Long County 72 Hour Booking Records Search

Long County 72 hour booking records are handled by the Long County Sheriff's Office in Ludowici. This rural southeast Georgia county does not have an online inmate search, so you will need to contact the office for booking information.

Long County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Craig Nobles heads the Long County Sheriff's Office. The mailing address is PO Box 368, Ludowici, GA 31316. You can reach the office at 912-545-2118. Call this number for arrest information, booking details, or to check if someone is in custody. The staff can tell you the person's name, charges, bond amount, and when they were booked in.

Long County does not have an online search tool for its jail. In a county this size, booking inquiries are handled over the phone or in person. Call during business hours for the best chance of getting a full answer. The front desk staff can pull up current inmate records quickly. After hours, you will get dispatch, and they can help with basic custody checks.

Long County borders Liberty County to the east, and Fort Stewart covers some land in the area. The county is mostly rural, with Ludowici being the only real town. All arrests in Long County go through the county jail in Ludowici. That includes arrests by the sheriff's deputies, Ludowici police, and the Georgia State Patrol. US Highway 301 runs through the county, and traffic stops along that road bring in a share of the bookings.

The jail is small and the volume of bookings is low compared to larger counties. That works in your favor when you call for information. The staff generally knows who is in the jail without having to search through a big database. Things are straightforward here.

72 Hour Booking in Long County

Georgia law limits how long someone can be held after arrest before seeing a judge. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, a person arrested on a warrant must have a first appearance hearing within 72 hours. The clock starts at the time of arrest. That is the basis for the "72 hour booking" rule.

For arrests without a warrant, the time frame is shorter. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 requires a hearing within 48 hours. This applies when a deputy makes an arrest during a traffic stop, at the scene of a crime, or in response to a call. Long County deputies make these kinds of arrests on a regular basis, especially along the highways.

First appearance hearings happen at the Long County courthouse in Ludowici. The judge reads the charges and decides on bond. Since the jail and the courthouse are both in Ludowici, there is very little travel time between the two. That helps keep things on schedule. Weekend arrests can push the hearing to Monday, but the 72 hour or 48 hour deadline still applies.

If the court does not hold the hearing within the time allowed, the person can ask to be released from the Long County jail. This does not end the case. The charges still stand. It just means the court did not meet the deadline. In a small county like Long, this situation is uncommon because there is less of a backlog in the court system.

Long County 72 Hour Booking Records and Public Access

Booking records in Long County are public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 is the Georgia Open Records Act, and it gives anyone the right to request government documents. Arrest reports and booking data fall under this law. You do not need to state a reason for your request. The sheriff's office has three business days to respond.

Call 912-545-2118 or visit the office in Ludowici. Ask for copies of arrest reports, booking forms, or charge records. A small copy fee may apply. Quick questions about who is currently in the jail can usually be answered right over the phone without a formal request.

Booking photos are subject to O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19. This law prevents law enforcement from releasing booking photos to someone who will post them on a site that charges for removal. That rule was aimed at mugshot websites that try to profit from arrest records. The photo itself remains part of the public file. If you submit a proper open records request for a booking photo and your use does not violate the law, the sheriff's office can release it.

Cases from Long County that result in state prison time can be tracked through the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search.

The GDC search is free. It shows current facility location, sentence details, and projected release dates. It covers only people in state custody, not those still held at the Long County jail before trial.

State Resources for Long County Bookings

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) manages statewide criminal history data. It is part of the GBI. Call 404-244-2639 to ask about ordering a background check. GCIC records show arrests and convictions from all over Georgia, so you get a wider view than just the Long County jail records alone.

The VINE notification system covers Long County. VINE is free and lets you track a specific inmate. Sign up for phone, text, or email alerts. You will be notified when the person is released, transferred, or has a court date. The phone line is 833-216-6670. This is one of the best tools out there for families and victims who need to know when someone gets out of jail.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association maintains a list of all sheriffs in the state with their contact information. Use it to verify the number for Sheriff Nobles' office or to find a neighboring county if you are not sure where a booking took place.

Between the local sheriff, VINE, GDC, and GCIC, you can follow a Long County arrest from the initial booking all the way through sentencing and prison placement.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction in Long County

Georgia law allows certain arrest records to be restricted after a case concludes. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 is the statute that governs this. If charges were dropped, dismissed, or the person was found not guilty, they can petition for record restriction. Once restricted, the booking record will not appear on most background checks. It remains in the database but is only visible to law enforcement and certain authorized agencies.

The First Offender Act provides another path. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, a judge can sentence someone as a first offender when they have no prior felony convictions. If they complete the sentence without violations, the conviction is sealed. A Long County booking that went through the first offender program may not show up on a records search later.

To pursue record restriction in Long County, start with the court that handled the case. The county clerk's office in Ludowici can assist with the necessary forms and filing fees. The process takes several weeks. Once restriction is granted, it gradually takes effect across state databases. Some employers and licensing agencies can still access restricted records under Georgia law, but the general public will not see them.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Long County in southeast Georgia. If you are looking for an arrest that might have happened near a county line, check the neighboring sheriff's offices as well.