Wayne County Criminal Records

Wayne County criminal court records are filed and stored by the Clerk of Superior Court in Jesup. Located in southeastern Georgia, Wayne County processes all felony and misdemeanor cases through its local court system. You can search criminal court records in Wayne County by contacting the clerk office on North Brunswick Street, stopping by the courthouse in person, or using Georgia's statewide online search tools. The clerk keeps case filings, court dates, and final disposition records for all criminal matters in the county. Jesup serves as the county seat, and most court business takes place at the courthouse there. The staff can help with record requests during normal office hours.

Wayne County Court Clerk Office

The Clerk of Superior Court in Wayne County manages all criminal court records for the county. The office address is 174 N. Brunswick Street in Jesup. Call (912) 427-5930 for questions about criminal cases or to check the status of a filing. The clerk can search by defendant name or case number. Hours are Monday through Friday. Walk-ins are welcome during business hours. Wayne County has a moderate population for this part of the state, so the clerk office handles a regular flow of criminal case filings and records requests throughout the year.

The GSCCCA page for Wayne County lists the clerk contact details and connects to the state filing index run by the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority.

This page lets you verify the Wayne County clerk address and phone. The GSCCCA indexes filings from all 159 Georgia counties and provides tools to search that data online.

Searching Wayne County Criminal Records

Call (912) 427-5930 to start a search. The clerk staff can check on a case by name or number. You can also walk into the courthouse at 174 N. Brunswick Street in Jesup and ask at the clerk window. Bring ID. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, criminal court records are open to the public in Georgia. The clerk must respond within three business days. Copies cost $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of search time are free under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. You can also send a written request by mail to the Jesup address.

Wayne County does not run its own online criminal records portal. Statewide tools fill that gap. The E-Access to Court Records system lets you search cases from any Georgia county online. You need to set up an account first. The GSCCCA also provides filing data. A standard account costs $14.95 per month and premium is $29.95. Between these two tools, you can pull Wayne County criminal case data without leaving home.

What you need for a Wayne County criminal record search:

• Full legal name of the person
• Date of birth if you have it
• Case number (speeds things up)
• Whether the case is a felony or misdemeanor

Criminal Case Types in Wayne County

Wayne County Superior Court hears felony cases. Drug charges, robbery, burglary, assault with a weapon, and other serious crimes go to Superior Court. State Court handles misdemeanors. DUI, simple assault, shoplifting, and minor drug charges are processed there. Magistrate Court sets bond and holds preliminary hearings. Each of these courts produces criminal records that the Wayne County Clerk keeps on file. From the initial arrest to the final court ruling, every step creates documents that become part of the public record.

Jesup is where all court proceedings in Wayne County take place. The courthouse on Brunswick Street serves as the main location for trials and hearings. If you need to find out where a specific criminal case stands, the clerk can check the docket and let you know. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, records from active criminal investigations can be held back from the public. But once a case is done, the full record is open. Basic docket info like court dates is typically available even while a case is still pending.

Note: Wayne County sits in the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, which also covers several neighboring counties in the region.

Wayne County Criminal Record Restriction

Georgia law allows some criminal records to be restricted from public view. The legal term is restriction, though many people still call it expungement. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, you may be eligible if your arrest did not lead to a conviction, you have a qualifying misdemeanor conviction and four years have passed since you completed your sentence, or your case was on a dead docket for more than 12 months. Wayne County residents should contact the District Attorney's office for arrests on or after July 1, 2013. Older cases go through the arresting law enforcement agency. The fee is up to $50.

You can only restrict two misdemeanor convictions per lifetime in Georgia. Violent felonies and sex offenses are never eligible. The Georgia Crime Information Center may also apply time-expired restrictions automatically when no final disposition is reported. That happens after two years for misdemeanors and four years for felonies. These automatic restrictions only affect the state database though. A formal application gives you a more complete result. The GBI helpline at (404) 244-2639 option 3 answers questions about criminal history from any county in the state, including Wayne County.

Wayne County Court Resources

The Odyssey eFileGA system is available for Wayne County. Attorneys and case parties can file motions and other court documents online instead of going to the Jesup courthouse. These digital filings become part of the criminal court record. The system is available 24 hours a day. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-11, Georgia clerks may provide public online access to eFiled documents.

For your own criminal history, go to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office in Jesup and ask for a Purpose Code U report. This is the way to get your Georgia criminal record for personal use. The GBI Criminal History page explains the full statewide process. Defense attorneys can also request criminal records under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34 by sending a written request to the Georgia Crime Information Center. The GBI Open Records Unit takes requests through their online portal or by mail to P.O. Box 370808, Decatur, GA 30034. Email requests are no longer accepted.

Note: The GBI stopped taking email requests for open records in December 2023.

Cities in Wayne County

All criminal cases from Wayne County are handled by the Superior Court or State Court in Jesup. The courthouse on North Brunswick Street processes all felony and misdemeanor filings for the county.

Cities and towns in Wayne County include Jesup and Screven. Criminal cases from these areas are processed through the Wayne County court system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Wayne County. Criminal cases must be filed in the county where the arrest took place. Check the crime location if you are not sure which county holds the record.