Montgomery County Booking Releases

Montgomery County booking releases come from the Sheriff's Office in Mount Vernon, which serves as the county seat. This small rural county in southeast Georgia handles all bookings and releases through a single jail facility. The sheriff keeps records for everyone held in custody, including booking dates, charges, and release info. Since the county does not run its own online inmate lookup, you will need to contact the office by phone or in person or use state-level search tools to find booking release details.

Sheriff's Office and Records

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is the main source for booking releases in the county. The office sits in Mount Vernon, the county seat, and runs the local jail. All arrests that happen within Montgomery County pass through this facility. The sheriff logs each person booked in and tracks when they leave custody.

Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, every Georgia sheriff must keep a record of each inmate held in the county jail. That record has the person's name, their booking date, the charges they face, and the date they are released. Montgomery County follows this rule. The jail is small, so the volume of bookings is low compared to urban counties. Still, all records are kept on file and can be requested.

You can call the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at (912) 583-2236 to ask about a specific booking or release. Staff can look up records by name. Walk-in requests are also accepted during normal business hours, which run Monday through Friday. If you need a copy of a booking release document, the office may ask you to put the request in writing.

How to Search Booking Releases

Montgomery County does not have an online inmate search portal. This is common in smaller Georgia counties. To find booking release info, your best bet is to call the Sheriff's Office or visit in person. Give them the full name of the person you are looking for and any other details you have, like a date of birth or approximate arrest date. That helps staff find the right record fast.

For people who have moved into the state prison system, you can use the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search tool. This database covers anyone serving a state sentence. It will not show people held only at the county level, but it can help if someone was transferred from Montgomery County to a state facility after their booking.

The GDC offender search database lets you look up inmates across all Georgia state prisons.

Use this tool if someone booked in Montgomery County was later moved to a state correctional facility.

You can also try the VINE notification system to track an inmate's custody status. VINE lets you sign up for alerts when someone is released or moved. The service covers Montgomery County and works free of charge around the clock. It is a good option if you want to know the moment someone gets out.

Open Records Requests

Georgia's Open Records Act, found at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, gives the public the right to access government records. This includes booking releases held by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. You can submit a written request to the sheriff asking for copies of booking release records. The law says the county must respond within three business days.

Copies of records cost $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of staff time to search for records is free. After that, the county can charge a reasonable fee for the labor involved. Most simple requests for one or two booking release records will not go over the free time limit. Larger requests that cover many records might come with an extra cost.

If the county denies your request, they must tell you the reason in writing. Some records may be withheld under the exceptions listed in the law. For example, records tied to an active investigation or a sealed court case could be off limits. But most booking release records are public in Georgia and should be available to anyone who asks.

What Booking Releases Contain

A booking release record from Montgomery County will show several key pieces of info. The record has the inmate's full name, date of birth, and physical description. It lists the charges that led to the arrest and the name of the agency that made the arrest. The booking date and time go in the file, along with the release date if the person has been let go.

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18, Georgia law sets rules for booking photographs. These photos may be part of the release record in some cases. Montgomery County follows the state rules on when and how these photos can be shared with the public. Not all requests for booking photos will be granted.

Some records may fall under the exceptions in O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, which lists types of documents that agencies can keep private. Medical info, certain personal details, and records related to ongoing cases may be held back. But the core booking and release data is generally public and available through a simple request to the Sheriff's Office.

Statewide Booking Release Resources

Several state-level tools can help you find booking release info connected to Montgomery County. The GDC offender search covers state prison inmates. The VINE system tracks custody changes across all Georgia counties. Both are free and available online at any time.

For formal records requests at the state level, use the GDC Open Records portal or the GBI Open Records portal. The GDC portal handles requests for state corrections records, while the GBI portal covers criminal history and investigation files. These are useful if you need records that go beyond what the county sheriff has on file.

Keep in mind that Montgomery County booking releases stay with the county unless the person is transferred to state custody. For most local arrests, the Sheriff's Office in Mount Vernon is your primary source. State tools are best used as a second step when the county search does not turn up what you need.

Cities in Montgomery County

Montgomery County is a rural area with no large cities. Mount Vernon is the county seat and the biggest community. Other small towns include Ailey, Higgston, Tarrytown, and Uvalda. All arrests in these areas go through the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, and booking releases are kept at the county jail in Mount Vernon.

Nearby Counties

If you need booking releases from a neighboring county, each one keeps its own records at their local sheriff's office. Check the right county based on where the arrest took place.