Search Worth County Criminal Records

Worth County criminal court records are kept by the Clerk of Superior Court at the courthouse in Sylvester. This south Georgia county processes felony and misdemeanor cases through its local court system, and the clerk office on North Main Street manages all criminal case filings. You can search for criminal court records in Worth County by calling the clerk, visiting the Sylvester courthouse in person, or using Georgia's statewide online databases. The clerk staff maintains case files, court dates, and disposition records for all criminal matters in the county. Sylvester is the county seat and the center of Worth County's court activity.

Worth County Criminal Court Clerk

The Clerk of Superior Court in Worth County manages all criminal court records filed in the county. The office is at 201 N. Main Street in Sylvester. Call (229) 776-8205 with questions about a criminal case or to check on a filing. Hours are Monday through Friday. Staff can search by name or case number and provide copies of case documents. Worth County has a moderate population for south Georgia, and the clerk office handles a steady amount of criminal filings throughout the year. Walk-in requests are welcome during regular business hours, and most requests can be handled at the counter.

The GSCCCA page for Worth County shows the clerk contact info and connects to the statewide filing index maintained by the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority.

Use this page to verify the Worth County clerk phone and address. The GSCCCA indexes filing data from all 159 counties in Georgia and provides search access through their online tools.

How to Search Worth County Criminal Records

Call (229) 776-8205 to get started. Give the clerk a name or case number. They can check the files and let you know what is available. You can also go to the courthouse at 201 N. Main Street in Sylvester. Bring a valid ID. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, criminal court records in Georgia are public. Anyone can ask to see them. No reason required. The Worth County clerk has three business days to respond. Copies cost $0.10 per page, and the first 15 minutes of search time are free under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71.

Worth County does not run its own online court records portal. For online criminal record searches, the statewide E-Access to Court Records system covers all Georgia counties. You need an account to use it. The GSCCCA also indexes filings from every county. A regular account is $14.95 per month. Premium runs $29.95. Both tools let you search Worth County criminal case data from home. You can also mail a written request to 201 N. Main Street, Sylvester, GA 31791.

For a Worth County criminal record search, you will need:

• Full name of the person you are searching
• Date of birth or approximate age if known
• Case number if you have one
• Whether the case involves a felony or misdemeanor charge

Worth County Criminal Case Types

Worth County Superior Court handles all felony cases. Drug trafficking, armed robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, and other serious charges go through Superior Court. State Court processes misdemeanors. DUI, simple battery, petty theft, and minor drug offenses are heard there. Magistrate Court holds preliminary hearings and sets bond for criminal defendants. All three courts produce records that the Worth County Clerk stores. Each criminal case generates documents from the moment of arrest through the final disposition, and those documents form the case file that becomes available to the public.

Sylvester is where all court activity in Worth County takes place. The courthouse on North Main Street is the location for trials, hearings, and arraignments. Worth County is part of the Tifton Judicial Circuit, which covers several south Georgia counties. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, records tied to active criminal investigations may be withheld from public view. Once a case is closed, the full record is open. Court dates and basic docket information are usually accessible even during a pending case.

Note: Worth County borders Dougherty County, where Albany is located, so some criminal cases near the county line may involve coordination between the two court systems.

Criminal Record Restriction in Worth County

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, Georgia allows certain criminal records to be restricted from public view. You may qualify if your arrest did not lead to a conviction, if you have a misdemeanor conviction and have waited four years after completing your sentence, or if your case was on a dead docket for more than 12 months. Worth County residents should file through the District Attorney's office for arrests on or after July 1, 2013. For older arrests, contact the arresting agency. The fee can be up to $50. Georgia limits each person to two misdemeanor conviction restrictions total.

Serious violent felonies and sex offenses are not eligible for restriction. Time-expired restrictions may happen automatically when the Georgia Crime Information Center does not receive a final disposition on a case. That is two years for misdemeanors, four years for felonies, and seven years for serious violent felonies. These automatic restrictions only affect the state database. For a complete restriction of your Worth County criminal record, you should go through the formal application process. The GBI helpline at (404) 244-2639 option 3 can answer questions about criminal history from any county in Georgia.

Worth County Court Resources

Worth County uses the Odyssey eFileGA system for electronic court filings. Attorneys and parties to a criminal case can file motions and documents online instead of going to the Sylvester courthouse. These filings become part of the official court record. The eFileGA platform runs around the clock. Under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-11, clerks may offer public access to eFiled documents through their websites.

For your own criminal history, visit the Worth County Sheriff's Office in Sylvester and ask for a Purpose Code U report. This is how you get your Georgia criminal record for personal review. The GBI Criminal History page explains the full statewide process. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, defense attorneys can request criminal history records from the Georgia Crime Information Center by sending a written request. The GBI Open Records Unit accepts requests through their online portal or by mail to P.O. Box 370808, Decatur, GA 30034. Email is no longer an option for these requests.

Note: The GBI Open Records Unit stopped accepting email requests in December 2023.

Cities in Worth County

All criminal cases from Worth County go through the Superior Court or State Court in Sylvester. The courthouse on North Main Street handles all felony and misdemeanor filings for the county.

Cities and towns in Worth County include Sylvester, Poulan, Sumner, Warwick, and Shingler. Criminal cases from all of these areas are processed through the Worth County court system.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Worth County in south Georgia. Criminal cases must be filed in the county where the arrest took place. Check the arrest location if you are unsure which county holds the record.