Find Rabun County 72 Hour Booking Records

Rabun County 72 hour booking records are maintained by the Rabun County Sheriff's Office in Clayton. Located in the far northeast corner of Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this county has no online inmate search, so you will need to contact the sheriff's office directly for booking information.

Rabun County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Mark Gerrells leads the Rabun County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 56 Boen Creek Dr, Tiger, GA 30576. Call 706-782-3612 for any questions about bookings, arrests, or jail status. Staff can tell you if a person is in custody, what the charges are, and what the bond amount is. This is the main contact for all jail-related inquiries in Rabun County.

Rabun County covers a large stretch of mountain land in the northeast tip of Georgia. The Appalachian Trail runs through part of it, and the county draws hikers, fishermen, and seasonal residents throughout the year. That mix of visitors and locals keeps the sheriff's office busy during peak seasons. All arrests in the county go through the Rabun County jail, whether they happen in Clayton, along the trails, or out on one of the rural roads that cut through the mountains.

There is no online way to search for inmates in Rabun County. You have to call the office or go there. During business hours, staff can give you details on current inmates. After hours, dispatch picks up the phone and can answer basic booking questions. If you want a written copy of an arrest report or booking sheet, visit the office in person. They may charge a small fee for copies.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Rabun County

Georgia law places time limits on how long someone can be held after arrest before a judge sees them. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 requires that anyone arrested on a warrant appear before a judicial officer within 72 hours. This is the law behind the "72 hour booking" concept. The clock starts from the time of arrest, not from when the person reaches the jail.

Arrests without a warrant have a shorter deadline. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 sets a 48 hour limit for a probable cause hearing in those cases. This is common in Rabun County when deputies make arrests during traffic stops, respond to calls about fights, or handle other incidents where there is no pre-existing warrant. The 48 hour rule is strict, and missing it gives the arrested person a right to request release.

You can look up contact info for every Georgia sheriff through the Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory:

This directory confirms the current sheriff and phone number for Rabun County and all other counties in the state.

First appearance hearings in Rabun County happen at the courthouse in Clayton. The magistrate judge reads the charges and decides on bond. Mountain weather can sometimes make travel tough in winter, but the court still works to meet the 72 hour deadline. Weekend arrests may push to a Monday hearing. If the window closes without a hearing, the arrested person has legal grounds to seek release, though this is unusual in a county where the docket stays manageable.

Rabun County 72 Hour Booking Public Access

Booking records in Rabun County are public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, the Georgia Open Records Act, gives anyone the right to request government records. Arrest reports, booking sheets, and charge details all fall under this law. You do not need to give a reason when you ask. The sheriff's office has to respond within three business days.

To make a request, call 706-782-3612 or visit the office at 56 Boen Creek Dr in Tiger. Basic questions about who is in the jail can usually be answered over the phone. If you need printed copies of records, the office may charge a small fee. Written requests are also accepted by mail.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 governs booking photos in Georgia. Law enforcement cannot release booking photos to someone who will post them on a website or publication that charges money for removal. The photo is still part of the public record, but the Rabun County Sheriff's Office will evaluate each request for a booking photo before deciding whether to release it. This law was passed to stop so-called mugshot extortion websites.

Georgia 72 Hour Booking Resources for Rabun County

Statewide tools can fill in gaps when searching for someone connected to a Rabun County arrest. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers anyone sentenced to state prison. If a Rabun County booking led to a conviction and the person was sent to a state facility, this free search will show their location, sentence length, and release date.

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) at the GBI handles criminal history records. You can reach them at 404-244-2639. A GCIC background check pulls arrest and conviction data from every county in Georgia. This is the way to go if you need more than just a recent Rabun County booking.

Below is the GCIC information page from the GBI:

The GCIC handles formal background checks that cover the full state. It is a separate process from calling the Rabun County Sheriff's Office for a current booking status.

The VINE notification system is another helpful tool. Register with VINE to get alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. You can get calls, texts, or emails. The VINE phone number is 833-216-6670. It covers Rabun County along with most other counties in Georgia. This is especially useful if you need to know the moment someone is released from the Rabun County jail.

Record Restriction in Rabun County

Some booking records in Rabun County can be restricted after the case is over. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows a person to file for restriction if charges were dismissed, dropped, or ended in a not guilty verdict. A restricted record will not show up on most background checks. It still exists in the system, but public access is blocked.

The First Offender Act, O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, provides another way to seal a record. If a person has no prior felony convictions, a judge can sentence them under this act. After the person finishes the sentence without any violations, the record is sealed. A Rabun County booking that led to a first offender sentence may disappear from public searches. To get started, contact the Rabun County Clerk of Superior Court in Clayton. Forms and filing fees are part of the process, and it takes several weeks for the restriction to show up in state databases.

Restricted records are not erased. Law enforcement agencies still have access. Some employers and licensing boards can see them too, depending on the background check type. For the general public, though, a restricted Rabun County booking record is hidden from standard search results.

Nearby Counties

These counties neighbor Rabun County in northeast Georgia. If the arrest location is close to a county line, the booking may be in a different county's jail.