Candler County 24 Hour Booking Search

Candler County 24 hour booking records are held by the sheriff's office in Metter, Georgia. Metter is the county seat, and the county jail handles all bookings for the area. The sheriff's office is the main law enforcement agency in Candler County, and it keeps a log of every arrest processed through the jail. This is a small county in east-central Georgia. Despite its size, all Georgia public records laws apply to Candler County booking data. You can search for booking records by calling the sheriff's office or making a written open records request.

Candler County 24 Hour Booking Sheriff's Office

The Candler County Sheriff's Office is located at 1019 E. Broad Street in Metter. The county jail is at this location, and all bookings are handled here. When someone is arrested within Candler County, they come to this facility for processing. Staff takes a booking photo, collects fingerprints, and logs the charges along with personal details. Bond information is recorded once a magistrate sets it. The jail is staffed around the clock.

The Metter Police Department also uses the Candler County jail for its bookings. That means the booking log covers arrests from both agencies. The sheriff's office is the record keeper. If you need information about a booking that took place in Candler County, this is where you go.

Search Candler County 24 Hour Booking Data

Call (912) 685-2276 to ask about a Candler County booking. Jail staff can tell you if someone is in custody and share the charges and bond status. Walk-in requests are taken at 1019 E. Broad Street in Metter during business hours. For a formal copy of a booking record, submit a written request under Georgia's Open Records Act.

O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 makes booking records public in Georgia. You do not need a reason to request them. The Candler County Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. The first 15 minutes of staff search time are free. After that, the fee is based on the hourly wage of the lowest paid worker who can fill the request. Copies cost about $0.10 per page. These rules are the same across the state, and Candler County follows them.

The Georgia Governor's open records page has more information about the request process.

This state resource covers the open records process that applies to all Georgia agencies, including the Candler County Sheriff's Office.

Candler County Booking Record Details

Each booking record from Candler County contains the person's full legal name and date of birth. All charges are listed and classified as felonies or misdemeanors. Bond amounts are included when set. The arresting agency is identified. In Candler County, that is usually the sheriff's office or the Metter Police Department. The booking date, time, and a unique booking number are part of the standard record.

Georgia law requires that some information be kept out of public copies. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, social security numbers, bank account details, and medical data must be removed. Juvenile records are completely sealed. But initial arrest reports always stay public, even during active investigations. Booking photos from Candler County are restricted under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18, which limits how law enforcement can distribute them online.

Criminal History Beyond Candler County

A local booking is just one part of a person's criminal record. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation keeps the Georgia Crime Information Center, which has data from every county. A fingerprint check through GAPS is the most complete option and comes back in one to two days. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, written consent is needed to access someone else's full criminal history. Felony conviction data is the only thing available without consent.

The GDC offender search covers state inmates but not Candler County jail bookings. For local records, contact the sheriff's office directly. Using both systems together gives you the broadest view of someone's criminal background in Georgia.

Note: Name-based searches through the GBI cost less but may miss records tied to aliases or name variations.

Sealing Candler County 24 Hour Booking Records

Georgia allows certain arrest records to be restricted from public access. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, if Candler County charges were dropped, dismissed, or not prosecuted, you can apply to restrict the record. The local prosecutor must agree to it. Once restricted, the arrest no longer appears on public background checks. Courts and law enforcement retain access, but nobody else can see the record.

The First Offender Act at O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another route. Complete a first offender sentence successfully and the conviction is sealed. You are exonerated of guilt. For booking photos on third-party websites, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 requires those sites to remove images at no charge when the arrest qualifies for restriction. Write to the site with your name, date of birth, arrest date, and the Candler County Sheriff's Office as the arresting agency. The site has 30 days to take the photo down.

Nearby Georgia Counties

Candler County sits in east-central Georgia. Check these neighboring counties if you need to find where an arrest was booked.