Clinch County 72 Hour Booking Search

Clinch County 72 hour booking records are handled by Sheriff Raymond Peterson's office in Homerville, Georgia. The county jail processes all arrests for the area. There is no online inmate search tool, so you must contact the office by phone or visit in person to check on a booking.

Clinch County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Raymond Peterson leads the Clinch County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 115 Court Square, Homerville, GA 31634. The phone number is 912-487-5316. Staff run the county jail and handle every booking in Clinch County. The office sits right on the courthouse square in the center of Homerville, which makes it easy to find if you visit in person.

Clinch County does not post its jail roster online. You cannot look up inmates from a phone or computer. The best way to check on a booking is to call the Sheriff's Office. Give the person's full name and date of birth. Staff will check the roster and tell you if that person is in custody. They can usually share the charges and bond amount over the phone. Because Clinch County is small, the jail holds a limited number of people and calls tend to go quickly.

If you go in person, the Sheriff's Office is the main building on Court Square. Bring your ID. Staff can look up booking records and give you copies of arrest reports if you need them. For records more than a few days old, you might need to put your request in writing. The office keeps all booking logs and arrest reports on file. Homerville is a small town and most things are within walking distance of the courthouse area.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Clinch County

After an arrest in Clinch County, the person is taken to the county jail. Staff take their photo, collect fingerprints, and record the charges. This is the booking process. Georgia law then sets deadlines for what happens next. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 says a person arrested with a warrant must see a judge within 72 hours. That is where the term "72 hour booking" comes from.

The 72 hour clock starts the moment of arrest. It runs through weekends and holidays. There is no pause. If someone is arrested on a Saturday in Clinch County, they must see a judge by Tuesday. The Alapaha Judicial Circuit handles first appearance hearings for the county. Judges schedule sessions to meet the deadline, even if it means a special hearing.

Warrantless arrests follow a shorter timeline. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 requires a probable cause hearing within 48 hours. This applies when Clinch County deputies arrest someone on the spot without a warrant. If the hearing does not happen in time, the person has the right to ask for release. Both the 72 hour and 48 hour rules apply to every arrest in Clinch County, from misdemeanors to felonies. The rules exist so that no one sits in the jail without a judge reviewing their case.

Clinch County is rural and covers a large area in south Georgia. Even though the population is small, the same state laws apply here as they do in Atlanta or Savannah. Every booking must follow the time limits set by Georgia code.

Clinch County Public 72 Hour Booking Records

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

Call 912-487-5316 or write to the office to make a request. Include the person's name and an approximate date range. Staff can charge for copies at the actual cost of printing. Viewing records in person is free. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 covers booking photos. They are public records in Georgia. But the law blocks agencies from giving them to websites that charge a removal fee. Ask the Sheriff's Office if you need a booking photo from Clinch County.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is shown here:

This search covers people who went from the Clinch County jail to a state prison after sentencing.

Georgia Statewide 72 Hour Booking Resources

Clinch County has no online jail roster. But state tools can help. The Georgia Department of Corrections runs a free offender search. It covers anyone serving time in state prison. If a Clinch County arrest led to a state sentence, you can find the person here. The tool shows location, sentence length, and release info.

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) at the GBI handles statewide criminal history checks. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 sets the rules. Call 404-244-2639 for details. A GCIC check covers all Georgia counties, not just Clinch. This gives you the full picture of a person's arrest history across the state. Fingerprint-based checks are the most thorough.

VINE Link works with Clinch County and every other Georgia jail. Sign up for free 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 is a free service. It keeps you informed without needing to call the jail each day.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association keeps a directory of every sheriff. You can look up Clinch County or any other county. This is helpful when your search goes beyond one county. Arrests near county lines can end up in a neighboring jail.

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

Use this site to find sheriff contact details for Clinch County and all surrounding counties.

Record Restriction in Clinch County

Certain Clinch County booking records can be restricted from public view. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows a person to apply for record restriction if the charge was dismissed, they were found not guilty, or they completed a pretrial diversion program. The booking record stays in the Clinch County jail log. But the state criminal history marks the entry as restricted. This keeps it off most background checks.

O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 covers first offender treatment. If a judge gave someone first offender status after a Clinch County arrest and they finished all terms, the conviction can be sealed from public view. This does not erase the record. It just hides it from the public criminal history report. Not all charges qualify. Serious felonies and sex crimes are excluded from first offender sealing.

To begin the restriction process, contact the Clinch County Clerk of Court or talk to a lawyer. The Alapaha Judicial Circuit court handles the request. There is a filing fee. Once the court signs the order, the GBI updates the state records. This can take several weeks. After it is done, the Clinch County arrest shows as restricted on all state-level checks.

Cities in Clinch County

Homerville is the county seat and the largest community in Clinch County. All arrests in the county are processed through the Clinch County Sheriff's Office and county jail.

No cities in Clinch County meet the population threshold for a separate page. Contact the Sheriff's Office at 912-487-5316 for booking inquiries.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Clinch County in south Georgia. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, check the neighboring sheriffs' offices. Clinch County borders several other rural counties in this part of the state.