Search Pierce County Criminal History

Pierce County criminal history records are kept by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Blackshear, Georgia. The county has a population close to 33,102 and sits in the southeastern part of the state. Criminal records here include arrests, court filings, and jail bookings across the county. You can search for these records at local offices or through state tools run by the GBI. The sheriff's office on South Main Street keeps booking and arrest data, while the clerk holds case files that track charges, pleas, and outcomes. This page covers how to find criminal history in Pierce County and what each source provides.

Pierce County Sheriff Criminal Records

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office is at 3000 South Main Street, Blackshear, GA 31516. Call (912) 449-7044 to reach them. The sheriff runs law enforcement across Pierce County and operates the county jail. Every person booked into the jail gets a record. That record shows the name, arrest date, charges at the time of booking, bond amount, and current status. Booking logs from the jail form one side of the criminal history picture in Pierce County. The other side sits with the clerk's office, which handles court case records.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office website provides contact details and information about services for the public.

Arrest records from the Pierce County Sheriff feed into the state criminal history system. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, every law enforcement agency in Georgia must report arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. When someone gets booked into the Pierce County Jail, that data goes into the GCIC database. You can call the sheriff's office to ask about someone held at the jail or to get details on a recent arrest in Blackshear or elsewhere in the county.

The sheriff also processes fingerprint-based criminal history checks. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person can get their own criminal history by submitting fingerprints and paying the state fee. You go to the sheriff's office with a valid ID, get printed, and the request goes to the GCIC. They pull your full record and send it back. The cost is $15. This gives the most complete personal criminal history check available in Pierce County.

Criminal Records at Pierce County Clerk

The Pierce County Superior Court Clerk is at 3550 South Main Street, Blackshear, GA 31516. You can call (912) 449-2020 for help. This office holds case files for criminal matters that move through the Pierce County court system. Felony cases, some misdemeanors, and probation violations all get filed here. Each case file tracks the charges, court dates, plea information, the verdict, and the sentence. If you want to know how a criminal case turned out in Pierce County, the clerk's office is the place to go.

The Pierce County Clerk of Courts page shows how to access court records and case details for the county.

You can visit the clerk's office in person to search the case index. Copies come with a per-page fee. Certified copies cost more but carry the clerk's seal for official use. Pierce County is part of the Waycross Judicial Circuit, which also covers Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee, and Ware counties. The clerk works with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which runs a statewide database of court filings. Not every Pierce County record shows up in that system right away, but many do over time. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, local agencies like the Pierce County court system report criminal history data to the GCIC. So a Pierce County conviction should appear in a state-level search down the line.

Pierce County Record Restriction

Georgia uses record restriction instead of expungement. A restricted record in Pierce County gets sealed from public view. The record still exists. Law enforcement can see it. The public cannot.

There are several ways a Pierce County criminal history record can be restricted. Charges never sent to a prosecutor get restricted after a set waiting period. The length depends on the charge type. Misdemeanors take two years from the arrest date. Most felonies take four years. Serious violent felonies need seven years. If the charges were dropped or the person was found not guilty, restriction can happen sooner. The prosecutor in the Waycross Judicial Circuit gets ten days to object after an acquittal. If no objection comes, the record is sealed.

People who finish their sentence under the First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 can also get their Pierce County record restricted. That act lets a judge impose a sentence without a formal conviction on the record, as long as the person completes the terms. For Pierce County arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you go through the District Attorney to start the restriction process. Older arrests require contact with the arresting agency first, which is usually the Pierce County Sheriff's Office in Blackshear.

State Tools for Pierce County Records

Georgia runs state-level search tools that cover all 159 counties, Pierce included. The Georgia Felon Search checks the GCIC database for felony convictions statewide. It costs $15 per search. You need a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex to run it. Results come back fast. The fee applies even when no record turns up. This tool only covers felony convictions. Misdemeanors and pending charges will not show. A Pierce County felony conviction would appear in this search since local court data flows into the state database.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people currently in a state prison. Someone convicted in Pierce County and sent to a GDC facility would appear here. People in the Pierce County Jail or those who already finished their sentence will not show up. It is a narrow tool but useful when you know the person went to state prison.

The GBI FAQ page on criminal history records answers common questions about the process. It covers what records you can request, how long it takes, and how the system works statewide. The GBI manages the criminal history data reported by all Georgia counties including Pierce.

How to Search Pierce County Criminal History

There are a few paths to get criminal history records in Pierce County. The right one depends on the type of record you need and how fast you want it.

• Call the Pierce County Sheriff at (912) 449-7044 for jail bookings and arrest data
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk at 3550 South Main Street for case files and certified copies
• Use the Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction records
• Search the GDC offender database for people in state prison
• File an open records request with the sheriff's office for specific arrest reports

Each source covers a different piece of the criminal history system in Pierce County. Court records from the clerk show charges and case outcomes. The sheriff's office tracks bookings and bond status. State tools add felony conviction data and corrections records. You may need to check more than one source to build a full view of someone's criminal history in the Pierce County area. The clerk is the best source for case results. The sheriff is best for arrest and jail records. Between the two offices and the state tools, you can get a solid picture of what is on file.

First Offender Cases in Pierce County

The First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 gives first-time offenders in Pierce County a way to avoid a formal conviction on their record. The judge sentences the person under First Offender status. They serve probation, jail time, or both. When they complete everything, the court enters a discharge. That discharge triggers the restriction of the criminal history record from public searches.

In Pierce County, First Offender cases are heard in Superior Court or State Court depending on the charge level. Once discharge comes through, the record drops off public searches in both the county system and the GCIC database. There is also a retroactive path. People who could have qualified for First Offender status at the time they were sentenced but did not receive it may petition the Pierce County court to apply it after the fact. This requires going back to the judge who handled the case originally. First Offender status does not apply to certain serious crimes. Check with the Waycross Judicial Circuit DA or a local attorney about whether someone is eligible.

How Pierce County Criminal Records Work

Criminal history in Pierce County builds from several sources over time. Arrest data from the sheriff's office shows what happened at booking. Court records from the clerk show how the case moved through the system. The GCIC adds data from other counties if the person has a record elsewhere in Georgia. Together, these sources create the full criminal history picture for a person in Pierce County.

Not all of it is public. Records restricted under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37 are hidden from public searches. Juvenile records are sealed in most cases. Federal criminal cases handled by federal courts do not appear in the state GCIC system at all. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, the GCIC can share criminal history with a defendant's attorney upon written request. In civil matters, criminal history data is generally only available with the person's written consent unless it involves a felony conviction already on the public record.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Pierce County borders several other Georgia counties in the southeast. Criminal cases near the county line may end up in a neighboring jurisdiction. If you cannot find a record in Pierce County, one of these nearby counties may have it.

Ware County is to the southwest and home to Waycross, which is the hub of the Waycross Judicial Circuit. Brantley County sits to the south. Glynn County is to the southeast along the coast near Brunswick. Wayne County borders Pierce to the north near Jesup. Bacon County is to the west, and Appling County sits to the northwest. Each has its own court clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system, but all law enforcement in the region reports arrest data to the same statewide GCIC database.