Find Oconee County Recent Arrests
Recent arrest records in Oconee County are handled by the Sheriff's Office in Watkinsville. Sheriff James Hale runs the department and the county jail. Oconee County has about 42,000 residents and sits just south of Athens in northeast Georgia. Arrest records here are public. You can search for recent bookings, find out who is in custody, and check charges and bond amounts. The sheriff's office is your main source for this data, and Georgia's state databases give you more ways to search for Oconee County arrest records from home.
Oconee County Quick Facts
Oconee County Sheriff's Office Recent Arrests
Sheriff James Hale leads the Oconee County Sheriff's Office. The department handles law enforcement duties throughout the county and runs the detention center. All arrests made in Oconee County go through this office for booking. When a person gets picked up, jail staff create a record with their name, charges, bond amount, and other details. These records are public under Georgia law.
The mailing address is PO Box 563, Watkinsville, GA 30677. Call 706-769-3945 to ask about recent arrests in Oconee County. The jail staff can check the roster and give you basic info about current inmates. If someone was booked and released, they can still look up the record. Oconee County is a smaller county, so the staff tend to be accessible and helpful when you call with questions about arrest records.
Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, the Oconee County Sheriff's Office must report arrest data to the state. This feeds into the Georgia Crime Information Center database at the GBI. So arrest records from Oconee County end up in the statewide system as well as in the local files.
| Address | PO Box 563, Watkinsville, GA 30677 |
|---|---|
| Sheriff | James Hale |
| Phone | 706-769-3945 |
| County Seat | Watkinsville |
How to Search Oconee County Recent Arrest Records
The fastest way to find a recent arrest in Oconee County is to call the sheriff's office. Jail staff can look up current inmates and give you booking details over the phone. For a written copy, you can file an open records request. Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 gives you the right to get arrest records from any agency in the state. Oconee County must respond within three business days. Copy fees may apply, but the records themselves are open to the public.
Online tools also cover Oconee County arrests. The Georgia E-Access system shows court cases tied to arrests. You can search by name and see charges, court dates, and case outcomes for Oconee County. The re:SearchGA portal is another way to look at court filings and docket entries. The screenshot below shows the re:SearchGA portal where you can start looking up court records tied to Oconee County arrests.
This tool pulls records from courts across Georgia. It is helpful when you want to see what happened in court after an arrest in Oconee County. You can find case numbers, hearing schedules, and dispositions through the portal.
Note: Not all Oconee County records may be available online, especially older cases filed before electronic systems were in place.
State Databases for Oconee County Recent Arrests
Georgia has several state databases that hold arrest info from Oconee County. They cover different parts of the criminal justice system and are free to use online. These tools help when the local office does not have what you need or when you want to check records from across the state.
The Georgia Felon Search database lets you look up felony records statewide. If someone arrested in Oconee County was convicted of a felony, this tool will show the record. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search tracks people who went from an Oconee County arrest to state prison. It shows current status, facility, and release dates. The image below shows the Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory page, which lists contact info for every county sheriff in the state including Oconee County.
Use this directory to verify the Oconee County Sheriff's phone number or address before you make a call or visit. Under O.C.G.A. § 17-4-27, arrested persons must see a judge within 48 hours, so booking records are created quickly after any arrest in Oconee County.
What Oconee County Booking Records Show Recent Arrests
A booking record from Oconee County has the basic facts about an arrest. The jail staff enter this info when a person is processed. It includes the full name, date of birth, and a physical description. The record also shows the date and time of the arrest, the charges at booking, and the bond amount. Booking photos are part of the file too.
Charges can change after the initial booking in Oconee County. The prosecutor may add more, reduce them, or drop some as the case moves forward. The bond amount might also shift after a court hearing. But the original arrest record stays in the system as first entered. Court records will then track any changes. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, criminal history records can be shared with the public for certain uses, so most Oconee County arrest records are accessible unless sealed by a judge.
Oconee County Arrest Court Records
After an arrest in Oconee County, the case goes to the courts. The Western Judicial Circuit serves Oconee County along with Clarke County. Magistrate Court handles first appearances and bond hearings. Superior Court takes felony cases. State Court handles most misdemeanors. Each court creates records tied to the original arrest in Oconee County.
The E-Access system and re:SearchGA both let you search court records online. You can look up a person by name and find case info connected to an Oconee County arrest. This includes hearing dates, charges, and how the case turned out. The Western Circuit Clerk's office in Watkinsville can also help you find court records in person if the online tools do not have what you need.
Note: Expunged or restricted records from Oconee County will not show up in public databases.
Cities in Oconee County
Oconee County includes Watkinsville, Bishop, Bogart, and North High Shoals. All arrests in the county go through the Oconee County Sheriff's Office for processing. Some of these communities have their own police presence, but booking happens at the county jail.
Watkinsville is the county seat and the largest town. It is close to Athens, which is in neighboring Clarke County. Arrests in Oconee County stay with the county sheriff's records regardless of which town the arrest took place in.
Nearby Counties
These counties share a border with Oconee County. Each one keeps its own arrest and booking records at the county sheriff's office. Check the right county for the arrest you are looking up.