Access Putnam County Jail Mugshots

Putnam County jail mugshots are stored by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office in Eatonton, Georgia. The county is in central Georgia, east of Macon, and handles all local bookings at its jail facility. Each arrest in Putnam County produces a booking photo during intake. Under Georgia law, these mugshots are part of the public record. You can search for them using local contacts or state-level databases. This guide explains how to find jail mugshots from Putnam County, details the relevant Georgia statutes, and provides the contact information you need to make a records request or check on an inmate.

Putnam County Sheriff's Office

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office manages the jail and law enforcement across the county. The office is at 117 Putnam Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024. You can call 706-485-8557 for information about inmates or records. The sheriff's office handles bookings for all arrests in the county, whether made by county deputies, the Eatonton Police Department, or other local agencies.

The Putnam County Jail books each person with a mugshot, fingerprints, and personal info. Pretrial detainees wait at the jail until their court date or until they make bail. Inmates serving county sentences stay at the facility, while those with state prison sentences get moved to a Georgia Department of Corrections facility. The sheriff's office staff can tell you if a specific person is currently held at the Putnam County Jail.

Putnam County sits in a part of Georgia known for Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair. The population swells during certain times of the year, which can affect the volume of arrests and bookings the jail sees. Still, the facility handles things on a smaller scale compared to metro area jails.

Putnam County Mugshot Lookup

Putnam County does not run a public online inmate search tool. To find out if someone is in the Putnam County Jail, call the sheriff's office at 706-485-8557. They can check the current roster and tell you about charges and bond details.

For state-level searches, use the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search. This tool covers inmates in the state prison system. If someone from Putnam County was convicted and sent to state prison, you can look up their record and mugshot here. Search by name or GDC ID number. This is separate from the county jail and only includes inmates serving state sentences.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains a statewide criminal history database through the Georgia Crime Information Center. You can request a background check that covers arrests and court outcomes from Putnam County and all other Georgia counties. The GBI charges a fee for this service. It is the most thorough way to search criminal records across the whole state.

Mugshot Records Under Georgia Law

Georgia law sets the rules for how jail mugshots work in Putnam County. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 prevents law enforcement agencies from posting booking photos on websites unless specific criteria are met. Anyone who requests a mugshot from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office must sign a statement saying the photo will not be posted on a website that demands payment for removal.

The Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, provides the public with a right to inspect government records. Jail booking records in Putnam County are covered by this act. However, mugshots carry added protections under § 35-1-19 that restrict how they can be distributed and used. So while you can request booking records, the mugshot portion has stricter rules attached to it.

If your arrest in Putnam County ended without a conviction, you might qualify for record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. Restricted records are removed from public access. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division helps people who need a mugshot taken off a commercial website. Under O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5, these websites cannot charge you to remove your booking photo.

Note: Record restriction does not erase the record entirely but seals it from public view.

Records Requests in Putnam County

You can submit an open records request to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office for jail-related documents. Georgia law says agencies must respond within three business days of getting the request. Send it to 117 Putnam Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024, or call 706-485-8557 to ask about the best way to submit your request.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, the agency may charge a reasonable hourly rate. For a simple request covering one or two Putnam County booking records, the cost is usually low. Include the person's full name, date of birth, and arrest date if you have it. That helps the staff find the right records quickly.

Nearby Counties

Putnam County sits among several other counties in central Georgia. Each county operates its own jail. Mugshots are filed with the county that processed the booking. Make sure you are searching the right one.