Find Brooks County 72 Hour Bookings

Brooks County 72 hour booking records are kept at the sheriff's office in Quitman, near the Georgia-Florida border. There is no online search tool, so you will need to call or visit the office to get arrest and booking details.

Brooks County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Mike Dewey leads the Brooks County Sheriff's Office. The address is 1004 Holloway Dr, Quitman, GA 31643. Call 229-263-9323 for all jail and booking questions. Staff can check a name for you and tell you if that person is in custody. They can also share the charges, bond info, and court date if a hearing has been set.

Brooks County does not offer an online inmate search. Most counties this size in south Georgia handle booking inquiries by phone or in person. If you visit the office, bring a valid ID. The jail is at the same location, and staff can pull up records right there. Walk-in hours follow the normal business schedule, but dispatch at 229-263-9323 is available at all times for basic questions.

New bookings may take a few hours to fully process. If someone was arrested late at night, the full record with charges and bond amount might not be ready until morning. The jail staff enters each booking by hand, and it takes time to get everything into the system. Call back if you do not get the info you need on the first try.

The 72 Hour Booking Process

O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 is the law behind the 72 hour rule. When a person is arrested on a warrant in Brooks County, they must go before a judge within 72 hours. This hearing is called a first appearance. The judge reads the charges out loud and decides on bond. It is the first step in the court process after a booking.

If the arrest happened without a warrant, the time is even shorter. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says a hearing must take place within 48 hours. Officers in Brooks County make warrantless arrests for things they see happen in front of them, like a fight or a DUI stop. The 48 hour rule protects the accused from sitting in jail too long without seeing a judge.

Brooks County is part of the Southern Judicial Circuit, and judges in that circuit cover several counties. Hearing schedules depend on when a judge is available. The court does what it can to keep within the 72 hour and 48 hour windows. Weekend arrests sometimes push things close. If the time runs out, the person can petition for release, though this is rare.

At the hearing, the judge sets bond. Options include cash, surety through a bail bondsman, or sometimes own recognizance. For some charges, a preset bond schedule lets the person post bail before the hearing. The jail staff can tell you if a bond has been set and how much it is. This is all part of the public record in Brooks County.

Public Access to Brooks County 72 Hour Booking Records

Booking records are public in Georgia. The Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, gives anyone the right to request them. You do not need to explain why you want the records. The sheriff's office has three business days to respond. If they deny the request, they must put their reasons in writing.

Send a written request to the Brooks County Sheriff's Office at 1004 Holloway Dr, Quitman, GA 31643. Include the full name of the person you are asking about and the date of arrest if you know it. You can mail the request or deliver it in person. There may be a fee for paper copies. The office sets its own rates, and they can also charge for staff time if the request takes more than a quarter hour to fill.

Booking photos fall under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19. This law says the sheriff cannot give a booking photo to anyone who plans to post it on a site that charges to remove it. The goal is to stop mugshot websites from making money off arrest records. Personal requests for booking photos are still possible, and the office reviews each one.

The Open Records Act applies to all government agencies in Georgia. If the sheriff's office cannot help with what you need, the clerk of court in Quitman may have related case files and court records from the same arrest.

Statewide 72 Hour Booking Search Tools for Brooks County

When someone is no longer in the Brooks County jail, state databases can help. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and shows anyone serving time in a state prison. If an arrest in Brooks County led to a prison sentence, the person will show up in this search.

The GBI runs the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC). You can call 404-244-2639 to ask about criminal history checks. A GCIC check costs money and covers the whole state, not just Brooks County. It gives a complete picture of someone's record including arrests, charges, and outcomes across all Georgia counties.

The GBI provides criminal history background check services through the Georgia Crime Information Center.

The VINE system is a free alert service. Register to get a call, text, or email when an inmate is released or moved. VINE covers Brooks County and most Georgia counties. Call 833-216-6670 if you need help signing up. This is useful if you want to know the moment someone leaves the Brooks County jail.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a directory of every sheriff in the state. Use it to find contact info for neighboring counties if you need to expand your search beyond Brooks County.

These state tools, combined with the Brooks County Sheriff's Office, let you follow an arrest from the initial booking through the full court process.

Restricting a Brooks County Arrest Record

Georgia does not erase criminal records, but restriction is an option for some people. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 lets a person apply for restriction if their charges were dismissed, not prosecuted, or if they were found not guilty. Once restricted, the record will not show up on most background checks. It still exists in the system for law enforcement to see, but the general public cannot access it.

The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another route. If someone was sentenced as a first offender in Brooks County and completed everything the court required, they can ask to have the record restricted. This means no conviction appears on a standard background check. You file this through the court, and it helps to have a lawyer walk you through it. The Southern Judicial Circuit handles these for Brooks County.

Keep in mind that restriction takes time. It is not instant. The clerk of court in Quitman can answer questions about the process and what paperwork you need. If you had a case in Brooks County that ended without a conviction, look into whether you qualify.

Nearby Counties

Brooks County sits in south Georgia near the Florida line. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, check the arresting agency. These neighboring counties each have their own jail and booking system.