Lamar County jail or those who finished their sentence. The GBI FAQ page has answers to common questions about what you can get and how the system works.

GCIC and Lamar County Records

The Georgia Crime Information Center collects criminal history data from all 159 counties. Every arrest in Lamar County gets sent to the GCIC by local law enforcement. The center builds a master file for each person that combines arrests, charges, court results, and corrections data from any county in the state.

A fingerprint-based check through the GBI is the most thorough option. You submit your prints and the GBI matches them against the full GCIC database. This picks up records from every county, even those filed under different names or aliases. The fee is $15 under state law. People in Lamar County who need a certified copy of their own record for court or personal reasons often use this. The process can be started through the GBI or at a local office that does fingerprinting.

How to Search Lamar County Criminal History

There are several ways to look up criminal history in Lamar County. What works best depends on what record you need and how quick you need it.

• Visit the Lamar County Superior Court Clerk in Barnesville for court case records and certified copies
• Call the Lamar County Sheriff at (770) 358-5151 for jail bookings and arrest data
• Run a Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony records that include Lamar County
• Check the GDC offender search for people in state prisons
• Contact the GBI for a fingerprint-based criminal history report

Court records from the clerk give the most detail on how a case played out. The sheriff has arrest and jail info. State tools pull data from across Georgia. Start with the clerk in Barnesville and then try a state search to cover the rest. For your own record, the GBI fingerprint check is the most complete option.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Lamar County sits in the central part of the state and shares borders with several counties. Criminal cases near the line may fall under a different jurisdiction. If you cannot find what you need in Lamar County, try these nearby counties.