Pierce County 72 Hour Booking Records Search

Pierce County 72 hour booking records are kept by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office in Blackshear. To look up a recent arrest or check on someone in the county jail, you will need to call the sheriff's office directly since there is no online inmate roster for this county.

Pierce County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Ramsey Bennett heads the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 300 Pierce Industrial Blvd, Blackshear, GA 31516. Call 912-449-2101 for booking questions, charge info, and bond amounts. The sheriff's office handles all law enforcement and jail operations for Pierce County.

There is no online way to check who is in the Pierce County jail. You have to call or go in person. When you call, give them the full name of the person you are asking about. Jail staff will look them up and tell you if they are in custody. They can share charges and bond details over the phone. Visit during regular business hours for walk-in requests.

Pierce County is a rural county in southeast Georgia. Blackshear is the county seat and the main town. Patterson and Offerman are smaller communities. The county covers a good amount of land but has a small population. Most of the area is farms, forests, and open land. The sheriff's office covers all of it. Deputies patrol the highways and back roads. All arrests go through the same booking process at the county jail in Blackshear.

Because Pierce County is rural, response times for deputies can be longer than in a city. But the booking process once someone reaches the jail is the same as anywhere in Georgia. Personal details get recorded, charges are logged, a photo is taken, and bond gets set. The person either bonds out or waits for a court date.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Pierce County

Georgia law limits how long a person can sit in jail before seeing a judge. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, anyone arrested with a warrant must appear before a judge within 72 hours. This is the 72 hour booking rule. The time starts when the arrest is made, not when the person gets to the Pierce County jail.

Warrantless arrests have a shorter window. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says a probable cause hearing must happen within 48 hours. This covers situations where a deputy arrests someone on the spot without a warrant. Traffic stops that lead to a DUI arrest are a common example. The Pierce County magistrate court schedules these hearings to stay within the legal deadline.

First appearance hearings take place at the Pierce County courthouse in Blackshear. The judge reads the charges, explains the person's rights, and sets bond when the case allows it. Weekend arrests can push things to the edge of the deadline. A Friday night arrest on a warrant means the hearing must happen by Monday night. Pierce County judges hold hearings as needed to meet this requirement.

The deadlines apply to the first appearance only. Bond hearings, trial dates, and other court events come later. The first appearance just makes sure the person knows the charges and has a chance to ask about bond.

Public Access to Pierce County 72 Hour Booking Records

Booking records in Pierce County are public. The Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, lets anyone ask for government records. You do not need a reason. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days. Copy fees may apply for printed records. Phone questions about who is in jail right now are usually free.

Call 912-449-2101 or go to the sheriff's office to request records. You can ask for arrest reports, booking sheets, and charge details. Written requests are best for formal records. Give the person's name and an approximate date range so staff can find the right files.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 handles booking photos. Law enforcement cannot give photos to people who plan to post them on websites that charge for removal. The photos are still public. You can request them through an open records request as long as you are not using them for a mugshot site.

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) handles statewide criminal history checks:

Call GCIC at 404-244-2639. A check through GCIC pulls arrest and conviction data from all Georgia counties, not just Pierce.

Georgia Statewide 72 Hour Booking Resources

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search tracks people who have been sentenced to state prison. If a Pierce County booking leads to a state sentence, you can find that person in the GDC database. The search is free and shows facility info, sentence details, and release dates.

The VINE notification system is a free tool for tracking inmates. Register for alerts by phone, text, or email. VINE will let you know when someone is released, moved, or has a court date. Call 833-216-6670 for help. VINE works across Georgia, including Pierce County.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory lists every sheriff in the state with contact details:

This is useful when your search goes beyond Pierce County to a neighboring area.

Record Restriction in Pierce County

Some arrest records in Georgia can be restricted after the case is over. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows this if charges are dropped, dismissed, or the person is acquitted. A restricted record will not show on most background checks. It stays in the system, but the public cannot see it.

The First Offender Act, O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, is another route. If a judge sentences someone as a first offender and they complete the sentence without issues, the conviction is sealed. A Pierce County booking that led to a first offender sentence may not show up on standard checks later.

To start the restriction process, file with the court that handled the case. The Pierce County Clerk of Court in Blackshear has the right forms. Filing fees apply. It takes several weeks for the restriction to go through. Law enforcement retains full access to restricted records, but the general public does not.

Cities in Pierce County

Pierce County includes Blackshear, the county seat, along with the smaller towns of Patterson and Offerman. All arrests go through the Pierce County jail for booking.

Arrests in any part of Pierce County are processed by the sheriff's office at the same facility on Pierce Industrial Blvd.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Pierce County. If an arrest happened near a county line, the person may be in a neighboring county jail instead. Check the arrest location to find the right office.