Richmond County Criminal History

Richmond County criminal history records are kept by the Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government. Because Augusta merged with Richmond County in 1996, the court system and law enforcement operate under one structure. You can search for criminal history in Richmond County through the Superior Court Clerk on James Brown Boulevard, the sheriff's office on Walton Way, or Georgia's state-level databases. The clerk holds court case files while the sheriff keeps arrest and jail records. State tools from the GBI and the Department of Corrections add another layer of data that covers Richmond County cases alongside records from every other county in Georgia.

Richmond County Clerk Criminal Records

The Richmond County Superior Court Clerk is the main source for criminal case files in the county. The office is at 735 James Brown Boulevard in Augusta, GA 30901. You can call them at (706) 821-2460 for questions about records. The clerk handles all case files from Richmond County Superior Court, which covers felony charges and certain appeals. Each case file has the charge, the court dates, the plea, and how the case ended. Walk-in requests are taken on weekdays during business hours. If you need a certified copy for a legal matter, the clerk can stamp it with the court seal for a fee per page.

Richmond County criminal records at the clerk's office go back many years. The office keeps both active and closed case files. You can ask to see the case index in person or call the office for help finding a specific case. Staff can look up records by name or case number. If the case went through Augusta-Richmond County courts, it should be on file here. Cases from magistrate court or state court in the county may be held in a separate section, so it helps to know which court handled the matter.

The Richmond County Clerk of Courts website gives details about the office and how to request criminal case records filed in Augusta.

That page lists office hours, contact details, and the steps to get copies of criminal case documents from the Richmond County court system.

Richmond County Sheriff Criminal History Access

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office sits at 401 Walton Way in Augusta, GA 30901. The main phone line is (706) 821-1080. The sheriff runs the county jail and keeps booking records for every person brought in on criminal charges. These records show the arrest date, the charges at booking, and bond status. If you want to check on someone held in the Richmond County Jail, you can call the sheriff's office or check for online jail data through the Augusta-Richmond County website.

Arrest records from the Richmond County Sheriff are part of the broader criminal history system in Georgia. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, every local law enforcement agency in the state must report arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. That means when someone gets arrested in Richmond County, the data goes to the GCIC for storage in the statewide database. This is true for arrests made by the sheriff's office and by any local police agency in the Augusta area. The GCIC keeps these records and makes them available through state search tools.

Booking records at the jail get updated as new arrests come in. There can be a short lag before the most recent arrests show up. If you need the latest data, calling the sheriff's office is the fastest way to get it.

Note: The sheriff's office handles jail operations while the Augusta-Richmond County Marshal's Office handles some court-related duties separately.

Criminal Record Restriction in Richmond County

Georgia calls it record restriction, not expungement. When a Richmond County criminal history record gets restricted, the public can no longer see it. Law enforcement still has access. The record does not get erased. It stays in the system but is hidden from standard searches. This process matters for people in the Augusta area who had charges dropped or went through a diversion program and want their record cleaned up.

Several paths lead to restriction for a Richmond County criminal record. If the charges were dismissed or the prosecutor chose not to pursue the case, that record can be restricted. People who completed a pre-trial diversion or intervention program in Richmond County may qualify too. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, charges that were never sent to a prosecutor get restricted after set time periods. Misdemeanor charges get restricted after two years if there is no prosecution. Most felony charges take four years. Serious violent felonies take seven years.

First Offender cases in Richmond County also qualify for restriction. O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 lets first-time offenders avoid a formal conviction on their record. If a person in Richmond County gets First Offender status and finishes the sentence, the court enters a discharge order. After that, the criminal history record gets restricted from public view. The First Offender Act is one of the more common ways people in Augusta and Richmond County get their records sealed.

State Criminal History Tools for Richmond County

Two state tools let you search for criminal history that may include Richmond County records. The Georgia Felon Search checks the GCIC database for felony convictions across all 159 counties. It costs $15 per search. You need the person's name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back right away. The fee applies even if no record is found. This tool only shows felony convictions, so it will not list misdemeanor arrests or cases that ended without a conviction in Richmond County.

The GBI FAQ page answers common questions about how criminal history searches work in Georgia, including searches that cover the Richmond County area.

That page covers topics like who can request records, what the fees are, and how to challenge data that looks wrong on your own criminal history report.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free to use. It shows people serving time in a state prison right now. Someone convicted in Richmond County who got sent to a GDC facility will show up in this tool. It does not cover people in the Richmond County Jail or people who have already finished their sentence and been released. For a broader look at state criminal history resources, the GBI FAQ page on criminal history walks through the full process.

Richmond County Restriction Process

The steps to restrict a Richmond County criminal record depend on when the arrest took place. For arrests that happened before July 1, 2013, you start with the arresting agency. In most cases in the Augusta area, that means the Richmond County Sheriff's Office or the local police department. You file an application with them. They send it to the prosecutor, who has 90 days to respond. If there is no objection within that time, the record gets restricted.

For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, the process is different. You go straight to the prosecuting attorney. In Richmond County, that means the Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office. No application to the arresting agency is needed for these more recent cases. The DA reviews the request and decides whether to approve or deny it. If approved, the restriction order goes to the GCIC, and the record gets sealed from public searches. The GBI record restriction page explains the full process and the categories of records that qualify.

What Richmond County Criminal Records Show

A criminal history report from Richmond County pulls data from both local and state sources. It lists the person's name, date of birth, and a physical description. Arrest data shows which agency made the arrest, the date, and the charges filed. Court records show the outcome. You can see if a case ended in a conviction, plea deal, dismissal, or acquittal. If someone served time in a state prison, the GDC data gets added to the record.

Some records are not open to the public. Restricted records do not show up on public searches. Juvenile cases are sealed under Georgia law in most situations. Federal crimes handled by federal courts sit with federal agencies and are not part of the state GCIC database. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person in Georgia can request a copy of their own criminal history record. The fee is capped at $15 plus the cost of fingerprints. This right applies to people in Richmond County and across the state.

Criminal History in Richmond County Cities

Augusta is the only city in Richmond County. The city and county merged in 1996, so Augusta and Richmond County share the same government. All criminal cases in the area go through the Augusta-Richmond County court system. The Superior Court Clerk on James Brown Boulevard handles the case files. Local police and the sheriff's office share law enforcement duties across the consolidated area.

Augusta has about 206,303 residents and is the second largest city in Georgia. Because it operates as a consolidated government with Richmond County, the criminal history system here works a bit differently than in counties where the city and county are separate. All records funnel through the same offices.

Nearby Counties for Criminal Records

Richmond County sits on the South Carolina border in east-central Georgia. If you cannot find what you need in the Richmond County system, try these nearby counties. Criminal cases near county borders sometimes end up in a neighboring jurisdiction.

Columbia County borders Richmond County to the west and is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. Burke County is to the south. Jefferson County sits to the southwest, while McDuffie and Lincoln counties are to the northwest and north. Each county has its own clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system.