Search Union County 72 Hour Booking Records

Union County 72 hour booking records are maintained by the Union County Sheriff's Office in Blairsville. There is no online inmate search for this county, so you will need to call the sheriff's office for information about current bookings and arrests.

Union County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Shawn Dyer heads the Union County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 378 Beasley St, Blairsville, GA 30512. Call 706-439-6066 to ask about bookings. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody, what they were charged with, and what bond amount was set. This is the main number for all jail and arrest questions in Union County.

Union County is in the north Georgia mountains, close to the Tennessee and North Carolina state lines. Blairsville is a small town that serves as the county seat. The area draws a lot of visitors for hiking, camping, and seasonal tourism. That means arrests sometimes involve people who are not local. Whether someone lives in Blairsville or was just passing through, the booking goes through the same county jail.

There is no online inmate search for Union County. You have to call. During business hours, staff at the office can check the roster and give you the information you need. After hours, dispatch answers the phone and can help with basic custody questions. If you need copies of records, visit the office in person during normal hours.

The sheriff's office handles all arrests in Union County. That includes arrests by deputies, Blairsville city officers, and Georgia State Patrol troopers working the mountain highways. Each booking record logs the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, and bond details.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Union County

Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26, a person arrested on a warrant in Georgia must see a judge within 72 hours. The first appearance hearing is where the judge explains the charges and sets bail. This deadline is the reason people use the term "72 hour booking." The timer starts at the moment of the arrest, not when the person arrives at the jail.

Warrantless arrests follow a shorter deadline. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 requires the hearing within 48 hours. This applies when a deputy or officer arrests someone on the spot without a warrant. A DUI stop on a mountain road or a domestic call where the officer makes an arrest would fall under this 48 hour rule. The booking at the Union County jail works the same way either way.

First appearance hearings happen at the Union County courthouse in Blairsville. The court and the jail are both in the same small town, so moving inmates for hearings does not take much effort. Weekend arrests can cause a slight delay, with hearings sometimes pushed to Monday morning. But the 72 hour deadline still holds. If the window is about to close, the court will schedule a hearing to avoid a problem.

Some charges in Union County have a preset bond. A person booked on one of those charges can post bail and leave before the hearing. Felonies and other serious offenses do not have preset amounts. The judge decides on bail at the first appearance for those cases.

Union County 72 Hour Booking Records and Public Access

Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, makes booking records public. Anyone can request them. No reason required. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days to a formal written request. This covers arrest reports, booking sheets, and charge details.

Calling 706-439-6066 is the easiest way to get quick info. Staff will tell you if someone is in the jail and what they are charged with. For written copies, go to the office on Beasley Street in Blairsville. There may be a small per-page copying fee. Ask the front desk about the rate.

Booking photos are governed by O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19. This statute prevents law enforcement from releasing booking photos to people who will post them on pay-for-removal websites. The photo remains part of the public record and can be obtained through a proper open records request if your purpose does not fall under the restriction.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is useful for tracking cases that go past the Union County jail. If someone was convicted and sent to a state prison, this free database shows their current facility, sentence, and expected release date.

The GDC search only covers state prison inmates. It does not include people held at the Union County jail waiting for trial. For those, you need to call the sheriff's office.

State Resources for Union County Bookings

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) at the GBI handles statewide criminal history checks. Call 404-244-2639 for information on how to request one. A GCIC report goes beyond what the Union County jail can tell you. It covers arrests and convictions from all 159 counties in Georgia.

The VINE notification system provides real-time alerts about an inmate's status. Sign up for a specific person and VINE will call, text, or email you when they are released, moved, or have a court date. The phone number for VINE is 833-216-6670. It covers Union County and most other Georgia counties. This is the best option if you need to know right away when someone leaves custody.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association maintains a full directory of every sheriff in the state. If your search leads you to Towns County, Fannin County, or another neighbor of Union County, this list is the quickest way to get the right phone number.

Union County borders both North Carolina and Tennessee. If an arrest happened near the state line, the person may have ended up in a facility in one of those states instead. Confirm the jurisdiction before you start calling around.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction in Union County

Georgia allows some arrest records to be restricted after the case is finished. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 covers this. If charges are dismissed, dropped, or the person wins at trial, they can apply for record restriction. Once restricted, the record will not show up on most background checks. Law enforcement keeps access, but the general public loses it.

The First Offender Act, O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, is another option. A judge can sentence someone as a first offender if they have no prior felony convictions. Complete the sentence with no issues and the conviction is sealed. A Union County booking that resulted in a first offender sentence could disappear from public view down the road.

Filing for restriction starts at the court in Blairsville that handled the case. The clerk's office has the required forms. There will be fees to pay. The process takes weeks before the change shows up in statewide databases. Some employers in fields like healthcare and education can still see restricted records during background checks.

Nearby Counties

Union County is in the far north of Georgia, sharing borders with a handful of mountain counties and two other states. If you cannot find a booking in the Union County system, check with these neighbors.