Evans 24 Hour Booking

Evans 24 hour booking records are managed by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Evans is an unincorporated census-designated place, which means it does not have its own city government or police department. All law enforcement in Evans falls under the Columbia County Sheriff. When someone is arrested in Evans, the booking takes place at the Columbia County Detention Center. With about 37,718 residents, Evans is the most populated area in Columbia County and sits just west of Augusta along the I-20 corridor.

Columbia County Sheriff Serves Evans 24 Hour Booking

Since Evans is unincorporated, there is no Evans Police Department. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office provides all law enforcement services for the area. Deputies patrol Evans neighborhoods, respond to calls, and make arrests. This is different from incorporated cities where a local police force handles day-to-day law enforcement and the sheriff runs the jail. In Evans, the sheriff does both.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is based out of the county seat in Appling, though deputies are stationed throughout the county to cover Evans and surrounding areas. When a deputy makes an arrest in Evans, the person goes straight to the Columbia County Detention Center. Booking records are created right there at the jail. The sheriff's office keeps all arrest reports, incident reports, and booking files for Evans and the rest of unincorporated Columbia County.

The fact that Evans has no city police simplifies things in one way. You only deal with one agency. All booking records, all arrest reports, all case files come from the Columbia County Sheriff. There is no question about which department handled what.

Finding Evans 24 Hour Booking Records

To find 24 hour booking records from Evans, you check with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. The county may have an online inmate lookup tool on its website. Check for a current inmates list or jail roster. If the county offers one, you can search by name and see who is in custody, what charges they face, and when they were booked. Not every county in Georgia has a public-facing online search, so you may need to call the jail directly.

If online search is not an option, call the detention center at (706) 541-6900. Staff can tell you if someone from Evans was booked in the last 24 hours. They can share the person's charges and bond status over the phone for current inmates. For detailed records, you would file an open records request. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, all booking records are public and you have the right to get them.

The county must respond to your request within three business days per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. You get the first 15 minutes of search time free. Arrest reports for Evans incidents are public under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, so the sheriff cannot refuse to provide the basic facts of an arrest. Send your request in writing or make it by phone to the records division of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

Note: Evans booking records go through Columbia County since Evans has no separate city government or police force.

Evans 24 Hour Booking Process

When someone gets arrested in Evans, deputies transport them to the Columbia County Detention Center. At intake, staff records the person's name, date of birth, and address. They take fingerprints and a booking photo. The charges are logged. Personal items are collected and stored. The whole process takes a few hours depending on how busy the jail is that day.

Bond gets set based on a schedule for most charges. For more serious offenses, the person may sit in jail until a magistrate judge reviews the case. First appearance hearings in Columbia County typically happen within 48 hours of arrest. At that hearing, the judge confirms the charges and sets bond if one was not already in place. After that, the person can bond out or stay in custody until trial.

The 24 hour booking record is created during intake. It is a snapshot of the arrest: who, when, why, and what the charges are. It becomes a public record almost immediately. Family members looking for someone arrested in Evans should call the detention center or check the online search if one is available.

Evans Booking Photo Restrictions

Georgia has rules about booking photos. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 limits how law enforcement agencies share mugshots. The Columbia County Sheriff cannot post booking photos from Evans arrests on a website without following specific procedures. This protects people who have not yet been convicted. A booking photo is taken at every arrest, but sharing it publicly has limits.

If your Evans booking photo appears on a third-party mugshot site, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 gives you the right to demand removal. The site must take it down within 30 days at no charge. Send them a written request that includes your name, date of birth, and the date of your arrest. If they do not comply, you can file a complaint with the state.

State Resources for Evans 24 Hour Booking Records

Beyond the Columbia County system, state agencies keep records that may relate to Evans bookings. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains the statewide criminal history database. For a complete background check, you request records through the GBI. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 covers who can get these records and how. Felony convictions are public. Other records need signed consent from the person being checked.

For fingerprint-based background checks, use GAPS. Results typically arrive in 24 to 48 hours. This gives you a statewide picture rather than just what happened in Evans.

The Georgia Department of Corrections tracks people in state prison. If an Evans resident was convicted and sent to state prison, you can find them with the GDC Find Offender search. This is separate from county jail records.

The GDC offender search covers anyone serving time in state prison, including people originally arrested in the Evans area of Columbia County.

Sealing Evans Arrest Records

If charges from an Evans arrest get dropped or dismissed, the person can seek to restrict the record. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows record restriction for dismissed cases, acquittals, and situations where charges were never prosecuted. Once a record is restricted, it stops showing up in standard background checks. This can help with job searches and housing.

The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 helps people who pleaded guilty to a first offense. If they finish their sentence under this act, the conviction can be sealed. The process requires filing with the court in Columbia County. It takes time, but the end result is that the Evans booking record no longer appears in routine searches. Talk to a lawyer in Columbia County if you want to start the process.

Note: Record restriction does not erase the record. Law enforcement can still access restricted records in certain situations.

Columbia County Booking Records

Evans is part of Columbia County, and every arrest in Evans gets processed through the Columbia County Detention Center. The sheriff's office handles all booking, inmate services, and records access for the county. For the full breakdown of Columbia County booking procedures, search tools, and how to file records requests, visit the county page.

View Columbia County 24 Hour Booking

Nearby Georgia Cities

These cities near Evans also have booking record pages with details on their local law enforcement and jail systems.