Access Webster County 72 Hour Booking Records

Webster County 72 hour booking records are handled by the Webster County Sheriff's Office in Preston. This is one of Georgia's smallest counties, and there is no online inmate search available.

Webster County Sheriff's Office and Jail

Sheriff Randy Dely runs the Webster County Sheriff's Office. The mailing address is PO Box 55, Preston, GA 31824. You can reach the office at 229-828-7712 for booking inquiries or general questions. Webster County has one of the lowest populations of any county in Georgia. Arrests here are rare, and the jail is small.

There is no online tool for looking up Webster County inmates. With so few bookings, the county has not set up a web-based search. Your best option is to call the sheriff's office. Even after hours, dispatch can answer basic questions about who is in custody. The staff is small, but they are used to handling these calls.

Because Webster County is so sparsely populated, most law enforcement activity involves routine patrol and traffic enforcement. State Route 41 and State Route 280 both run through the county. A stop on one of these roads can lead to a booking at the Webster County jail, even if the person was just passing through. Keep this in mind if you are searching for someone who travels through southwest Georgia.

In some cases, Webster County may house its inmates in a neighboring county's jail through an intergovernmental agreement. If you call and they say the person is not at the Webster County facility, ask if the inmate was transferred to Sumter or Stewart County. This happens from time to time in small counties.

How the 72 Hour Rule Works in Webster County

Georgia law mandates a first appearance hearing within 72 hours for arrests made with a warrant. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 sets this deadline. The phrase "72 hour booking" comes directly from this rule. From the moment someone is booked into custody in Webster County, the clock starts ticking.

Warrantless arrests face a 48 hour limit. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 is the statute that covers these situations. Deputies make warrantless arrests when they witness a crime or show up at an active incident. A domestic violence call or a DUI stop can lead to this kind of arrest. The shorter window pushes the court to act fast.

With so few arrests in Webster County, first appearance hearings do not run on a fixed daily schedule. The judge handles them as they come up. That said, the low volume means the 72 or 48 hour deadline is almost never an issue. There are simply not enough cases to create a backlog. At the hearing, the judge reads the charges, explains rights, and sets bail. Some people post bail immediately. Others stay in custody until their case progresses further.

Public Records and Open Records Access

Booking records in Webster County are public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, Georgia's Open Records Act, guarantees the right to inspect and copy government records. Arrest reports, booking logs, and incident records from the sheriff's office are all covered. You do not need to state a purpose.

Call 229-828-7712 to ask about a booking. The staff can share basic info about who is in custody and what the charges are. If you need official copies, send a written request to the sheriff's office. The response time is three business days under state law. Copy fees are minimal and follow statewide guidelines.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 restricts how booking photos can be shared. Agencies cannot give photos to sites that charge money for taking them down. This rule was put in place because of the mugshot website problem. You can still get a booking photo through a proper records request. The law only blocks the exploitative use of those images.

For statewide criminal history records, the GCIC at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is the place to go. Call 404-244-2639 to find out how to submit a request for a full background check that covers all Georgia counties.

State Resources for Webster County Cases

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and covers all state prison inmates. If a Webster County booking resulted in a prison sentence, the inmate shows up here. You can see the facility name, sentence dates, and release projections.

The VINE notification system tracks custody changes across Georgia. Register for alerts on the website or call 833-216-6670. VINE will notify you by phone, text, or email when an inmate is released, transferred, or has a court date. The service is free and covers Webster County.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory has contact info for every sheriff in the state. When you need to check with Stewart, Sumter, or another neighbor, this list gets you the phone number fast.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction in Webster County

O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows certain arrest records to be restricted from public searches. If charges from a Webster County arrest are dropped, dismissed, or end in acquittal, the person can petition to have the booking record restricted. It does not get erased. It stays in the database but becomes invisible to most background checks.

The First Offender Act, O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, gives first-time felony defendants an additional option. If the judge uses this act at sentencing and the person completes the sentence without any violations, the conviction is sealed. For a Webster County first-time booking, this can mean the record drops off public view entirely over time.

Restricted records are still visible to law enforcement, courts, and certain licensed employers under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34. For everyone else, the record will not appear in a standard search. If you cannot find a Webster County booking record that you know exists, restriction may be the reason. Contact the Webster County courthouse in Preston to ask about eligibility and get the forms you need.

Nearby Counties

Webster County sits in southwest Georgia. It is one of the smallest counties in the state, and its neighbors are also mostly rural. If you are not sure which county processed a booking, these are the offices to check.