Catoosa County 72 Hour Booking Records

Catoosa County 72 hour booking records are managed by the Sheriff's Office in Ringgold, Georgia. Sheriff Gary Sisk runs the office that handles all arrests, jail intake, and booking data for the county. There is no online inmate search tool, so you need to call the office or visit in person to check on a recent booking.

Catoosa County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Gary Sisk leads the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office. The mailing address is PO Box 909, Ringgold, GA 30736. You can call 706-935-2424 for questions about arrests, bookings, or jail status. The office sits near the Catoosa County Courthouse in downtown Ringgold. Staff handle all law enforcement and jail work for the county.

Catoosa County does not have a public online inmate search tool. That means you cannot look up who is in the jail from your phone or computer. To find out if someone was booked, you need to call the Sheriff's Office during business hours. Give them the person's full name and date of birth if you have it. Staff can check the jail roster and tell you if that person is in custody. They can also share the charges and bond amount over the phone in most cases.

If you go in person, the Sheriff's Office can help you with booking records right at the front desk. Bring your ID. You can ask for copies of arrest reports, too. For records that are more than a few days old, a written request may be needed. Catoosa County is a small county, so the jail does not hold a large number of inmates at any given time. That can make phone inquiries go faster than in a big metro area.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Catoosa County

When someone gets arrested in Catoosa County, they are taken to the county jail for booking. This process includes a photo, fingerprints, and logging the charges. Georgia law sets strict time limits for what happens next. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, a person arrested with a warrant must go before a judge within 72 hours. That is where the phrase "72 hour booking" comes from.

The clock starts at the time of arrest. It does not pause for weekends or holidays. If someone is picked up on a Friday night in Catoosa County, they still must see a judge by Monday night. The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit handles first appearance hearings for Catoosa County. Judges will hold special sessions if needed to meet the deadline. This rule protects people from sitting in the jail with no review of their case.

For arrests made without a warrant, the time limit is even shorter. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says a probable cause hearing must take place within 48 hours. This applies when Catoosa County deputies or local police arrest someone on the scene. If the hearing does not happen in time, the person can ask to be let go. Both the 72 hour and 48 hour rules apply to every arrest in Catoosa County, no matter how minor the charge is.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is the source for this screenshot:

If someone arrested in Catoosa County ends up in state prison, this tool shows their current status and location.

Catoosa County Public 72 Hour Booking Records

Booking records in Catoosa County are public. Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, says that most government records are open to the public. This includes arrest reports, booking logs, and jail records. You do not have to give a reason for your request. The Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days.

To get booking records from Catoosa County, call 706-935-2424 or send a written request to the Sheriff's Office. Include the person's full name and a date range. Staff will pull the records and let you know the cost for copies. The law allows agencies to charge for the actual cost of making copies, but they cannot charge for the time it takes to find the records. Most booking records are just a few pages, so the fee is small.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 also covers booking photos in Georgia. These photos are public records. But law enforcement cannot hand them over to websites that charge a fee to remove them. If you want a booking photo from Catoosa County for your own use, ask the Sheriff's Office directly. They will decide if the request fits within the law.

Georgia Statewide 72 Hour Booking Resources

Since Catoosa County does not offer an online inmate search, state level tools can help fill the gap. The Georgia Department of Corrections runs a free offender search. It covers anyone in state prison. If a Catoosa County booking led to a conviction and the person was sent to a state facility, you can find their record here. The search shows location, sentence length, and release dates.

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) at the GBI handles statewide criminal history checks. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, you can request a criminal background report that covers all Georgia counties. The GCIC phone number is 404-244-2639. This is a more complete check than a single county booking record. It shows all arrests and convictions across the state, including Catoosa County.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory is shown in this screenshot:

This directory lists contact info for every sheriff in the state, including Catoosa County.

VINE Link is a free tool for tracking custody changes. You can sign up for alerts when an inmate's status changes at the Catoosa County jail. VINE sends a call, text, or email when the person is released, moved, or has a court date. The VINE phone line is 833-216-6670. This saves you from having to call the jail over and over for updates on a Catoosa County booking.

Record Restriction in Catoosa County

Georgia allows some criminal records to be restricted from public view. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, a person can apply to have their arrest record restricted if the case was dismissed, they were found not guilty, or if they completed a diversion program. This does not erase the record. It just keeps it from showing up on most background checks. The Catoosa County booking record would still exist in the jail logs, but the state criminal history would show it as restricted.

O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 deals with first offender treatment. If someone got first offender status after a Catoosa County arrest and completed all the terms, they can ask the court to seal their record. The conviction does not go on their public criminal history. This matters for people who were booked in Catoosa County but later had a good outcome in court. Not all charges qualify. Serious felonies and sex crimes cannot be restricted.

To start the restriction process, contact the Catoosa County Clerk of Court or talk to a lawyer. The court where the case was heard handles the request. Forms are available at the courthouse in Ringgold. There is a filing fee. The GBI must also process the restriction on the state level, which can take a few weeks after the court signs the order.

Cities in Catoosa County

Catoosa County includes Ringgold, Fort Oglethorpe, and a small part of the Chattanooga metro area on the Georgia side. All arrests in these areas go through the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office for booking.

None of the cities in Catoosa County meet the population threshold for a separate page. All booking inquiries should go to the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office at 706-935-2424.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Catoosa County. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, check the neighboring county booking records too. The northwest corner of Georgia has several small counties close together.