Beaufort County Arrest Records

Beaufort County law enforcement officers are authorized to make an arrest when they have probable cause to believe a crime has been committed and the suspect is responsible. Warrant-less arrests may be performed if the crime happened in the officer's presence. However, if the officer did not witness the crime, they are required to obtain an arrest warrant from a judge.

After the arrest, the law enforcement officer will take the arrestee to the Beaufort County Detention Center for booking and enter their personal information into the jail system. The officer will also enter the agency identification, case number, docket number, NCIC identification number, booking officer's name, charge data, medical data, release date, time, and arresting officer's name in the system as they become available.

An arrest record is generated using all information gathered from the arrested person during booking and from the officer when the case is handled in court. Like Beaufort County court records, this arrest record becomes available to the public within 72 hours.

Are Arrest Records Public in Beaufort County?

Yes. Beaufort County arrest records are public under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act. Therefore, anyone can inspect or copy arrest records from law enforcement agencies except otherwise stated by state and federal laws. The SC FOIA deems some arrest records confidential. Per SC Code §30-4-40, there is an exemption for arrest records whose disclosure would:

• Reveal the identity of a confidential source.
• Endanger the life or physical safety of a person.
• Interfere with a prospective law enforcement proceeding.
• Deprive the arrested person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication.
• Expose current techniques and procedures used in law enforcement investigations or prosecutions.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Beaufort County Detention Center provides arrest records online to members of the public. The arrest record contains the following information:

• The arrested person's last, first, and middle name
• Date of birth
• Race and sex
• Booking date and time
• Release date and time

Beaufort County Crime Rate

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SCLED) publishes Crime Statistics on its website for free. The 2022 Annual Report recorded about 5,972 crimes in Beaufort County. The Report captures 720 violent crimes, 2,384 crimes against persons, 1,559 crimes against property, and 1,309 crimes against society. The top 3 crimes recorded that year were simple assault (2,133), drug offenses (1,034), and aggravated assault 596.

Beaufort County Arrest Statistics

The 2022 South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Crime in South Carolina report revealed that approximately 4,063 arrests occurred in Beaufort County, a 1.7% increase from the previous year. The majority of the arrests came from crimes like drug law violations (658), simple assault (464), and DUI (453). In 2021, the Beaufort County Detention Center booked about 2,809 arrested persons with an average length of stay of 8 days.

Find Beaufort County Arrest Records

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is a state adult prison that incarcerates individuals who have been sentenced to a minimum of three months by the courts. The SCDC has an Inmate Search portal where individuals can find photographs and public information on inmates currently sentenced and incarcerated in the state jail. A SCDC number, SID, first name, or last name is required to conduct a search on the portal. Record seekers can view arrest information of offenders released from SCDC on the Released Inmate List portal. Users must enter a release date range in the search field, select Beaufort County, and click the "Search" button.

Interested individuals can view or obtain copies of arrest records for Beaufort County offenders held in federal prisons through federal law enforcement agencies. Most of these agencies have online databases where these records are maintained. However, mail and in-person requests are also acceptable in some offices. For example:

• The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) accepts online and in-person arrest record requests. Its Inmate Locator allows users to find arrest information using a number or name. In-person requests can be made at any BOP facility during business hours.
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accepts arrest record requests online, by mail, and through approved channelers. All applicants must pay a fee of $18. Mail applicants must submit a completed Applicant Information Form to:

FBI CJIS Division – Summary Request
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) only issues arrest records online through its Online Detainee Locator System and in person at its local field offices and ICE detention facilities. An A-Number or biographical information is required to create a search on the Online Detainee Locator System.

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) provides arrest summary reports online and by mail. Online requesters can filter their searches by CFN number, crime date, crime type, and crime summary. Mail requesters must send a completed Request Form to:

United States Capitol Police
Reports Processing Section
119 D Street, Ne
Washington, DC 20510

Free Arrest Record Search in Beaufort County

The Beaufort County Detention Center has an Inmate Inquiry System where members of the public can freely conduct arrest record searches. The system has links to the current inmate population sorted by last name and booking date and inmates booked within the last 72 hours, 15 days, and 90 days. Inquirers can also view arrest records for free on third-party websites. The sites usually return information for free at the initial stage of the search when a name is entered into the search field. However, extensive searches will require a small fee.

