Find Union County Criminal History

Union County criminal history records are managed by the Superior Court Clerk and the Sheriff's Office in Blairsville, Georgia. Located in the mountains of north Georgia, Union County has a population of about 24,511. Criminal records here include arrest data, jail bookings, court case filings, and sentencing information. The sheriff's office in Blairsville keeps booking logs and arrest records, while the clerk holds court case files that track charges, pleas, and outcomes. You can search for these records at local offices or through state tools run by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. This guide covers all the methods for finding criminal history in Union County.

Union County Sheriff's Office Records

The Union County Sheriff's Office is in Blairsville, GA 30512. Call (706) 439-6066 to reach them. The sheriff handles law enforcement for the whole county and runs the Union County Detention Center. When someone is booked into the detention center, a record is created. That record includes the person's name, arrest date, charges at booking, bond amount, and custody status. These booking logs make up a key part of the criminal history in Union County.

For recent arrests, the sheriff's office is your best first stop. Call and ask about someone's custody status. Staff can confirm whether a person is being held and what the charges are. If you need a copy of an arrest report, put your request in writing. Open records requests go to the sheriff's office. There may be a fee for copies.

The sheriff also processes fingerprint-based criminal history checks. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person can request their own criminal history. Go to the Union County Sheriff's Office with a valid ID, get fingerprinted, and the request is sent to the Georgia Crime Information Center. The GCIC is run by the GBI and holds criminal history data from all 159 Georgia counties. They pull your full record and send it back. This is the most thorough personal criminal history check you can get in Georgia.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, every law enforcement agency in Georgia must report arrest data to the GCIC. Arrests in Union County go into the statewide database. That means an arrest in Blairsville can be found through state search tools once the data gets reported.

Union County Superior Court Clerk

The Union County Superior Court Clerk is in Blairsville, GA 30512. The phone number is (706) 439-6022. This office holds case files for criminal matters that go through the Union County court system. Felonies, misdemeanors bound over from Magistrate Court, and probation violations all get filed here. Each case file contains charges, court dates, plea information, the verdict, and the sentence.

Visit the clerk's office in person to search the case index. Copy fees apply. Certified copies cost more but come with the clerk's seal for official use. Union County is part of the Enotah Judicial Circuit. The clerk works with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which runs a statewide database of court filings. Not every Union County record appears in that system right away. It depends on how quickly the data gets reported.

Under Georgia law, the clerk's office reports criminal history data to the GCIC. A conviction from Union County should show up in a state-level search after the data gets into the system. Some records move quickly. Others take longer. If you search at the state level and do not find what you expected, try the clerk's office in Blairsville directly.

Record Restriction in Union County

Georgia uses record restriction rather than expungement. A restricted record in Union County is sealed from public view. The record still exists. Law enforcement can see it. But the public cannot access it through normal search tools.

Charges that were never sent to a prosecutor can be restricted after a waiting period. Two years for misdemeanor arrests. Four years for most felony arrests. Seven years for serious violent felonies. Cases that ended in dismissal or acquittal can qualify for restriction sooner. The prosecutor in the Enotah Judicial Circuit gets ten days to object. If no objection is filed, the record is sealed.

The full process is described in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. For Union County arrests on or after July 1, 2013, the process starts with the local District Attorney. For older arrests, you contact the arresting agency first. That is usually the Union County Sheriff's Office or the Blairsville Police Department.

State Search Tools for Union County

The Georgia Felon Search checks the GCIC database for felony convictions. It costs $15 per search. You enter a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back fast. The fee applies even if no record is found. This tool only shows felony convictions. Misdemeanors and pending charges do not appear. A felony conviction from Union County would show up once the data has been reported to the state.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It covers people currently in a GDC state prison. Someone convicted in Union County and sent to a state facility would appear here. People in the Union County Detention Center or those who already served their time will not show up in these results.

The GBI FAQ page on criminal history records answers common questions. It covers what records you can request, how the process works, and how data flows from the 159 counties into the state system.

How to Search Union County Criminal History

There are multiple ways to find criminal history in Union County. The best method depends on what kind of record you need.

• Call the Union County Sheriff at (706) 439-6066 for jail bookings and arrest records
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk in Blairsville 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 for specific arrest reports

The clerk has court case records showing charges, pleas, and outcomes. The sheriff holds arrest reports and jail booking data. State tools fill in the gaps with felony convictions and prison records from across Georgia. For case results, go to the clerk. For arrest and custody info, start with the sheriff. Between these sources, you can build a full picture of someone's criminal history in Union County.

First Offender Act in Union County

The First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 gives first-time offenders in Union County a path to avoid a formal conviction. The judge sentences the person under First Offender status. They serve their sentence. When they complete all terms, the court enters a discharge. That discharge triggers the restriction of the criminal history from public searches.

In Union County, First Offender cases go through Superior Court or State Court depending on the charge. After discharge, the record drops from public view in both the county system and the GCIC database. People sentenced in Union County before the law changed may be able to petition retroactively. Not all crimes qualify for First Offender status. Serious offenses are excluded. Talk to an attorney or the Enotah Judicial Circuit DA for specifics.

Wrong Records and Identity Issues

If someone used your name during an arrest in Union County, you might have charges on your record that are not yours. Identity theft can cause false criminal history entries. It happens more often than people expect.

To fix it, get fingerprinted at the Union County Sheriff's Office and ask the GCIC to compare your prints against the ones on file for the arrest. If the prints do not match, the record gets corrected. You should also file a police report about the identity theft. The process takes time but it is the only way to clear records that belong to someone else.

Nearby Counties

Union County is in the north Georgia mountains. If you can not find a record in Union County, check one of these neighboring counties.

Fannin County is to the west near Blue Ridge. Towns County sits to the east near Hiawassee. Lumpkin County is to the south near Dahlonega. White County borders Union to the southeast near Cleveland. Each county has its own court clerk and sheriff for criminal records. They all report data to the statewide GCIC database managed by the GBI.