Search Chatham County Recent Arrests

Chatham County recent arrests are processed through the Chatham County Sheriff's Office in Savannah. The county sits on the coast and has close to 295,000 people, making it one of the most active booking areas in the state. Sheriff Richard Coleman runs the jail and keeps all arrest records for the county. You can search for recent arrest data and jail bookings through the sheriff's site or by calling the office. People also use state tools and court record systems to find arrest details tied to cases in Chatham County. This page covers the main ways to look up those records and what you can expect to find.

Chatham County Sheriff's Office Recent Arrests

Sheriff Richard Coleman heads the Chatham County Sheriff's Office. This is the main agency that holds arrest records in the county. The office runs the jail and handles all bookings for arrests made in and around Savannah. Staff can help you search for a person, check on a recent arrest, or get copies of booking files. The sheriff's office deals with a high volume of cases each year due to the size of the county and the steady flow of arrests in the Savannah area.

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office website is the best place to start when you need arrest records from this county. The site has links to inmate search tools, jail info, and contact details for each part of the office. You can reach the main line at 912-652-7600. The mailing address is PO Box 10026, Savannah, GA 31412. Walk-in requests can be made at the office as well, though calling ahead helps if you need a specific file pulled from the system.

This is the main site for the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, where you can access arrest and jail data.

How to Search Chatham County Recent Arrest Records

There are a few ways to look up recent arrests in Chatham County. The sheriff's site has an inmate search tool that pulls up current bookings. You type in a name and the system shows results from the jail. This works for people who are still in custody. It also shows basic booking data like charges and intake date. If the person has been let go, the file may not show up in the live search, but the office can still pull it for you.

You can also call the jail at 912-652-7600. Give them the person's full name and date of birth. They will check the system and tell you if someone is in custody or when they were last booked. This is fast and works well if you do not have access to a computer. For in-person visits, go to the sheriff's office in Savannah. Bring your ID. Staff can look up arrest records and print copies for you. Response times vary based on how old the record is and how busy the office is at the time.

For state-level tools that cover Chatham County, the Georgia Crime Information Center run by the GBI keeps criminal history data from all 159 counties. The Georgia Felon Search tool lets you look up people with felony records across the state. Both tools pull data that may include arrests made in Chatham County.

Note: Online search results may lag a few hours behind the actual booking time at the Chatham County jail.

What Chatham County Recent Arrest Records Include

A booking record from the Chatham County jail holds a set of facts about the arrest. The file starts with the person's name and date of birth. It lists their height, weight, and other traits. The booking date and time are in the file. Each arrest gets a unique booking number. The charges at the time of arrest are listed, along with the arresting agency. In Chatham County, that could be the sheriff's office, Savannah Police, or one of the smaller city departments.

Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-27, Georgia law says arrest records are public. Anyone can ask for them. You do not have to be a party to the case or give a reason. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office must hand over these files when asked, with some limits. Bond amounts, court dates, and release info are also part of the file when they apply.

A Chatham County arrest record will show:

• Full name, date of birth, and physical traits
• Booking date, time, and booking number
• Arrest charges and arresting agency
• Bond amount and court date if set
• Release date and conditions if released

Georgia Arrest Record Laws Recent Arrests

Georgia has clear rules about public access to arrest records. These laws apply to every county, including Chatham. The state's open records act treats most arrest data as public from the time of booking. That means a recent arrest in Chatham County can be looked up by anyone, not just the person who was arrested or their lawyer.

There are limits, though. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 lists the cases where records can be kept from the public. Active investigations, certain witness details, and some personal data may be held back. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office follows these rules when it fills requests. If part of a file is exempt, they will tell you why. For most recent arrests in Chatham County, the core booking info is open.

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 deals with booking photos. The law puts limits on how mugshots can be used and shared. It was set up to stop websites from posting photos and then charging people to take them down. Law enforcement in Chatham County can still share booking photos as part of a records request, but there are rules about how those images get used after they are handed out.

If charges are dropped or a case is tossed out, the person may ask to have the record restricted. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows for record restriction in these cases. Once restricted, the arrest record in Chatham County would not come up in a standard search. Law enforcement can still see it, but the public cannot.

Court Records for Chatham County Arrests

When a recent arrest in Chatham County leads to charges, a court case opens. The court file tracks the case from start to finish. This adds to what you can find beyond the jail booking record. Two state tools give you a way to search court records tied to Chatham County cases.

Georgia E-Access covers court records from Superior Court, State Court, and Magistrate Court in Chatham County. You can search by name or case number. It shows case type, filing dates, and hearing info. For a wider search, re:SearchGA pulls case data from courts across Georgia. You can filter by Chatham County and look for specific dates or case types. Both are useful when you want to see what happened after someone was booked at the jail.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search can help if a Chatham County arrest led to a state prison sentence. That tool shows current inmates in the state system. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory lists contact info for every sheriff in the state, which is handy if you need to reach a nearby county about a related case.

Note: Court case data may take a few business days to appear after the arrest is made in Chatham County.

Cities in Chatham County

Chatham County has several cities and towns. Savannah is the largest and serves as the county seat. Pooler has grown fast in recent years and is now one of the bigger cities in the county. Arrests in any part of Chatham County go through the sheriff's office for booking and jail records.

Other towns in Chatham County include Garden City, Bloomingdale, Thunderbolt, and Tybee Island. Arrests in those areas also go through the Chatham County jail system.

Nearby Counties

These counties sit next to Chatham County. If you are not sure where an arrest was booked, check the arresting agency listed on the record. Each county runs its own jail and keeps its own booking files.