Search Clay County 72 Hour Booking Records

Clay County 72 hour booking records are maintained by Sheriff Locke Shivers' office in Fort Gaines, Georgia. This is one of the smallest counties in the state by population. There is no online inmate search, so you will need to contact the Sheriff's Office by phone or in person to check on a booking.

Clay County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Locke Shivers leads the Clay County Sheriff's Office. The address is 124 Thomas St Suite 1, Fort Gaines, GA 39851. The phone number is 229-768-2505. This is a small office that handles all law enforcement for the county. Staff run the jail, process bookings, and respond to calls. Fort Gaines sits along the Chattahoochee River on the Georgia-Alabama border.

Clay County does not have a public online inmate search. To find out if someone was booked, you have to call. Give the person's full name and date of birth. Staff can check the jail roster and share the charges and bond amount. Because the county is so small, few people are in the jail at any given time. Phone calls tend to be short and simple.

If you want to go in person, the Sheriff's Office is in Fort Gaines near the courthouse. Both buildings sit close together in the center of town. You can check on a booking and pick up records in the same trip. Staff can pull booking records and arrest reports while you wait. For a county this small, the process is usually fast. There is no need to make an appointment for most requests.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Clay County

When an arrest happens in Clay County, the person goes to the county jail for booking. Staff take a photo, collect fingerprints, and log the charges. Georgia law sets firm time limits for what comes next. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 says anyone arrested on a warrant must see a judge within 72 hours. This is the "72 hour booking" rule.

The clock starts at the time of arrest. Not when the person reaches the jail. Not when the paperwork is done. The moment the arrest takes place, the 72 hours begin to count down. For warrantless arrests, the deadline is tighter. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 requires a probable cause hearing within 48 hours. This applies when a deputy arrests someone at the scene of a crime without a warrant in hand.

Clay County is part of the Pataula Judicial Circuit. Judges in this circuit handle first appearance hearings for Clay County cases. The small volume of arrests means the court can usually meet the deadlines without issue. But the law treats Clay County the same as any other county in Georgia. Every person booked into the Clay County jail has the right to see a judge within the time set by statute. Weekends do not pause the clock.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory is shown here:

This directory lists every sheriff in the state and can help you find the right office for Clay County and nearby counties.

Clay County Public 72 Hour Booking Records

Booking records in Clay County are public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 is the Georgia Open Records Act. It gives anyone the right to ask for government records. You do not need a reason. The Clay County Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days. This law covers arrest reports, booking logs, and jail records.

To request records, call 229-768-2505 or send a letter to the Sheriff's Office. Include the person's full name and an approximate date of arrest. Written requests work best for older records. The office can charge for copies at the actual cost of printing. Most booking records are short, so fees stay low. You can view records in person for free, but copies cost a small amount.

Booking photos in Georgia are covered by O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19. These are public records. The law blocks agencies from giving photos to websites that charge a fee to take them down. If you need a booking photo from Clay County, contact the Sheriff's Office and make a direct request. They follow the same rules as every other Georgia sheriff.

Georgia Statewide 72 Hour Booking Resources

Since Clay County has no online inmate tool, these state resources can help you find records. The Georgia Department of Corrections offers a free offender search. If someone arrested in Clay County was sent to state prison, this tool shows where they are and their sentence details. It covers all state facilities in Georgia.

The GCIC at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation handles criminal history checks. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, you can get a criminal history report that covers all Georgia counties. Call 404-244-2639 for info on how to submit a request. This is a more complete picture than a single Clay County booking record. It shows all arrests and outcomes across the state.

VINE Link is free and works with Clay County. You can sign up for alerts when an inmate's status changes. VINE sends a call, text, or email for releases, transfers, and court dates. The phone line is 833-216-6670. This saves you from calling the jail each day to check on someone. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association also keeps a directory of all sheriffs, which helps if your search extends beyond Clay County.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is shown here:

This tool is helpful when someone moves from the Clay County jail to a state prison facility.

Record Restriction in Clay County

Some arrest records in Clay County can be restricted. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows record restriction if the case was dismissed, the person was acquitted, or they completed a diversion program. The booking record stays in the Clay County jail log. But the state criminal history will mark the entry as restricted. That keeps it from showing on most background checks.

First offender treatment under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another option. If someone received first offender status after a Clay County arrest and met all conditions, the conviction can be sealed. It will not appear on the public criminal history. Not all crimes qualify for this. Serious felonies and sex offenses are excluded. Contact the Clay County Clerk of Court or a lawyer to start the process. The Pataula Judicial Circuit court handles the request, and the GBI processes it on the state side.

The restriction process takes time. After the court signs the order, the GBI needs a few weeks to update the state records. During that time, the old information may still show on some checks. Once it is processed, the Clay County arrest record will be marked as restricted in all state systems.

Cities in Clay County

Fort Gaines is the county seat and the main community in Clay County. All arrests in the county go through the Clay County Sheriff's Office for booking at the county jail.

No cities in Clay County meet the population threshold for a separate page. Call the Sheriff's Office at 229-768-2505 for all booking inquiries.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Clay County in southwest Georgia. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, try the neighboring sheriffs. The rural roads in this part of the state can cross county lines with no sign.