Like most other counties in the state, in Oconee, Georgia, the Magistrate is responsible for issuing active arrest warrants. Upon issue, these arrest warrants are sent to the Sheriff’s Office for execution. The sheriff’s deputies serve the warrant, arrest the person in question, and process the accused before he/she is presented before the tribunal for a bail hearing.
So, when looking for data on Oconee County outstanding warrants or arrest records in general, always start at the sheriff’s office or the magistrate’s court. The former is located at 1140 Experiment Station Rd, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677. To contact the office of the magistrate, you will have to make your way to the county courthouse at 23 N Main St, Watkinsville, GA 30677
Another judicial agency can be approached for criminal records and a warrant search in Oconee County – the county clerk’s office. This administrative agency maintains the court dockets; hence, they have all information about arrest warrants and search orders, and bench warrants. They also work out of the county courthouse like the magistrate’s office.
While all agencies are legally entitled to provide this information to any community member desirous of conducting a criminal history search, the sheriff’s department and the county clerk’s office will charge you a fee for accessing this information.
This nominal fee goes towards the cost of maintaining the database of arrest records, and also it covers the cost of providing the data in a printed format. However, if you would like to check this information without really wanting to take the data back home with you in the form of printouts, you can always use the public service terminals at the county justice center.
How do you get information on Oconee County active warrants and arrests over the phone? (2021- Update)
- To ask about recent arrests, approach the Jail Operations at (706) 769-3930.
- To inquire about outstanding warrants, get in touch with Sheriff’s Office at 706-769-5665.
- To request police reports, including arrest records and inciden5t reports, call 706-769-3945.
- To learn about an investigation of a criminal case you filed, contact the DA’s Office at (706) 769-3954 (if the arrest has already been made).
- To learn more about how to get criminal court documents, contact the Clerk of Court at 706-769-3940.
Crime Statistics of Oconee County, GA
As compared to the 2018 crime average of 483 cases, the Oconee Sheriff’s Office received just 148 criminal complaints in 2019. The figure included just 3 complaints against violent crimes while the rest were against property crimes. This offense category included almost 145 larceny thefts along with 6 cases of burglary and 5 of motor vehicle theft.
The annual rate of violent crime in Oconee County, GA, was in the single digits in 2001, and since then, there has been a further decrease of over 60% in the number of violent crime incidents. When writing this article, property theft posed the biggest concern for residents, with almost 80 complaints filed per year.