Chatham County Arrest Records

A Chatham County Arrest record is an official document containing details of an arrest that occurred within county limits. Arrests in Chatham County become necessary when a law enforcement officer witnesses a person committing a crime or if the officer has probable cause to believe that a person committed a crime. The severity of arrestable offenses can differ from a minor infraction like a traffic violation to a more severe crime like an assault or a felony.

When a person is arrested in Chatham County, they are typically held in the Chatham County Jail, which the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office oversees. Upon arrest, the individual is booked into the jail’s database, and the information collected during booking constitutes their arrest record. The Sheriff's Office maintains arrest records. Arrest records make up Chatham County Court records, and as both are public records, they can be retrieved from the county office, which is the record’s custodian by law.

Are Arrest Records Public in Chatham County?

Yes, arrest records are public in Chatham County. According to the North Carolina General Statute Chapter 132 § 132-6, public records should be accessible for inspection and copying. As a public agency creates arrest records, they are classified as public records and are thereby publicly available.

Although arrest records fall under public information, information that could compromise the safety of individuals, intrude on their privacy, or compromise the integrity of a case is legally exempt from public disclosure. Examples of these exempted records include juvenile records, records on ongoing investigations, and records containing personal information that could lead to identity theft.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

A public arrest record typically contains the following information:

• Arrestee’s full name
• Mugshot of the arrestee
• Physical description of the arrestee (height, race, gender)
• Date and time of arrest
• Location of arrest
• Arresting agency and officer
• Description and classification of charges
• Booking information (booking number, date, time, holding facility)
• Case Information (case number and court date)
• Bail or bond information

Chatham County Arrest Statistics

According to the 2023 Summary-Based report by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), Chatham County had a total of 964 arrests in that year. The most popular arrestable crimes included all other offenses (non-violent misdemeanors and infractions) with 448 arrests, Other Assaults (Not Aggravated) with 142 arrests, Larceny-theft with 50 arrests, and Driving Under the Influence with 45 arrests.

Find Chatham County Arrest Records

Interested individuals can find Chatham arrest records using the following resources:

• Chatham County Sheriff's Office: The Sheriff's Office creates and manages local arrest records, including warrant and county inmate information. They have a 24-hour booking search tool for individuals to find arrest information of people booked into the county jail within the past 24 hours. A search can also be conducted for inmates booked longer using the 72-hour booking search tool. An in-person visit to their office can also be made to find arrest records for free. The Sheriff's office contact information is as follows:

Chatham County Sheriff's Office
1050 Carl Griffin Dr
Savannah, Georgia 31405
Phone: (912) 652-7634
Fax: (912) 652-7660

• NC Department of Adult Correction (NC DAC): This agency offers free state-level tools for finding North Carolina offenders, probationers, and parolees. The Offender Public Information Search / Offender Locator allows a name or ID search for information on offenders, escapes/captures, absconders, and offender releases from 1972 to the present.
• NC SAVAN: The North Carolina Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification (NC SAVAN) maintains the NC SAVAN Search, which provides free offender information to victims of crime and their families. The arrestee's name or ID number is also required to use this tool.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons: They maintain the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator tool that allows individuals to retrieve information on federal inmates arrested between 1982 and the present. The database can be searched using the inmate’s name or ID number.
• North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI): As the central repository for criminal information for the state of North Carolina, the NCSBI offers background check services for individuals to retrieve their own criminal history or that of someone else. The NC State Fingerprint-based Check costs $14, while a National Fingerprint-based Check costs $18. Public agencies such as Employers or North Carolina licensing entities must have statutory authority to access criminal history record information before they can use the NCSBI to conduct a background check.

Free Arrest Record Search in Chatham County

To obtain a Chatham County arrest record for free, individuals can contact the Chatham County Sheriff's Office or the Chatham County Police Department, who are the custodians of local arrest records. The Sheriff's Office welcomes in-person searches and also has a 24-hour and a 72-hour booking search tool on their website for people to search for the arrest information of individuals just booked into the jail’s database. The search can be completed by name or crime charge.

Third-party websites also allow individuals to find arrest records for free. They offer record requesters convenient access to local and state criminal records in a single resource, greatly reducing search time. These sites can retrieve records by name, date of birth, address, case number, or charges. As they are not the record's official custodians, records from third-party sites can vary in completeness and accuracy compared to those from official government sources. Some third-party sites may also require a one-time payment or a subscription fee before allowing full access to the record.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. An arrest will stay on a person’s record and open to the public forever unless expunged or sealed. This means that the record of the conviction will remain findable during background or criminal history checks. This may affect an individual’s chances of employment, renting a property, or getting certifications, as employers, landlords, and certification bodies usually conduct background checks on their prospects. North Carolina Employers are, however, restricted from accessing criminal records more than seven years old when conducting a background check.

Expunge Chatham County Arrest Records

Expunction is a legal procedure that removes a charge from a person’s criminal history and restores their status to what it was before the charge. In North Carolina, expunged records are destroyed, not simply removed. The North Carolina General Statute § 15A-145 governs expunction and specifies how an individual can become eligible to petition for expunction, as not all crimes can be expunged. According to the statute, the eligibility criteria for expunction in North Carolina include the following:

• The arrestee is a first-time offender.
• The arrestee is less than 18 years old (for misdemeanors) or 21 years old (for misdemeanor possession of alcohol)
• The arrestee has been on good behavior since their conviction
• The arrestee has no pending charges
• The arrestee has completed the specific waiting period for their offense
• The arrestee has paid all restitution amounts ordered

Not all charges can be expunged. A charge to be expungeable, it must have been dismissed or received a not-guilty verdict. If the charge arose as a result of the arrestee being a victim of human trafficking, it can also be expunged. Violent misdemeanors, sex offenses, Driving While Impaired (DWI) offenses, Controlled Substance Felonies, hate crimes, and serious offenses like murder, rape, and arson cannot be expunged in North Carolina.

The process for getting a record expunged in Chatham County is as follows:

• The arrestee determined that their crimes are eligible for expunction
• Complete the specific expunction form for their crime and submit the petition to the Chatham County Court
• Attend the hearing if there’s an objection from a prosecutor
• If the judge grants the expunction, all records of the charges are destroyed

There is a $175 filing fee for expunction, but some cases do not require payment. Also, if an individual cannot afford to pay the expungement fee, they can file as an indigent to proceed without paying.

Chatham County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are legal documents authorizing the arrest of an individual suspected of committing a crime by a law enforcement officer. They are issued after the law enforcement officer petitions the court, and when probable cause is established that they committed the crime, a judge grants an arrest warrant. A warrant is issued when a person fails to appear in court, breaks parole, probation, or a restraining order.

The information contained in an arrest warrant is as follows:

• Name of the individual to be arrested
• Description of the alleged crime
• Date and time the warrant was issued
• Signature of the judge or magistrate authorizing the warrant
• Instructions telling law enforcement officers how to execute the warrant

Do Chatham County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Chatham County arrest warrants do not expire. They remain active until the person named on the warrant is arrested, the person appears in court, a judge squashes the warrant, or the named person passes away. Although arrest warrants do not expire, factors that may affect their execution include the crime's severity, the warrant's jurisdiction, and new evidence in an ongoing case.