Although arrest warrants issued in Putnam County, Georgia, do give police carte blanche when it comes to an individual’s detention, law enforcement’s rights are not unlimited in the matter. This means that undoubtedly the police can take a person who has an active warrant in his/her name into custody by barging into his home, office or third party premises at any time they deem appropriate.
However, they cannot take liberties when it comes to the actual period of detention or even the investigative process, for that matter. To put it simply, with an outstanding warrant in hand, the police can enter the home of an alleged perpetrator to make the arrest; they also have the authority to pick up any objects that might serve as evidence and which are kept in plain view. However, they cannot ransack the premises in search of such items.
So, essentially, a search warrant will have to be issued by the court in Putnam County that allows the police to look for evidence. If the suspect comes out of his house and surrenders, the peace officers have no authority to enter the premises in the absence of such an order.
For this reason, if the police come knocking on your door with a warrant in hand, the most appropriate course of action would be to get out of your house through the front door with your hands up in the air and turn yourself in.
Of course, a decidedly more favorable response would be to do a warrant search and if there are any outstanding warrants in your name, get an attorney to sort the situation for you. To do this, you will have to get your lawyer or somebody you know to head over to one of the three state agencies mentioned below.
- The sheriff’s department: 111 Ridley Dr, Eatonton, Georgia 31024
- The county clerk’s division: 100 S Jefferson Ave, Eatonton, GA 31024
- The magistrate’s office: Same as above
What phone numbers should you be dialing for a warrants search or arrests inquiry in County? (2021-Update)
- Inquiries about arrest warrants may be directed to the Magistrate’s Court at (706) 485-4306.
- Requests for arrest records can be directed to the Sheriff’s Office at (706) 485-8557.
- Inquiries about recent arrests can be directed to the Putnam County Jail Division at (706) 485-2680.
- Inquiries about initiating a judicial record search can be directed to the Office of the Court Clerk at (706) 485-4501.
- Requests for crime victim’s assistance can be directed to the District Attorney’s Office at (478) 986-3166.
- Inquiries about arrest records and warrants search through Eatonton PD can be directed to the agency by calling (706) 485-3551.
Crime statistics of Putnam County
In 2019, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department filed approximately 370 criminal reports. Property offenses accounted for more than 325 of the recorded crimes, while around 40 were crimes against humans. Larceny-theft (253 incidents) and burglary (71 cases) were the most common types of property crime Aggravated assaults accounted for 34 complaints in the violent crimes category, while rape and robbery resulted in the filing of 4 and 1 complaints, respectively.
Older crime statistics
Despite an annual crime rate of nearly 350 incidents, less than 50 violent criminal acts are reported in Putnam, Georgia, each year. These include homicide and rape instances, with approximately 3 and 10 cases filed in such matters annually. Through the period from 2001 to 2008, there has been an increase of almost 40% in the rates of violent and property crimes.