Get Beaufort County Criminal Records

The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) provides free criminal records checks for residents by request. This only applies to individuals seeking their personal records and not third-party requestors, excluding military and other law enforcement agencies. The Sheriff's Office locations are open to the public during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.) at:

Northern Beaufort County
2001 Duke St.
Beaufort, SC 29902
Phone: (843) 255-3200

Southern Beaufort County
70 Shelter Cove Lane
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Phone: (843) 255-3300

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) only issues Beaufort County criminal records to eligible individuals. Criminal records requests can be made:

• Online: The SLED disseminates criminal records online through the Citizen Access to Criminal Histories (CATCH) portal. This service costs a non-refundable fee of $25 with a $1 convenience fee, payable by credit/debit cards. This portal only permits name-based searches using a last name, first name, and date of birth.
• By mail: The requester must send a completed Criminal Records Check Form, a $25 fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to the SLED Records Department. The fee should be in the form of a business check, certified check, cashier's check, or money order. The Division does not accept personal checks and cash. The mailing address is:

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
P.O. Box 21398
Columbia, SC 29221-1398
Phone: (803) 737-9000

The SLED offers eligible charitable organizations an $8 criminal record fee reduction. Eligible organizations can obtain a reduced fee verification account by mailing a completed Charitable Account Application Form and IRS documentation of Section 501 (c)(3) status to the SLED. Prospective and substitute teachers in local school districts can freely conduct criminal record checks with the SLED.

Beaufort County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

An arrest record contains details of an arrested person's identification and information about the arrest. It typically has the arrestee's name, address, description, and social security number, charge, court date, arrest date and time, release date and time, and arresting and releasing officers' names. Per S.C. Code Regs. § 73-20(C), criminal history record information (CHRI), also known as a criminal record, refers to data, documents, fingerprint cards, and dispositions on an adult who is at least seventeen years of age collected by criminal justice agencies. It consists of identifiable descriptors and notations of arrests, detentions, indictments, information, formal charges, and dispositions.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Most arrests in Beaufort County remain on a person's record permanently. However, a few of them can be removed through expungement. However, the S.C. Department of Archives and History's Record Management provides General Records Retention Schedules for the following arrest records:

• Arrest dockets are destroyed after five (5) years.
• Booking reports of arrested persons are destroyed after ten (10) years.
• Arrest warrants for non-DUI offenses are destroyed after five (5) years.
• Arrest warrants are retained until executed and returned to the issuing official.
• Arrest information associated with traffic tickets is destroyed after three (3) years.
• Arrest cards maintained by the Sheriff's Department are retained for five (5) years.
• Mugshots of arrested persons remain in the record until superseded or of no further value.
• Dismissed and certificate of transmitted arrest warrants are destroyed after two (2) years.
• Duplicate books for arrest warrants issued by the summary court judge are kept for ten (10 years.
• Arrest warrants for criminal nontraffic offenses remain on record 15 years after the case disposition.
• Arrest warrant stub books are kept for three (3) years after the return of the last warrant in the stub book.
• Arrest records associated with the Breathalyzer Operator Test Report (B.A. Form) are retained for ten (10) years after the trial date.
• Arrest data included in incident reports are destroyed within five years or until of no further legal or administrative value, whichever comes later.
• Criminal history cards, records, and fingerprint cards of an arrested person are retained until the subject's death or after 75 years, whichever comes first.
• Arrest records of a juvenile are destroyed three (3) years after the subject reaches majority unless there is a legal reason to retain further.

