Coffee County 72 Hour Booking Records

Coffee County 72 hour booking records are kept by Sheriff Fred Cole's office in Douglas, Georgia. The county jail handles all arrests and intake for the area. There is no online inmate search, so you will need to contact the Sheriff's Office by phone or go in person for booking info.

Coffee County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Fred Cole runs the Coffee County Sheriff's Office. The address is 825 Thompson Dr, Douglas, GA 31535. Call 912-384-4227 to ask about recent arrests or jail status. Staff handle all law enforcement, booking, and jail operations for Coffee County. Douglas is the county seat and the largest city, with a population of about 12,000 people.

There is no online inmate roster for Coffee County. You cannot check bookings from your phone or computer. To find out if someone was arrested, you need to call the Sheriff's Office during business hours. Give them the person's full name. A date of birth helps too. Staff check the jail roster and can share the charges and bond amount. Coffee County is a mid-size county for south Georgia, so the jail holds more inmates than the smallest counties but far fewer than metro areas.

If you prefer to visit in person, the Sheriff's Office is on Thompson Drive in Douglas. Bring your ID with you. Staff can look up booking records at the front desk. You can also ask for copies of arrest reports. For records that go back more than a few days, a written open records request may be needed. The office keeps all booking logs and arrest records on file. Douglas has other county offices nearby, so you can handle multiple record needs in one trip if needed.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Coffee County

When an arrest takes place in Coffee County, the person is brought to the county jail. Staff take their photo, fingerprints, and log the charges. Georgia law controls what comes next. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, a person arrested on a warrant must appear before a judge within 72 hours. This is the rule behind the name "72 hour booking."

The clock starts at the moment of arrest. Weekends do not pause it. If someone is picked up on Friday night in Coffee County, the 72 hour limit runs through the weekend. Judges in the Waycross Judicial Circuit handle first appearance hearings for Coffee County cases. They schedule special sessions if needed to make sure the deadline is met.

Warrantless arrests follow a tighter rule. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says a probable cause hearing must happen within 48 hours. This applies when Coffee County deputies arrest someone at the scene of a crime without having a warrant first. The 48 hour window is firm. If no hearing takes place in time, the person can ask for release. Both time limits protect people from sitting in the Coffee County jail too long without a judge looking at their case.

The Georgia Crime Information Center at the GBI is shown here:

The GCIC handles criminal history checks that go beyond a single Coffee County booking record.

Coffee County Public 72 Hour Booking Records

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

To get records, call 912-384-4227 or send a written request. Include the full name of the person and a date range. Written requests work best for older records. The office can charge for the cost of copies, but viewing records in person is free. Most booking records are just a few pages, so the copy fees are low.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 covers booking photos in Georgia. These are public records. However, the law stops agencies from giving photos to websites that charge people to take the photos down. If you need a booking photo from Coffee County, make a direct request to the Sheriff's Office. They follow the same rules as every other Georgia sheriff when it comes to releasing booking photos.

Georgia Statewide 72 Hour Booking Resources

Coffee County has no online jail roster, but the state offers several tools. The Georgia Department of Corrections runs a free offender search. If someone arrested in Coffee County was sent to state prison, you can find them here. The tool shows their location, sentence, and expected release date. It is free and open to everyone.

The GCIC handles statewide criminal history checks under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. Call 404-244-2639 for info. A criminal history check covers all Georgia counties, not just Coffee. This shows every arrest and disposition on the person's record across the state.

VINE Link is a free tool that works with Coffee County. You can sign up for alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. VINE calls, texts, or emails you when someone is released, moved, or has a court date. The phone line is 833-216-6670. This saves you from calling the jail every day to check on a person's status. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a directory of all sheriffs that helps if your search goes beyond Coffee County.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is shown here:

This tool tracks people who went from the Coffee County jail to a state prison facility.

Record Restriction in Coffee County

Some Coffee County arrest records can be restricted. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, a person can apply for record restriction if the case was dismissed, they were found not guilty, or they completed a pretrial diversion program. The booking log at the Coffee County jail still keeps the entry. But the state criminal history report marks it as restricted, which hides it from most background checks.

First offender treatment under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another path. If someone received first offender status after a Coffee County booking and completed all terms set by the judge, the conviction can be sealed from the public record. It does not get erased. It just does not show on the public criminal history. Serious felonies and sex crimes cannot be sealed this way.

To start a restriction request, contact the Coffee County Clerk of Court or hire a lawyer. The Waycross Judicial Circuit court handles the petition. There is a filing fee. After the court signs the order, the GBI processes it on the state level. That can take a few weeks. Once finished, the Coffee County arrest shows as restricted in state systems.

Cities in Coffee County

Douglas is the county seat and the largest city in Coffee County. Other communities include Nicholls, Ambrose, and Broxton. All arrests go through the Coffee County Sheriff's Office for booking.

No cities in Coffee County meet the population threshold for a separate page. Contact the Sheriff's Office at 912-384-4227 for all booking inquiries.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Coffee County. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, check the neighboring county booking records. Coffee County sits in south-central Georgia with several neighbors.