Walker County Criminal History

Walker County criminal history records are held by offices in LaFayette, Georgia, the county seat. The Sheriff's Office on South Duke Street handles arrest and booking data, while the Superior Court Clerk keeps case files from the court system. Both are part of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. If you want to search for criminal records tied to Walker County, you can call, visit, or use Georgia's state search tools. The county has about 69,761 residents and sits in the far northwest corner of the state, right along the Tennessee line. This page breaks down where to look and what each source holds for Walker County criminal history.

Walker County Sheriff Criminal Records

The Walker County Sheriff's Office is at 105 South Duke Street in LaFayette, GA 30728. The phone number is (706) 638-1909. The sheriff runs the county jail and keeps booking records for anyone brought in on criminal charges. Those records show the person's name, arrest date, charges at the time of booking, bond amount, and the name of the arresting officer. The sheriff's office also handles warrant service and patrols across Walker County. You can call their main line to ask about someone held in the jail or to get details on a recent arrest.

The Walker County Sheriff's Office website has information about the department, jail services, and how to reach the records division in LaFayette.

That page covers the sheriff's contact details and links to different parts of the department. Arrest records from the Walker County Sheriff feed into the statewide criminal history system. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, all law enforcement in Georgia must send arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. When the sheriff books someone in Walker County, that data goes into the GCIC database and becomes part of the person's statewide criminal history record.

Walker County also has the Walker County Police Department, which handles some law enforcement duties in the unincorporated parts of the county. Arrests made by county police go through the same booking process. The data still ends up with the sheriff's jail operation and in the state system.

Criminal Records at Walker County Clerk's Office

The Walker County Clerk of Superior Court is at 103 South Duke Street in LaFayette, GA 30728. You can reach them at (706) 638-1743. The clerk maintains criminal case files from Walker County Superior Court. This includes felony charges, some appeals, and other criminal matters that move through the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. Each case file has the charges filed by the prosecutor, hearing dates, plea information, motions, and the final outcome.

The Walker County Clerk of Courts office is the place to go when you need copies of court documents tied to a criminal case in the county.

You can visit the clerk's office in person to search for case records. Staff can look up cases by name or case number. Copies cost a per-page fee. Certified copies carry the court seal and cost more, but they are needed for most legal purposes. The office is open on weekdays during business hours. Call ahead to confirm a case is on file before making the drive to LaFayette if you are coming from outside the area.

Note: Walker County State Court handles some misdemeanor criminal cases separately from Superior Court, so check both courts if you are not sure where a case was filed.

Walker County Criminal Record Restriction

Georgia does not call it expungement in most cases. The state uses the term record restriction. When a Walker County criminal history record gets restricted, the record is sealed from public searches. Law enforcement can still see it. The public cannot. This matters for people in the LaFayette area who want to clear their record after charges were dropped or after they finished a sentence.

The timeline for restriction depends on when the arrest happened. For arrests before July 1, 2013, you apply through the arresting agency. In Walker County, that is usually the sheriff's office or the Walker County Police. They send the request to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney, who has 90 days to respond. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you go straight to the DA's office. No application to the arresting agency is needed for those newer cases. Charges that were never sent to a prosecutor get restricted on a set schedule under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. Misdemeanor charges take two years. Most felony charges take four years. Serious violent felonies take seven years. Acquittals and dismissed charges can qualify sooner.

The First Offender Act is another path. O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60 lets a judge sentence a first-time offender without entering a formal conviction. When the person finishes their sentence, the court discharges them and the criminal history record gets restricted from public view. This applies to cases handled in the Walker County court system. The discharge must happen before the restriction takes effect.

State Criminal History Tools for Walker County

Two state tools can pull up criminal history data that includes Walker County cases. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 per search. It checks the GCIC database for felony convictions across the whole state. You need a name, date of birth, and sex to run it. Results come back fast. The fee applies even if no record is found. This tool only shows felony convictions, so misdemeanors and arrests that did not lead to a conviction in Walker County will not show up.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It lists people currently held in a state prison. If someone convicted in Walker County was sent to a GDC facility, they would appear in this tool. It does not cover people in the Walker County Jail or those who have already been released after serving their time.

For broader questions about how the criminal history process works in Georgia, the GBI FAQ page is a good starting point. It explains how to request your own record, what the fees are, and how to challenge errors. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, anyone in Georgia can review their own criminal history by submitting fingerprints and paying a fee capped at $15 plus fingerprinting costs. That right applies to Walker County residents and everyone else in the state.

What Walker County Criminal Records Show

Criminal history records from Walker County pull from more than one source. Arrest data from the sheriff's office shows the charges at the time of booking, the date of the arrest, and the bond set by the magistrate court. Court records from the clerk's office track what happened after the arrest. You see the charges filed by the DA, any plea deals, trial results, and the sentence. State-level records from the GCIC add convictions from other Georgia counties and corrections data if the person served time in a state facility.

Not all Walker County criminal history data is open to everyone. Records restricted under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37 will not appear in public searches. Juvenile records are sealed in most cases. Federal criminal cases go through federal courts and do not show up 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 when they make a written request. In civil matters, criminal history data is usually only available with the person's written consent unless the case involves a felony conviction.

Criminal History in Walker County Cities

LaFayette is the county seat of Walker County. Chickamauga, Rossville, and Lookout Mountain are other towns in the area. All criminal cases from these places go through the Walker County court system regardless of where the arrest happened. The clerk on South Duke Street and the sheriff's office handle all the records for the county.

Nearby Counties for Criminal Records

Walker County is in the far northwest corner of Georgia. If you are searching for criminal records and cannot find what you need in the Walker County system, check these neighboring counties. Cases near the county line sometimes end up in a different jurisdiction.

Catoosa County sits to the northeast and is part of the same Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. Chattooga County borders Walker to the south and also shares that circuit. Dade County is to the northwest, tucked between Walker County and the Alabama and Tennessee state lines. Whitfield County is to the east and home to the city of Dalton. Each of these counties has its own sheriff, clerk, and criminal record system.