Towns County Jail Roster

Towns County jail roster data is managed by the sheriff's office in Hiawassee, Georgia. This mountain county in northeast Georgia is one of the smallest in the state by population, but the sheriff still maintains a public jail roster with booking records. You can search for inmates in the Towns County jail through online databases and by contacting the office directly. The roster includes charges, bond amounts, booking dates, and custody status for each person held at the facility. Here is how to find the records you need.

Towns County Sheriff and Jail Records

The Towns County Sheriff's Office in Hiawassee runs the county jail and manages the jail roster. All arrests in the county come through this facility. The sheriff is in charge of booking, holding, and releasing inmates. Towns County sits in the Enotah Judicial Circuit, which also includes Union and Lumpkin counties. Cases that originate from the Towns County jail go through this circuit for prosecution and hearings.

Towns County is a small county. The jail handles fewer bookings than metro area facilities, but the sheriff's office still maintains proper records. Staff can answer questions about the Towns County jail roster by phone during office hours. They will tell you if a person is in custody, what charges they face, and the bond amount set for release. You can also walk into the sheriff's office in Hiawassee for in-person help with jail roster records.

Search Towns County Inmates Online

The sheriff's office always has the most current Towns County jail roster data. If you need up-to-the-minute info, call the jail in Hiawassee. For inmates who have moved from the Towns County jail to a state prison, use the GDC offender search tool. The Georgia Department of Corrections tracks all state inmates through this free online search. You can look up people by name or offender ID and get current facility location, charges, and parole dates.

The GDC website provides additional resources for anyone trying to find someone in the state corrections system after they leave a county jail like Towns County's.

Towns County VINE Alerts

VINE is a free system for tracking inmates in the Towns County jail. It stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. You can register at VINELink or by calling 1-800-398-2892. You set up a PIN and pick how you want to be alerted when something changes with an inmate's custody. Phone, text, and email are the options. The system runs day and night, and your identity stays private through the whole process.

VINE notifies you when an inmate at the Towns County jail is released, transferred, or has any status change. Crime victims in particular benefit from this. Georgia runs VINE across all participating counties, and Towns County is in the network. A live operator is available at any time if you need help with the system.

Towns County Records and Georgia Law

Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-70 gives you the right to access most Towns County jail roster records. Send a request to the sheriff's office in Hiawassee. The law requires a response within three business days. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. Past that, the fee depends on the hourly wage of the lowest paid staff member who can fill the request. Copies are $0.10 per page.

Certain jail records are not public. O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-72 protects security procedures, medical files, and personal info about jail employees. If the sheriff's office denies a valid request without a proper basis, O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-74 allows fines of up to $1,000 for the first time. Repeat violations within 12 months can bring fines of $2,500 each.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, criminal history records tied to the Towns County jail can be restricted. The GBI handles this through the Georgia Crime Information Center. Misdemeanor arrests with no outcome get restricted after two years. Non-violent felonies with no disposition are restricted after four years. Violent felonies have a seven-year wait period before restriction applies. The Towns County jail must restrict records within 30 days of a written request once the GBI acts on it.

Note: People whose charges were dismissed can request restriction of their Towns County jail records through the GBI.

Towns County Jail Booking Details

Arrests in Towns County go through the jail in Hiawassee for booking. The process includes taking personal information, fingerprints, and photos. All charges get logged and bond is set. Once the intake is complete, the person appears on the Towns County jail roster. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association website has a directory of all 159 county sheriffs in the state, including the Towns County office. You can use their site to get a phone number or address.

The GDC facility directory covers detention centers across Georgia. Family members who need info about a booking at the Towns County jail can check the online roster or call the sheriff's office. It typically takes a few hours from arrest to the time the booking record shows up publicly.

Nearby County Jail Rosters

Towns County is in the northeast Georgia mountains near the North Carolina border. These bordering counties have their own jail rosters.