Towns County Busted Mugshots and Arrest Records

Towns County sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the far northeast corner of Georgia, sharing a border with North Carolina, and its sheriff's office in Hiawassee handles all local bookings and arrest records. If you want to search Towns County busted mugshots or look up someone's arrest record from this mountain community, the best starting point is the Towns County Sheriff's Office, which processes all detentions for the county and keeps the official log of local booking activity.

Towns County Sheriff's Office Booking and Arrest Records

The Towns County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county and handles all local bookings and detention. The office is located in Hiawassee at the Towns County Courthouse complex. For arrest record lookups or to ask about a current inmate, you can call the sheriff's office directly. Towns County does not operate a large online inmate search portal like bigger counties, so phone contact or a formal records request is typically the fastest route when you need Towns County arrest records.

Towns County is small, with a population just under 12,000. The jail handles a modest volume of bookings compared to metro-area facilities. That said, the sheriff's office maintains arrest logs and booking records as required under Georgia law. These records are public. Anyone can ask to inspect them during normal business hours. If you want copies rather than just inspection, expect a small fee per page under the Georgia Open Records Act rules.

The sheriff's office works closely with the Georgia State Patrol and GBI on cases that involve state law or cross county or state lines. Towns County borders North Carolina, which means some cases involve coordination with agencies on both sides of the border. Booking records for arrests made jointly with other agencies are still filed and maintained at the Towns County Sheriff's Office.

Towns County busted mugshots from local arrests are held by the sheriff's office. State law limits how booking photos can be shared online, so you won't find a public photo gallery on the county website.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search, which covers people sentenced to state prison from Towns County convictions.

The GDC database shows photos for current state prison inmates and is free to search by name.

Georgia Law on Booking Photos and Mugshot Removal

Georgia passed O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 in 2014. Under this statute, law enforcement agencies in Georgia are prohibited from posting booking photos online. That is why the Towns County Sheriff's Office does not display mugshots on any public website. You can still get booking photo copies through a formal open records request, but online posting by the agency itself is not allowed.

A second Georgia law, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5, covers private mugshot websites. These sites collect booking photos from various sources and publish them. If your photo or the photo of someone you know appears on one of these sites, the company must remove it within 30 days of a written request sent by certified mail, at no charge, when the underlying arrest qualifies for record restriction. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division explains your rights and which sites must comply.

The Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, sets the rules for all public record requests. Agencies must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of search time is free, and the first 20 copies cost nothing. Pages beyond 20 run $0.10 each. These rules apply to any records request you submit to the Towns County Sheriff's Office or other county agencies.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Consumer Protection page explaining mugshot website removal rights under state law.

If a Towns County booking photo appears on a third-party site, Georgia law gives you a clear process to request removal at no cost.

Statewide Resources for Towns County Arrest Records

Several state-level tools are useful when searching Towns County arrest records. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), a division of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, maintains criminal history data for all Georgia counties including Towns. GCIC records include arrests, charges, and dispositions statewide. You can request a criminal history check through the GBI. Results cover Towns County arrests that were reported to the state system.

The Georgia Felon Search tool costs $15 and returns instant results for felony conviction records from anywhere in the state. If you want to know whether someone has a prior felony from Towns County, this is the fastest paid option. It covers convictions statewide, not just arrests. For people who went to state prison after a Towns County conviction, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search shows their inmate record and photo for free.

The Georgia Sex Offender Registry, run by the GBI, lets you search by name or address and shows photos of registered offenders. This covers Towns County registrants. The GBI also processes formal open records requests through its online portal for people who need certified copies of GBI records related to Towns County cases.

Towns County Arrest Records Through GBI Open Records

If you need a formal copy of a Towns County arrest record or booking photo, you have two main options. You can submit a request directly to the Towns County Sheriff's Office in Hiawassee during normal business hours, or you can use the GBI open records request portal for records that the GBI holds at the state level. For records held by the local sheriff, go to the county directly. Include the person's full name and approximate arrest date. If you have a booking number, include that too. The agency must respond within three business days under state law.

Booking photos taken in Towns County are public records, but the 2014 statute limits online publication by law enforcement. News media can request regular access through the public information process. Private individuals use the formal records request path. The GBI's open records system is well-suited for statewide checks or cases where you are not sure which local agency holds the record you need.

The screenshot below shows the GBI open records request portal, which handles formal arrest record requests for Georgia counties including Towns.

Submit your request through the GBI portal and include the subject's name and the county where the arrest occurred to speed up processing.

Cities in Towns County

Towns County includes the communities of Hiawassee, Young Harris, and several unincorporated areas. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. For arrest records and busted mugshots connected to any address in Towns County, use the sheriff's office and the statewide tools listed above.

Nearby Counties

Towns County borders several other Georgia counties and the state of North Carolina. Each neighboring county has its own arrest record resources and inmate search tools.