Johnson County 72 Hour Booking Records

Johnson County 72 hour booking records are kept by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Wrightsville. This central Georgia county processes all arrests through one facility, and the office handles booking inquiries by phone and in person.

Johnson County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Greg Rowland leads the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 2557 E Elm St, Wrightsville, GA 31096. Call 478-864-3934 for booking questions, bond info, or custody checks. This is the main number for all arrest inquiries in Johnson County. Staff can look up anyone in the jail and tell you their charges and bond status.

Johnson County is a small, mostly rural county in the middle of the state. Wrightsville is the county seat and the main town. The sheriff's deputies patrol the entire county, and all arrests end up at the jail in Wrightsville for processing. City police in Wrightsville also make arrests that run through the same booking system. If someone was picked up anywhere in Johnson County, this is the only place to check.

There is no online inmate search for Johnson County. You cannot look up bookings from home through a website. Call the office during business hours for the quickest answer. After hours, dispatch is available and can handle basic questions about who is currently in the jail. If you need copies of arrest reports or booking sheets, go to the office in Wrightsville during regular hours.

Johnson County is also known for the state prisons located within its borders. The Johnson State Prison and the Wrightsville Correctional Institution are both in the county. These are state facilities run by the Georgia Department of Corrections, not by the sheriff. If someone is at one of those prisons, you need to contact GDC, not the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. The county jail is separate from the state prisons.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Johnson County

Georgia law puts a time limit on how long someone can be held after arrest. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 requires a first appearance hearing within 72 hours for anyone arrested on a warrant. The time starts at the moment of arrest. This is the rule that gives "72 hour booking" its name across all Georgia counties.

Warrantless arrests have a shorter window. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says the person must have a probable cause hearing within 48 hours. In Johnson County, warrantless arrests happen when deputies respond to a scene and decide to take someone in based on what they find. The 48 hour rule means the court needs to act fast on these cases.

First appearance hearings take place at the Johnson County courthouse in Wrightsville. The judge reads the charges, explains the person's rights, and decides on bond. Routine charges often come with a preset bond schedule that speeds things up. More serious cases get individual attention from the judge. The courthouse sits close to the jail, which helps keep things moving within the deadline.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is a free tool for looking up state prison inmates:

This is especially useful in Johnson County since the county is home to two state prisons. If someone was sentenced and transferred from the county jail to a state facility, you can track them through this database.

Johnson County Public Records

Booking records in Johnson County are public under Georgia law. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 is the Open Records Act. It says anyone can ask for government records. That includes arrest reports, booking sheets, and charge information from the Johnson County jail. You do not have to give a reason for your request.

The sheriff's office must respond to a written request within three business days. For quick phone inquiries, call 478-864-3934. Staff can check the system and tell you if someone is in the jail, what the charges are, and the bond amount. If you need printed copies, visit the office in Wrightsville. A small fee may apply for documents.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 covers booking photos. Georgia law says agencies cannot release booking photos to anyone who plans to post them on a website or in a print publication that charges a fee for removal. This rule was aimed at mugshot websites. The photo is still part of the arrest record, and a proper open records request that does not violate this statute can be approved by the sheriff's office.

For older records, be specific about dates. Small counties like Johnson do not always have the same digital archive that bigger counties maintain. Giving a date range helps the staff find what you are looking for.

State Resources for Johnson County Bookings

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) handles statewide criminal background checks through the GBI. Call 404-244-2639 for information. A GCIC check pulls arrest and conviction records from all 159 Georgia counties, so you get a much wider view than a single county search. This is useful if you need the full criminal history on someone, not just a Johnson County booking.

The VINE notification system is free and works with Johnson County. Register for alerts about an inmate and you will get a call, text, or email when they are released, moved, or have a court date. The VINE phone number is 833-216-6670. This is the easiest way to stay informed about a case without calling the jail over and over again.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory lists contact info for every sheriff in the state:

Use this to confirm the phone number and address for Sheriff Rowland's office or to look up sheriffs in the counties that border Johnson County.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction in Johnson County

Georgia law allows certain arrest records to be restricted after a case closes. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 covers this. If charges were dismissed, dropped, or the person was acquitted, they can ask to have the booking record restricted. A restricted record does not show on most background checks, though the data still exists in the system.

O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is the First Offender Act. A judge can sentence someone with no prior felonies as a first offender. Complete the sentence without issues and the conviction is sealed. A Johnson County booking that resulted in a first offender sentence may not come up in a public records search later. If you search for someone and get no results, record restriction could be why.

To file for restriction in Johnson County, contact the Clerk of Superior Court in Wrightsville. There are forms to complete and a filing fee to pay. The restriction takes time to update across all state databases. Law enforcement agencies can still see restricted records. Some employers and licensing boards can access them through authorized background check processes.

Nearby Counties

These counties surround Johnson County. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, the neighboring sheriff's offices can help you narrow it down. Rural roads in this part of Georgia can cross county lines without much notice.