Search Clarke County 72 Hour Booking Records
Clarke County 72 hour booking records are kept by the Sheriff's Office in Athens, Georgia. The county runs an online arrests page that shows all bookings from the last seven days, and you can check it any time at no cost. Sheriff John Williams leads the office that handles all booking and jail operations for Athens-Clarke County.
Clarke County Quick Facts
Clarke County 7-Day Arrest Records
The Clarke County Sheriff's Office posts arrest records on its website for the last seven days. You can view the list at the Athens-Clarke County 7-day arrest page. This is the best way to check recent 72 hour booking records from home. The page shows each person who was booked at the Clarke County jail. It lists names, charges, and dates.
Records show up with a 24 hour delay after booking. After that first day, the system updates every 15 minutes. So if someone was just arrested in Clarke County, you may need to wait a day before you see them on the list. The site stays up to date once a record appears. All data shown on the 7-day list is not official. The Sheriff's Office warns that these records are "unofficial" and should not be used as legal documents. For official copies, you need to call the office or go in person.
The Clarke County 7-day arrests page is shown here.
This tool covers the most common need for Clarke County booking records. Most people just want to know if a recent arrest took place, and the 7-day list will show it.
Clarke County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff John Williams runs the Clarke County Sheriff's Office. The main office is at 325 E Washington Street, Suite 100, Athens, GA 30601. Call 706-613-3250 for general questions about booking records or jail operations. Athens and Clarke County merged into one government, so the sheriff serves the entire county. All arrests in the city of Athens go through the Clarke County booking system.
When you visit the 7-day arrests page, you must click "Accept" on a disclaimer first. This tells you that the records are not official. The site says the Clarke County Sheriff's Office "offers on-line access to unofficial information on the current jail population with no warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information." That is standard language. The data is still useful for finding out if someone was booked. You just cannot use a printout from the site as a legal document in court.
The Athens-Clarke County government portal links to all county departments, including the Sheriff's Office.
The main portal is a good starting point if you need to reach other county offices besides the Sheriff for Clarke County records.
| Sheriff's Office |
325 E Washington St, Suite 100 Athens, GA 30601 Phone: 706-613-3250 |
|---|---|
| Sheriff | John Williams |
72 Hour Booking Rules in Clarke County
Georgia sets the rules for how long someone can be held after arrest before seeing a judge. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, when an arrest is made with a warrant, the person must appear before a judge within 72 hours. That is the basis for the term "72 hour booking." The clock starts at the time of arrest. Clarke County processes these first appearances at the courthouse in Athens.
Warrantless arrests have a shorter window. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says a probable cause hearing must happen within 48 hours. This applies when Clarke County officers or Athens police arrest someone on the spot. If the deadline passes, the person can ask to be released. These rules protect people from sitting in the Clarke County jail too long before a judge reviews the case. Both time limits apply to every arrest in the county.
Weekend arrests are common in Clarke County because of the UGA campus. Even if courts are closed, the 72 hour and 48 hour windows still run. Judges hold first appearance hearings early the next business day to stay on track.
Clarke County Booking Open Records
Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, makes booking records public. Anyone can request them. You do not need to give a reason. The Clarke County Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days. This covers booking details, charges, and arrest reports. If you need a record older than seven days, you will need to make a formal request since the online tool only shows the last week.
Booking photos are also public under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19. That said, law enforcement cannot give booking photos to websites that charge a fee to take them down. This law applies across Georgia, including Clarke County. If you want a booking photo for your own use, call the Sheriff's Office or submit a written request. The 7-day online page may or may not include photos depending on how the system is set up.
Background Checks and Criminal History
For a full criminal background check tied to Clarke County arrests, you can go through the state system. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) at the GBI handles statewide criminal history requests under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. This includes fingerprint-based checks. The Clarke County booking record is just the start. A GCIC check will show the full picture across all Georgia counties.
For anyone sentenced to state prison after a Clarke County arrest, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search shows their current status. This tool is free. It covers location, sentence length, and release dates. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory lists contacts for every sheriff in the state if your search goes beyond Clarke County.
Victim Notification for Clarke County
VINE Link is a free system that tracks custody changes for inmates in Clarke County and across Georgia. If someone was booked at the Clarke County jail, you can sign up for alerts through VINE. You get a call, text, or email when the person is released, moved, or has a court date. The VINE phone line is (877) 994-8463.
VINE is helpful when you do not want to keep checking the 7-day arrest page by hand. It works for all Georgia jails, not just Clarke County. You can track multiple people at the same time. There is also a mobile app.
After Booking in Clarke County
Not every Clarke County booking ends with jail time. Many cases result in probation. O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 covers how probation works in Georgia. A judge can set conditions like check-ins, community service, and drug tests. If someone violates probation, they can be re-arrested and booked at the Clarke County jail again. That new booking will show up on the 7-day arrest page just like the first one did.
Bond is another common step after a Clarke County booking. For minor charges, bond may be set right away based on a schedule. Serious charges need a bond hearing in front of a judge. Once bond is posted, the person leaves the jail and their record moves off the active list. The 7-day page shows them until the record is seven days old, regardless of whether they were released.
Cities in Clarke County
Athens and Clarke County operate as a single merged government. All arrests in the county go through one booking system run by the Clarke County Sheriff's Office.
Smaller communities in Clarke County like Winterville and Bogart also fall under the Clarke County jail system for all booking operations.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Clarke County. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, check the neighboring county booking records as well. County lines in this part of Georgia can be hard to tell apart.