Stewart County 72 Hour Booking Records

Stewart County 72 hour booking records come from the Stewart County Sheriff's Office in Lumpkin. This small rural county in southwest Georgia has one jail, and the sheriff's staff handle all bookings and arrest processing for the area.

Stewart County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Larry Jones runs the Stewart County Sheriff's Office. The main office is at PO Box 817, Lumpkin, GA 31815, and the phone number is 229-838-4311. This is the only law enforcement office that handles bookings in Stewart County. If you need to find out if someone was arrested, call the sheriff's office during normal hours.

Stewart County does not have an online inmate search tool. You have to call the jail or go in person to get booking info. The staff can tell you if someone is in custody, what the charges are, and what bond has been set. Keep a pen ready when you call because they may give you details fast. The jail is small and holds a limited number of inmates at any given time.

Walk-in visits to the sheriff's office are the most direct way to get booking records. Bring a valid ID. You can ask for a copy of the booking sheet, which will show the arrest date, charges, arresting officer, and bond amount. The office may charge a small fee for paper copies.

Stewart County falls in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. Cases from this county go to the circuit court in that district. First appearance hearings happen at the Stewart County courthouse in Lumpkin. The magistrate judge sets bond and reviews arrest warrants for all local bookings.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Stewart County

Georgia law requires that anyone arrested with a warrant must appear before a judge within 72 hours. This rule comes from O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26. The clock starts when the arrest happens. In Stewart County, the magistrate court handles these first appearances. The judge will read the charges, set bond if one applies, and let the person know their rights.

For warrantless arrests, the time frame is even tighter. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says the hearing must happen within 48 hours. This comes up when an officer makes an arrest on the spot. A fight, a traffic stop that leads to charges, or a domestic call can all result in a warrantless arrest. Either way, the person goes through the Stewart County jail booking process first.

During booking, jail staff take a photo, collect fingerprints, and record personal info. They log the charges, the arresting officer, and the time of arrest. All of this goes into the booking record. That record is what people refer to when they talk about 72 hour booking data.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search can help you find someone who was booked in Stewart County and later moved to a state prison.

That tool covers anyone who has been sentenced and transferred to the state system. It shows current location, sentence length, and expected release date.

72 Hour Booking Public Access in Stewart County

Booking records in Georgia are public. The Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, gives anyone the right to request government records. This includes arrest reports, booking sheets, and jail logs. You do not need to give a reason for your request. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days.

To make a request, you can call, write a letter, or visit in person. Some people send a written request to PO Box 817, Lumpkin, GA 31815. Put the name of the person, the approximate arrest date, and what records you need. The office may charge for copies. Fees are usually small, a few cents per page, but they can add up if you want a lot of documents.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 limits how booking photos can be shared. A law enforcement agency cannot give a booking photo to someone who will post it on a website that charges a fee to take it down. This law targets so-called mugshot sites. You can still get booking photos through a proper open records request, but the sheriff's office may ask what you plan to do with the image.

If you need a criminal history check that goes beyond a single booking, the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) can help. Call them at 404-244-2639. They run background checks for a fee and pull records from all counties in the state. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 covers the rules for these checks.

Statewide 72 Hour Booking Resources for Stewart County Bookings

The VINE notification system lets you track an inmate after they are booked in Stewart County. You can sign up for alerts by phone, text, or email. When the person is released, moved, or has a court date, you get a notification. The VINE phone line is 833-216-6670. This is a free service.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association keeps a list of every sheriff in the state by county. This is handy if you need to reach out to a neighboring county about a booking.

That directory gives you phone numbers, addresses, and links for each sheriff's office across the state. It helps when you are not sure which county handled an arrest.

Record Restriction in Stewart County

Georgia allows some criminal records to be restricted from public view. O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 covers record restriction for first offenders. If someone completes their sentence under the First Offender Act, they can ask the court to restrict the record. Once restricted, the booking will not show up on most background checks.

Not every case qualifies. Serious felonies and sex offenses are generally not eligible. The person has to file a petition with the court, and a judge decides whether to grant it. If you are looking for a Stewart County booking record and cannot find it, record restriction may be the reason. The clerk of court in Stewart County can tell you if a record has been restricted.

Keep in mind that restricted records are not deleted. Law enforcement can still see them. But for most public searches, those records will not appear in results.

Nearby Counties

Stewart County is in southwest Georgia, surrounded by several other rural counties. If you are not sure where someone was booked, check these neighboring counties as well. County lines can be hard to tell apart in rural areas.