Expunge Beaufort County Arrest Records

Expungement means sealing and destroying criminal records relating to an arrest or conviction. Beaufort County residents who have previously been charged with crimes can have all qualifying arrest and charging records expunged, provided they meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The charge was nolle prossed or dismissed, or the person was acquitted, as long as the dismissal was not the result of a plea deal in which the person pled guilty and was sentenced on other charges (S.C. Code 17-1-40).
• Charges that were dismissed as part of a plea agreement can be expunged but attract an application fee.
• Successful completion of the Pre-Trial Intervention Program (S.C. Code 17-22-150(a)) and Alcohol Education Program (S.C. Code 17-22-530(a)).
• The arrested person was convicted for a first offense, singular misdemeanor under the Fraudulent Check Law, and no other criminal activity has occurred in one year from the conviction date (S.C. Code §34-11-90 (e)).
• The person was convicted of a first-offense Simple Possession of Marijuana charge where a conditional discharge was received and has successfully complied with the terms of the sentence (S.C. Code 44-53-450(b)).
• A youth offender convicted of a first offense can request expungement after 5 years of completing their sentence (S.C. Code 22-5-920).
• A person convicted of a misdemeanor first offense due to Failure to Stop for Blue Lights and has no other conviction for three (3) years after completion of the sentence (S.C. Code 56-5-750(f)).
• The arrested person was convicted of a crime whose penalty does not exceed a thirty-day jail term, a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both, and three years as passed from the conviction date (S.C. Code §22-5-910). This excludes first-offense convictions of Domestic Violence in the Third Degree because the waiting period is five years.

Individuals whose charges originated from Beaufort County can expunge their arrest records at the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office. Applicants must submit a completed Expungement Application Form, which can be downloaded online or obtained in person at the Beaufort County Courthouse. This form must be submitted with a disposition sheer, which can be obtained from the court that heard the charges. The solicitor's office charges $250, payable by money order for expungement. There is no fee for charges that were nolle prossed, dismissed, or the defendant was acquitted. Some charges also attract a $25 fee to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and a $35 fee to the Clerk of Court.

Upon receiving the application, the solicitor will send the form and the $25 money order to SLED to verify expungement eligibility. If the offense is eligible for expungement, the SLED will mail the application back to the solicitor to continue the process. Afterward, the order will be mailed to the summary court judge who originally heard the case. The judge will sign and return the application to the Solicitor's Office.

The solicitor will end the process when they determine that the offense is ineligible for expungement by making a notation on the application and returning the $35 Clerk of Court fee to the applicant. If the offense is eligible for expungement, the solicitor will sign and give the order to the Beaufort County Circuit Court judge for confirmation. If the application is approved, the solicitor will get a signed order from the Circuit Court judge. The solicitor will file the signed order, seven (7) copies of the order, and a $35 filing fee (if applicable) with the Beaufort County Clerk of Court. They will send certified copies of the expungement order to the applicant or their attorney and all relevant governmental agencies.

Beaufort County Arrest Warrants

To get an arrest warrant in Beaufort County, a law enforcement officer must appear before a magistrate or municipal judge and formally request the warrant by providing a sworn statement seeking the arrest of an individual. The complaint must be in writing and under oath. The magistrate or municipal judge will issue an arrest warrant when they determine that there is probable cause to believe the suspect has committed an alleged offense. Per SC Code §22-5-110, the judge will issue a courtesy summons when someone who is not a law enforcement officer seeks an arrest warrant. The law enforcement officer must serve the arrest warrant within a reasonable time. However, there is no statute of limitations on an arrest warrant, and they constitute the trial document or charging paper in a magistrate or municipal court. Per SC Code §22-5-210, a person arrested based on an arrest warrant must be given a copy of the warrant and the affidavit on which it was issued. Per S.C. Code Regs. 12-608.8, an arrest warrant contains information such as warrant number, charge, the name of the person to be arrested, offense date and description, the affiant's name, date sworn, and the issuing official's signature.

Beaufort County Arrest Warrant Search

Record seekers can call the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office's Warrants Clerk at (843) 255-3266 to obtain warrant information or determine if they have an active warrant. All calls should be made during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Individuals who want to request warrant records after business hours can call (843) 524-2777.

Do Beaufort County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, there is no statute of limitations on an arrest warrant. This means arrest warrants in Beaufort County do not expire until they are executed.