Find Butts County Arrest Records and Busted Mugshots

Butts County is a mid-Georgia county located south of Atlanta, with Jackson as its county seat and a population approaching 25,000. The Butts County Sheriff's Office handles all local bookings and arrest records. If you are looking for busted mugshots or inmate data tied to a Butts County arrest, this page explains what resources are available at the county and state level and what Georgia law says about accessing booking photos.

Butts County Sheriff and Booking Records

The Butts County Sheriff's Office in Jackson is the central agency for local arrest data and inmate records. Each person booked into the Butts County Jail gets a record that includes name, charges, booking date, and the arresting agency. These are public documents. The sheriff's office does not post booking photos on its website because Georgia law prohibits law enforcement from doing so, but the data behind each arrest is available through a proper request.

Butts County's location south of the Atlanta metro means it sees some traffic-related arrests and cases that spill over from nearby urban areas. The county jail operates under the sheriff's direct management. Custody status checks are fastest by phone. Certified documents, including arrest reports and booking photos, require a written open records request. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days under state law.

Criminal cases from Butts County move through Superior Court in Jackson. Felony convictions may result in state prison sentences, at which point the person's record shifts from the county jail database to the Georgia Department of Corrections. If you are trying to trace a full record history, you may need to check both the county and state systems.

The screenshot below shows the GBI agency homepage, which oversees statewide criminal history records including those originating in Butts County.

The GBI runs the GCIC and maintains criminal history for all Georgia counties, making it a key statewide resource for Butts County arrest record searches.

State Databases for Butts County Arrest Records and Busted Mugshots

Beyond the local sheriff's office, several Georgia state tools let you search for Butts County arrest records and related data. The Georgia Crime Information Center, part of the GBI, keeps criminal history on file for every county. A GCIC check covers Butts County along with the rest of the state. You contact GCIC directly to initiate a request, and the process involves both fees and identity verification depending on what type of record you need.

The Georgia Felon Search is a $15 service that returns fast results for felony conviction records across the state. If you need to know whether someone has a felony on their record tied to a Butts County case, this tool gives you an answer without a formal records request. It pulls from official state data and returns results quickly through the georgia.gov platform.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and includes photos. It only covers people in state prison, not those held in the Butts County local jail. But for anyone convicted in Butts County and serving a state sentence, the GDC system may have current custody information and a photo that is not available through the county.

The screenshot below shows the GDC offender query database, a free tool with photos covering Georgia state prison inmates including those convicted in Butts County.

The GDC database is free and shows photos automatically. It is the right tool when a Butts County arrest led to a state prison sentence.

Georgia Law on Butts County Busted Mugshots

Two Georgia statutes govern how booking photos from Butts County can be accessed. First, O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 (2014) prohibits law enforcement from posting booking photos on the internet. The Butts County Sheriff follows this rule. You cannot browse a county-maintained gallery of booking photos online. Access to photos requires a formal records request to the sheriff's office.

Second, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 (2013) gives Georgia residents the right to demand removal of their booking photo from commercial mugshot websites. If such a site published your photo from a Butts County arrest, you can send a certified mail demand. The site must remove it free of charge within 30 days. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division explains the full process and what to include in your letter.

The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 sets the timeline for formal requests. Agencies must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff time is free, as are the first 20 pages. Pages after that are $0.10 each. These rules apply to all requests sent to the Butts County Sheriff or any other Georgia law enforcement agency.

These statutes together explain why Butts County booking photos are not available online while still remaining accessible through the proper legal channels.

Butts County Sex Offender Registry and GBI Access

The Georgia Sex Offender Registry, operated by the GBI, is searchable by name or address and covers all Georgia counties including Butts. Photos are shown for most registrants. The registry is free to use and does not require any account creation. It is a distinct database from general arrest records, focused only on those required to register as sex offenders under Georgia law.

The GBI's open records portal is the right tool for requesting GBI-held data related to Butts County cases. If a case involved GBI investigation, records may be at the state level rather than with the county sheriff. The portal handles online submissions and tracks requests through to completion. The same three-business-day response rule applies to GBI requests.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Sex Offender Registry, a free tool run by the GBI that covers registered offenders in Butts County and across the state.

The GBI updates the registry regularly, and it includes photos for most registrants without any fee or formal request requirement.

How to Request Butts County Booking Photos and Arrest Records

To get a Butts County booking photo or certified arrest record, contact the Butts County Sheriff's Office in Jackson. A written open records request is the proper path. Include the subject's full name and, if you have it, the arrest date or case number. Those details help staff locate the record faster, which may keep your request within the free 15-minute search window. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days.

For state-level records, the GBI open records portal handles online submissions. GCIC criminal history records and GBI investigative files are not held by the county sheriff; they are at the state level. For a complete picture of someone's criminal history in Butts County, you may need to request from both the county and the GBI.

Butts County booking photos are public records. The 2014 law restricts online posting by the sheriff's office but does not change the public nature of the records. Your right to access them through the formal process is protected under the Open Records Act. Most simple requests for one or two records fall within the free threshold. Larger requests may involve a small per-page fee.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Consumer Protection page about mugshot removal, which applies to anyone with a Butts County booking photo on a commercial site.

Georgia's 2013 law gives residents the right to demand free removal from commercial mugshot sites within 30 days, covering photos from Butts County and all other Georgia counties.

Cities in Butts County

No city in Butts County currently meets the 25,000 population threshold for a dedicated busted mugshots page. For arrest records in Jackson, contact the Butts County Sheriff's Office directly.

Nearby Counties

Butts County borders several counties south of the Atlanta metro. Each has its own arrest record resources.