Access Dade County 72 Hour Booking Records

Dade County 72 hour booking records are maintained by the Dade County Sheriff's Office in Trenton. This is the smallest county in northwest Georgia by population, and there is no online booking search tool available.

Dade County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Ray Cross runs the Dade County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 75 Case Ave, Trenton, GA 30752. You can call 706-657-3233 for booking questions. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody and share their charges and bond details. The office handles all arrests in the county.

There is no online inmate search for Dade County. You have to call or stop by the office in Trenton. Phone calls are the quickest route during business hours. After hours, dispatch picks up and can answer basic questions about who is in the jail. Dade County is small. The jail does not hold a large number of inmates at any given time, so staff can usually pull up the information you need fast.

Dade County sits in the far northwest corner of Georgia. It is bordered on three sides by Alabama and Tennessee. That unique spot on the map means the sheriff's office sometimes works with law enforcement from other states. But the booking process stays the same. All arrests in Dade County get processed through the county jail in Trenton. Whether the arresting officer is a local deputy, a Trenton city officer, or a state trooper, the booking goes through the sheriff's office.

Lookout Mountain runs through the county and can make some areas hard to reach. Deputies patrol a spread-out area with winding mountain roads. Despite the terrain, the booking process works the same as any other Georgia county. Arrests lead to the jail in Trenton, and the 72 hour clock starts right away.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Dade County

Georgia law requires that arrested people see a judge within a set time. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 gives a 72 hour window for anyone arrested on a warrant. The clock begins at the time of arrest. This is where the phrase "72 hour booking" comes from. In a county as small as Dade, the process tends to move quickly because the jail and courthouse are both in Trenton.

Warrantless arrests have a 48 hour deadline. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 covers this. If a deputy arrests someone on the spot, the court must hold a hearing within two days. This comes up during traffic stops, calls about fights, or other situations where the arrest happens without a pre-issued warrant. The rules are the same across all of Georgia.

First appearance hearings in Dade County take place at the county courthouse in Trenton. The magistrate judge reviews the charges and sets bond. Weekend arrests can push the timing close. A Saturday arrest on a warrant means the hearing needs to happen by Tuesday at the latest. Dade County judges schedule hearings to meet the deadline. If the court fails to hold the hearing on time, the person can ask to be released, though that is uncommon here.

The 72 hour and 48 hour limits cover only the first appearance. Bond hearings, preliminary hearings, and trial dates are separate. The first appearance just makes sure the person knows the charges and has a chance to ask for bond.

Public Access to Dade County 72 Hour Booking Records

Booking records in Dade County are public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, the Georgia Open Records Act, gives everyone the right to request government records. This includes arrest reports and booking data. No reason is required. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days of getting your request.

To get booking records, call 706-657-3233 or visit the office at 75 Case Ave in Trenton. Simple questions can be answered over the phone. For copies of arrest reports or booking sheets, there may be a small fee. Because Dade County is a small operation, the staff tend to be accessible and helpful with records requests.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 puts limits on booking photos. Law enforcement cannot release a booking photo to someone who plans to post it on a website that charges for removal. The law was created to stop mugshot websites from exploiting arrest records. The photo is still part of the booking file. If you make a proper open records request and your use does not fall under the restriction, the office can provide it.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers cases that have moved beyond the county level.

The GDC tool is free. It shows people serving time in state prison with details on their facility, sentence, and release dates. It will not list someone who is still in the Dade County jail awaiting trial or sentencing.

State Resources for Dade County Bookings

A few statewide tools can assist with a Dade County booking search. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) at the GBI runs criminal background checks. Call 404-244-2639. A GCIC check pulls in arrests and convictions from every county in Georgia, giving you a broader view than a single Dade County lookup.

The VINE notification system tracks inmates after booking. Register with the person's name or ID, and VINE will send alerts when their status changes. You can pick phone, text, or email notifications. VINE's number is 833-216-6670. The service is free and works for Dade County and most other Georgia counties. If you need to know the moment someone is released from jail, this is the best tool for that.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association maintains a full directory of every sheriff's office in the state.

Given Dade County's location in the far northwest corner, an arrest could happen near the Tennessee or Alabama state line. The Sheriffs' Association directory helps you find the right Georgia county office to contact. Walker and Catoosa are the two Georgia counties next to Dade. If an arrest happened near those borders, it might be in their system instead.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction in Dade County

Some arrest records can be restricted in Georgia after the case is done. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows restriction when charges are dropped, dismissed, or the person is acquitted. The record does not go away, but it becomes hidden from most background checks. Only certain people and agencies can still see it.

O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is the First Offender Act. A judge can use it for someone with no prior felony record. If the person completes their sentence cleanly, the conviction is sealed. A Dade County booking that led to a first offender sentence may vanish from standard records searches once the sentence is done.

O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 lists who can still access restricted criminal records. Law enforcement always can. Certain employers and licensing boards have access too. For the general public, restricted records will not appear. If you search for someone in Dade County and come up empty, the record might be restricted rather than nonexistent.

Filing for restriction starts at the court that handled the case. The clerk's office at the Dade County courthouse in Trenton can point you to the correct forms. There are fees to file, and it takes a few weeks for the restriction to take effect across state systems. Getting help from a lawyer is not required, but it can speed things up if the case is complicated.

Nearby Counties

Dade County borders only two other Georgia counties. Its other borders are with Alabama and Tennessee. If an arrest happened near the state line, make sure you are looking in the right jurisdiction.