Find Butts County 72 Hour Bookings

Butts County 72 hour booking records are managed by the sheriff's office in Jackson, located south of Atlanta along I-75. Call or visit the office to check on recent arrests since no online inmate lookup is available.

Butts County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Gary Long leads the Butts County Sheriff's Office. The main office is at 835 Ernest Biles Dr, Jackson, GA 30233. The phone number is 770-775-8216. Call this number for all questions about arrests, bookings, and inmate status. Staff can check a name in the system and let you know if that person is in the Butts County jail.

There is no way to search Butts County inmates online. This is the standard setup for smaller counties south of Atlanta. You have to call or go in person. The dispatch line at 770-775-8216 is staffed 24 hours a day. After hours, dispatchers can at least tell you if someone is in custody. During business hours, the jail staff gives more complete info like charges, bond, and hearing dates.

Butts County sits along the I-75 corridor between Atlanta and Macon. The county sees a mix of local arrests and highway-related stops. All bookings go through the jail in Jackson. If someone was arrested on the interstate in Butts County, that is where they end up. The Georgia State Patrol works this stretch of I-75 and those arrests also process through the county jail.

If you plan to visit in person, go during normal business hours. Bring a valid photo ID. Staff can pull up records and print copies if needed. Processing time for new bookings varies. A late night arrest might not show full details until the next morning, especially if the jail is busy.

Georgia's 72 Hour Booking Law and Butts County

O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 requires that a person arrested on a warrant see a judge within 72 hours. This is the basis for the 72 hour booking rule. The first appearance hearing is where the judge reads the charges and sets bond. In Butts County, these hearings take place at the courthouse in Jackson.

Arrests without a warrant follow a tighter rule. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says the hearing must happen within 48 hours. Officers make warrantless arrests for things they witness, like DUI, fights, and other offenses. The 48 hour window gives the court less time. If the hearing does not happen within that period, the person can petition the court for release.

Butts County is in the Towaliga Judicial Circuit. Judges rotate through the counties in that circuit, which also includes Monroe and Lamar counties. First appearance hearings do not run every day in smaller circuits. The court schedules them to meet the 72 and 48 hour deadlines. Weekend arrests can push the timeline, but the court stays within the legal limits.

Bond is decided at the first hearing. Options include cash, surety through a bonding company, or own recognizance. For lower-level charges, a preset bond schedule may let the person pay before the hearing takes place. Ask the jail staff about the bond status when you call. They can tell you the amount and how to pay it.

Butts County Public 72 Hour Booking Records

Georgia's Open Records Act makes booking records public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 says anyone can request arrest and booking data from any government agency. You do not need to give a reason for your request. The Butts County Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days. A denial must include a written explanation.

To make a request, write to the sheriff's office at 835 Ernest Biles Dr, Jackson, GA 30233. Include the person's full name and the arrest date if you have it. You can hand deliver the request or mail it. Call ahead to see if email works too. There is a fee for paper copies. If the search takes more than 15 minutes, the office can charge for staff time.

Booking photos are covered by O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19. This law stops agencies from giving booking photos to people who will post them on sites or in publications that charge for removal. Mugshot websites are the target of this law. You can still request photos for personal reasons. The sheriff's office looks at each request on a case by case basis before releasing any booking photos.

The clerk of court in Jackson also has case records that tie to booking data. If you need court documents along with the arrest record, the clerk's office is worth a visit.

State Resources for Butts County Lookups

If the person you are searching for has left the Butts County jail, try these state tools. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and covers all state prison inmates. If a Butts County booking ended in a prison sentence, the person will show up there.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender query page lets you look up inmates in the state prison system after a county booking.

The GCIC at the GBI handles statewide criminal history checks. Call 404-244-2639. A full background check costs a fee and covers every county in Georgia, not just Butts County. This is the way to go when you need the complete picture.

VINE is free and sends alerts when an inmate is released or moved. Sign up with a phone number or email. VINE covers Butts County. Call 833-216-6670 if you need help with the system. This is one of the best ways to stay informed after a booking.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a directory with every sheriff in the state. Use it if your search extends past Butts County into the surrounding area.

Between the local sheriff's office and these state databases, you can follow an arrest from the initial 72 hour booking in Butts County through to the final outcome.

Restricting a Butts County Arrest Record

Record restriction in Georgia works under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. If charges were dropped, not prosecuted, or the person was found not guilty in Butts County, they can apply to restrict the record. Restricted records do not show on standard background checks. They are still there for law enforcement, but hidden from public view.

O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, the First Offender Act, is another route. If someone was sentenced as a first offender in Butts County and completed all their sentence terms, the conviction can be restricted. It will not appear on a regular background check. This process goes through the court in the Towaliga Judicial Circuit. A lawyer can help with the paperwork and the hearing.

Restriction is not instant and it is not the same as wiping the record clean. The data still exists. But for most practical purposes, a restricted record does not come up. Contact the clerk of court in Jackson to ask about the process, or talk to a local attorney about whether your Butts County case qualifies.

Nearby Counties

Butts County is surrounded by several counties in central Georgia. If you are not sure which county processed a booking, check the arrest location. County lines in this area can be hard to tell apart, especially along the highways.