Ware County Busted Mugshots and Jail Records

Ware County is the largest county by area in Georgia and is anchored by the city of Waycross in the southeastern part of the state, where the Ware County Sheriff's Office handles all local arrests and maintains booking records and busted mugshots for the county. If you need to search Ware County arrest records, find a current inmate, or access booking data tied to a case in this area, the sheriff's office is the primary source and the statewide Georgia tools on this page provide supplemental search options.

Ware County Sheriff Booking Records and Arrest Information

The Ware County Sheriff's Office in Waycross serves as the main detention and law enforcement agency for the county. With a population of about 35,700, Ware County is one of the more populated counties in southeast Georgia and sees a correspondingly higher volume of bookings than most of its neighbors. The jail processes arrests from local law enforcement, state patrol, and other agencies operating in the county. All booking records are maintained at the sheriff's office and are subject to Georgia's open records laws.

Ware County busted mugshots are taken at booking. Georgia law bars the sheriff from posting these photos on a public website, so there is no public mugshot gallery available from the county. You can get booking photos by submitting a formal open records request to the sheriff's office. Include the person's name and approximate arrest date. If you have a booking number, include that as well. The office must respond within three business days under the Georgia Open Records Act. The first 15 minutes of search time and the first 20 pages of copies are free.

Ware County is served by the Waycross Judicial Circuit for superior court matters. The circuit court clerk maintains felony case records including indictments, arraignments, and dispositions. Waycross also has a city police department that makes arrests independently of the sheriff. City police arrests are booked into the same county jail, so the booking records stay at the sheriff's office. For Waycross Police Department arrest reports themselves, contact the city police department directly.

The screenshot below shows the GBI homepage, the state agency that oversees criminal records and provides the tools used to search for Ware County arrest history statewide.

The GBI operates GCIC, the sex offender registry, and several other tools relevant to Ware County criminal history searches and booking record access.

Georgia Law on Ware County Booking Photos

Georgia enacted O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 in 2014, which prohibits law enforcement agencies from publishing booking photos online. The Ware County Sheriff cannot post mugshots to any public website as a result. Booking photos are still public records and can be obtained through an open records request, but the law removes the option for the agency to publish them broadly online without a specific individual request.

Separately, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 covers private mugshot websites. These are companies that collect and post booking photos. Under this 2013 Georgia law, a mugshot company must remove a photo free of charge within 30 days of a certified mail request when the arrest qualifies for record restriction. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division provides guidance on this removal process and which types of companies must follow it. If a Ware County booking photo appears on one of these sites, this is the route to take.

The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives any person the right to inspect and copy records maintained by Georgia government agencies. Ware County Sheriff is a covered agency. Requests must be acknowledged within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff time for each request and the first 20 pages of copies are free. These rules apply whether you request booking photos, arrest logs, or any other public record the office maintains.

Statewide Resources for Ware County Arrest Records

The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), operated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, maintains statewide criminal history data. Arrests from Ware County are reported to GCIC and included in history checks. The GBI processes public requests for these records. This is a strong option if you want a complete statewide record that goes beyond Ware County alone.

The Georgia Felon Search charges $15 for instant felony conviction results statewide. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers state prison inmates from Ware County convictions at no charge, and it shows photos automatically. The Georgia Sex Offender Registry includes Ware County registrants and is free to search by name or address. The GBI's open records portal handles formal requests for state-level records connected to Ware County cases.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia felon search tool, one way to verify a prior felony record tied to a Ware County case.

The Georgia Felon Search covers statewide conviction data and returns results for anyone with a prior felony from Ware County or any other Georgia county.

Cities in Ware County

Ware County's main city is Waycross, along with several smaller communities. Waycross does not meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. For Ware County busted mugshots and arrest records tied to Waycross or any other community in the county, use the sheriff's office and the Georgia statewide tools listed above.

Nearby Counties

Ware County shares borders with seven other southeast Georgia counties. Each maintains its own jail records and arrest data.