Find Upson County 72 Hour Booking Records

Upson County 72 hour booking records are kept by the Upson County Sheriff's Office in Thomaston. No online inmate search exists for this county, so contact the sheriff's office by phone or in person for current booking information.

Upson County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Dan Kilgore heads the Upson County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 235 Aviation Dr, Thomaston, GA 30286. Call 706-647-7411 to ask about bookings, charges, and bond amounts. This is the main line for all jail questions in Upson County. Staff can confirm if someone is being held and tell you what charges they face.

Upson County is in west-central Georgia, south of Atlanta and east of LaGrange. Thomaston is the county seat and the largest town. The jail on Aviation Drive handles all arrests in the county. Whether the arrest is made by a sheriff's deputy, the Thomaston Police Department, or a state trooper, the person gets booked at this location.

The county does not have an online tool to search for inmates. Calling the sheriff's office is the way to go. During business hours, staff can pull up the jail roster and answer your questions. After hours, dispatch picks up the phone. They can check who is in custody and give you basic details. For detailed records requests or printed copies, go to the office in person.

The booking record for each arrest lists the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, time of arrest, and bond information. In most cases, the staff can share all of this over the phone. Upson County is a mid-size county, so the jail roster is manageable and lookups do not take long.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Upson County

Georgia law requires that a person arrested on a warrant must appear before a judge within 72 hours. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 sets this rule. The first appearance hearing is when the judge reads the charges and decides on bail. The 72 hour period starts at the time of the arrest. This is the basis for the term "72 hour booking."

Warrantless arrests have a shorter window. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 says the hearing must happen within 48 hours when someone is arrested without a warrant. This covers situations like a DUI arrest or a domestic violence call where the officer takes someone into custody on the spot. The booking process at the Upson County jail is the same for both types of arrest. Only the court deadline is different.

First appearance hearings in Upson County are held at the courthouse in Thomaston. The courthouse and jail are in the same town, which keeps things moving. Weekend arrests may push the hearing to Monday, but judges will hold special sessions if the deadline gets tight. If the 72 hour or 48 hour window passes without a hearing, the person can ask for release. This is rare in Upson County because the system stays on schedule.

Some offenses carry a preset bond. A person booked on one of those charges can post bail right away and leave before the first appearance. More serious charges, especially felonies, require the judge to set bond at the hearing.

Upson County 72 Hour Booking Records and Public Access

Booking records are public in Upson County. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, Georgia's Open Records Act, gives anyone the right to request these records. That includes arrest reports, booking data, and charge details. You do not need a reason to ask. The sheriff's office has three business days to respond to a formal request.

For quick answers, call 706-647-7411. The staff will tell you if someone is in the jail and what they are charged with. Copies of arrest reports or booking sheets may cost a small per-page fee. Ask about the rate at the front desk. You can also submit requests in person at the office on Aviation Drive in Thomaston.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 puts restrictions on booking photos. The law says agencies cannot release photos to anyone who plans to publish them on a website that charges for removal. This targets the mugshot website industry. The photo itself stays in the public record. If your request does not fall under that specific restriction, the sheriff's office can release it through the open records process.

After someone leaves the county jail, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search can help track their case. This tool shows anyone in state prison, including current location, sentence length, and release date. It is free to use.

The GDC database does not include current Upson County jail inmates. It only covers people who have been sentenced to state prison. For local custody info, use the sheriff's office phone line.

State Resources for Upson County Bookings

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) provides statewide criminal background checks through the GBI. Call 404-244-2639 for details on how to request one. A GCIC report covers arrests and convictions from every county in Georgia. It is more thorough than what you can get from a single call to the Upson County jail.

The VINE notification system is a free alert service for tracking inmates. Register for a specific person and get a phone call, text, or email when their status changes. Releases, transfers, and court dates all trigger an alert. The VINE phone number is 833-216-6670. It works for Upson County and most other Georgia counties.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association publishes a directory of every sheriff in Georgia with contact details. If you need to reach Pike County, Lamar County, or any other neighbor of Upson County, this list is a quick reference.

Upson County shares borders with seven other counties. If you are not finding an arrest in the Upson system, one of those neighbors may have handled the booking. The Sheriffs' Association directory makes it easy to check.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction in Upson County

Georgia law provides a way to restrict certain arrest records after a case ends. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows record restriction when charges are dismissed, dropped, or the person is found not guilty. A restricted record does not appear on standard background checks. It still exists in law enforcement databases, but the public cannot access it.

O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, the First Offender Act, offers a different path. A judge can sentence someone as a first offender if they have no prior felony record. If they complete the sentence without violations, the conviction gets sealed. An Upson County booking that went through a first offender sentence may not show up on future records searches.

To file for restriction, contact the court in Thomaston that handled the case. The clerk's office can give you the forms and explain the fees involved. Plan for several weeks before the restriction goes into effect across state databases. Note that certain employers, like those in healthcare and public safety, can still access restricted records through their licensing processes.

Nearby Counties

Upson County borders seven other counties in west-central Georgia. If you are searching for a booking and are not sure about the exact location of the arrest, check with these neighboring sheriff's offices.