Heard County 72 Hour Booking Records

Heard County 72 hour booking records are held by the Heard County Sheriff's Office in Franklin. This is a small county in west Georgia with no online inmate lookup, so you will need to call or go to the office in person to check on a recent arrest.

Heard County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Ross Henry runs the Heard County Sheriff's Office. The mailing address is PO Box 339, Franklin, GA 30217. You can reach the office at 706-675-3329. This is the main line for all booking and arrest questions in Heard County. Staff can let you know if someone is in the jail, what charges they face, and what the bond amount is.

Heard County is a rural county. The jail is small. That means the booking process tends to move fast once deputies bring someone in. The office handles all arrests in the county, whether they take place in Franklin or out on the back roads. City police in Franklin may also make arrests, but those go through the same Heard County jail for processing. If you are trying to find a person who was picked up in Heard County, the sheriff's office is your one stop.

There is no online inmate search for Heard County. You cannot look up bookings from home through a website. The best way to check is a phone call to 706-675-3329 during business hours. After hours, dispatch picks up and can handle basic booking questions. If you need a written copy of the arrest report or booking sheet, you can ask in person at the office in Franklin.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Heard County

Georgia law puts a time limit on how long someone can sit in jail after arrest. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, a person arrested on a warrant must go before a judge within 72 hours. This is the rule that gives "72 hour booking" its name. The clock starts when the arrest happens, not when the person reaches the Heard County jail.

For arrests made without a warrant, the time frame is even shorter. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says the person must have a probable cause hearing within 48 hours. This applies when a deputy makes an on-the-spot arrest for things like DUI, fights, or warrants that come back during a traffic stop. Heard County sees these types of arrests on a regular basis, especially along the main highways that cut through the area.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association provides contact details for every county sheriff in the state, including Heard County:

You can use this directory to confirm the current sheriff and office phone number in Heard County or any other county nearby.

First appearance hearings in Heard County take place at the courthouse in Franklin. The judge explains the charges and sets bond. If an arrest happens late on a Friday, the hearing may not occur until Monday. Weekend arrests can push up against the 72 hour deadline, but the court works to stay within the limit. Missing it gives the person a right to ask for release, though this is rare in a small county where cases move through quickly.

Heard County 72 Hour Booking Public Access

Booking records in Heard County are public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 is the Georgia Open Records Act. It says anyone can ask for government records, and that includes arrest reports and booking data. You do not need to explain why you want the records. The sheriff's office must respond to your request within three business days.

Call 706-675-3329 or go to the office in Franklin to make your request. You can ask for arrest reports, booking sheets, and charge details. If you want copies, the office can charge a small fee for printing. Most basic questions about who is in jail and what they are charged with can be answered over the phone at no cost.

Booking photos in Georgia are covered by O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19. This law says a law enforcement agency cannot hand out booking photos to someone who plans to post them on a website or in a publication that charges a fee to remove them. The goal was to stop mugshot sites from making money off arrest records. The photo still exists as part of the public file. A proper open records request for it will be reviewed by the sheriff's office on a case by case basis.

Georgia 72 Hour Booking Resources for Heard County

A few statewide tools can help when you are looking into a Heard County arrest. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search lets you look up anyone who has been sentenced to state prison. If an arrest in Heard County led to a conviction and the person was transferred, this is where you check. The search is free and shows the inmate's current facility, sentence dates, and projected release.

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) handles background checks through the GBI. You can call 404-244-2639 for questions about criminal history records. A GCIC check will pull up prior arrests, convictions, and booking records across all Georgia counties, not just Heard County. This is useful when you need the full picture on someone's record.

The GDC offender search tool is shown here:

This database covers anyone in the state prison system. It will not show someone who is still in the Heard County jail waiting for trial.

The VINE notification system lets you register for alerts about a specific inmate. You can get a call, text, or email when the person is released, transferred, or has a court date coming up. The VINE phone number is 833-216-6670. It works for Heard County and most other counties in Georgia. This is especially helpful if you need to know the moment someone gets out of jail and cannot keep calling the office to check.

Record Restriction in Heard County

Some Heard County booking records can be restricted after a case ends. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 covers this. If charges are dropped, dismissed, or the person is found not guilty, they can file to have the arrest record restricted. A restricted record will not show up on most background checks. It still exists, but public access is cut off.

The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another path. A judge can sentence someone as a first offender if they have no prior felony convictions. If the person finishes the sentence with no issues, the record gets sealed. So a Heard County booking that led to a first offender deal may not appear in public searches later on. To file for restriction, start with the Heard County Clerk of Superior Court in Franklin. There are forms and fees involved, and it can take weeks for the restriction to show across state databases.

Keep in mind that law enforcement can always see restricted records. Some employers and licensing boards can too, depending on the type of background check. But for the general public, a restricted booking record in Heard County will not come up in a standard search.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Heard County. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, try the neighboring sheriff's offices. Arrests near county lines sometimes end up in the wrong search if you pick the wrong county.