Murray County 72 Hour Booking Records

Murray County 72 hour booking records are held by the Murray County Sheriff's Office in Chatsworth. If you need to find out about a recent arrest or check who is in the county jail, you will need to call the sheriff's office since there is no online inmate lookup tool for this county.

Murray County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Jimmy Davenport leads the Murray County Sheriff's Office. The main office sits at 810-1/2 GI Maddox Pkwy, Chatsworth, GA 30705. Call 706-695-4592 for jail and booking questions. Staff at the sheriff's office can check if someone is in custody, what charges they face, and what bond has been set. The office runs law enforcement and the county jail for all of Murray County.

Murray County does not have an online jail roster or inmate search tool. You have to call or visit in person. When you phone in, give the full name of the person you want to ask about. Jail staff will look them up in the system and tell you if they have been booked. Walk-in requests work too. The office on GI Maddox Parkway is open during regular business hours. After hours, you can reach dispatch for basic booking info.

Chatsworth is a small city, and Murray County has a rural feel. But the sheriff's office still processes a steady flow of arrests. Deputies cover the whole county, from the city limits of Chatsworth to the more remote parts near the Cohutta Wilderness. All arrests end up at the same jail for booking. The arresting agency might be a city officer or a county deputy, but the jail is run by Sheriff Davenport's office either way.

If you need records from a past booking, the sheriff's office can pull those too. Just call and ask. They may need a few details to find the right file, like a date range or a case number. For current bookings, the jail staff can usually give you info over the phone right away.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Murray County

Georgia law puts a clear time limit on how long a person can sit in jail before seeing a judge. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, anyone arrested on a warrant must have a first appearance hearing within 72 hours. That is where the phrase "72 hour booking" comes from. The clock begins at the moment of arrest, not when the person gets to the Murray County jail.

For arrests made without a warrant, the time frame is even shorter. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says a probable cause hearing must happen within 48 hours. This comes up when deputies arrest someone on the spot during a traffic stop, a domestic call, or some other incident. Murray County judges hold hearings as needed to meet these deadlines.

First appearance hearings take place at the Murray County courthouse in Chatsworth. The judge reads the charges, explains the person's rights, and may set bond. Weekend arrests can push the timeline close to the limit. An arrest on a Friday night with a warrant means the hearing must happen by Monday night. If the deadline passes, the person can ask a judge for release. This is uncommon in Murray County, but the law is there to protect against it.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is the main state tool for tracking people who have moved past the county jail:

If a Murray County booking leads to a state prison sentence, this search tool will show where the person is housed and their release date.

Public Access to Murray County 72 Hour Booking Records

Booking records in Murray County are public. The Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, gives anyone the right to request government records. You do not have to say why you want them. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days. Copy fees may apply for printed records, but simple phone inquiries about current inmates are free.

To file a records request, call 706-695-4592 or go to the sheriff's office in person. You can ask for arrest reports, booking sheets, and charge lists. Put the request in writing if you want a formal response. Include the person's name and a date range. That helps staff find the right files faster.

Booking photos have some extra rules. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 blocks law enforcement from handing over booking photos to people who plan to post them on websites that charge a fee for removal. The law targets mugshot sites that profit from arrest records. The photo is still part of the public file, though. You can get it through an open records request as long as you do not plan to use it that way.

State Resources for Murray County Bookings

Several state tools tie into Murray County booking records. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), run by the GBI, handles statewide criminal history checks. You can call GCIC at 404-244-2639. A check through GCIC will show arrests and convictions from all Georgia counties, not just Murray. This is useful when you want a full picture of someone's record.

The VINE notification system lets you track an inmate after they are booked. You sign up for alerts by phone, text, or email. VINE will notify you when someone is released, moved, or has a court date coming up. The phone number is 833-216-6670. The service is free and covers Murray County along with most other counties in the state.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association keeps a directory of every sheriff's office in the state with phone numbers and addresses:

If your search takes you past Murray County, this directory is a quick way to find the right office in a nearby county.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction in Murray County

Georgia law allows some people to restrict their arrest records 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 apply to have the record restricted. A restricted record will not show up on most background checks. The record still exists in the system, but the public cannot see it.

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. When the person finishes their sentence without problems, the conviction gets sealed. A Murray County booking that led to a first offender sentence may not turn up on standard records checks later on.

To start the restriction process, you file with the court that handled the case. The Murray County Clerk of Court in Chatsworth can point you to the right forms. Filing fees apply, and it takes several weeks for the restriction to go into effect across state databases. Law enforcement still has access to restricted records, but the general public does not.

Cities in Murray County

Murray County includes Chatsworth, the county seat and largest city. All arrests in the county go through the Murray County jail for booking. The booking record will list the arresting agency, which may be Chatsworth police or county deputies.

Chatsworth and the smaller communities of Eton and Spring Place are all served by the Murray County Sheriff's Office for jail operations. Arrests in any of these areas go through the same booking process.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Murray County. If you are not sure where an arrest took place, check with the neighboring sheriff's offices. Arrests near county lines can end up in a different county's jail.