An arrest record in Charleston County begins at the point of booking. The Sheriff’s Office runs the Al Cannon Detention Center on Leeds Avenue in North Charleston, and its staff enter each new custody event into a public roster. A city police department may make the arrest, yet the jail holds the intake file. Charges, dates, and reference numbers travel with that entry. This page shows how to read one.
Each section below follows the order of a real file: the search, the charge sheet, the custody trail, the photo, and the correction desk. South Carolina keeps some papers open and closes others by statute. A single booking can touch a jail log, a police report, and a court docket, and the three may disagree. Bring the name, the date, and the reference number to every counter.
Arrest Record Search
Three county sources hold arrest data, and the jail roster answers most questions fastest.
- Public inmate and booking roster: https://inmatesearch.charlestoncounty.gov/
- Search by full name, booking date, or booking number.
- City police logs cover arrests made inside municipal limits.
- Clerk of Court dockets list charges after a case is filed.
- Detention Center records desk: (843) 529-7300.
- Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line: (843) 202-1700.
Record Information & Charges
A booking entry carries more than a name. It lists the arresting agency, the officer, the date and hour of intake, the alleged offense, and a charge code drawn from state law or a city ordinance. Many rows show a bond amount and a court case number too. Read each field as a separate claim, since a clerk typed it from a paper form by hand.
| Office detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Location | Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center, 3841 Leeds Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29405 |
| Contact Number | (843) 529-7300 (Detention Center); (843) 202-1700 (Sheriff’s Office non-emergency) |
| Office Hours | Contact the Detention Center or relevant division to confirm public counter hours |
| Official Website Search Portal | https://inmatesearch.charlestoncounty.gov/ |
A search works best in stages. Start with the surname alone, then add a first name and a middle initial. If the roster returns several rows, sort them by booking date and compare birth years. Write down the booking number for each candidate. That number is the key the jail uses, and it links the photo, the charge list, and the bond entry in one pass.
Subject Details, Date & Agency
The subject block names the person booked, with a date of birth when the jail captured one. Age, race, sex, and address may appear. The agency field matters as much as the name. Charleston police, North Charleston police, Mount Pleasant police, and the Sheriff’s Office each file their own paperwork. Two people with the same name need a birth date or a booking number to sort them.
Misdemeanor & Felony Charges
South Carolina splits offenses into misdemeanors and felonies by the maximum penalty a statute allows. A misdemeanor carries up to three years in prison in some cases, and a felony carries more. A booking sheet often lists the charge as written on the warrant, so the wording can look long. A reduced charge or a dismissed count appears only after a court order reaches the jail.
Arrest Circumstances & Reports
A police report describes what an officer saw, heard, and did. It may name the location of the arrest, the responding unit, and any witnesses. The report number differs from the booking number, and each one lives with a different office. Ask the arresting agency for the report, then ask the jail for the booking file. A charge can rest on a single sentence in that narrative.
| Field on a booking entry | What it tells you | Where to confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| Booking number | One stay in custody | Detention Center roster |
| Charge text | The allegation at intake | Arresting agency report |
| Arrest date | When officers took the person in | Police report |
| Arresting agency | Office that filed the charge | That agency’s records desk |
| Bond amount | Release terms set so far | Clerk of Court docket |
| Case number | A court file opened later | Clerk of Court index |
Keep the three sources apart in your notes for each person you check. A booking number answers jail questions and nothing more. A report number reaches the police file, and a case number reaches the court file. Copy the date you checked each page, since rosters change by the hour. Staff can pull a paper file faster when you hand them the right number for their own counter.
Custody & Associated Judicial Records
Custody is a chain of events, not a single status. A person enters the jail, gets classified, may post bond, may return on a new warrant, and eventually leaves. Each step writes a line into the same paper file. The detention center keeps the custody log, and the Clerk of Court keeps the case that follows. A release date on one page can contradict the other.
Booking Details & Facility Location
Booking happens at the Al Cannon Detention Center, 3841 Leeds Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29405. The record shows an intake time, a housing unit, and sometimes a classification level. Phone calls to (843) 529-7300 reach the facility desk. Visitors should confirm counter hours before traveling, since the jail sets its own schedule. A transfer to another facility changes the housing field but not the booking number.
Warrant Status & Arrest Context
A warrant is a judge’s order to take a person into custody. Some bookings rest on a warrant, and others follow an arrest made at the scene. The roster may show a hold from another county or a probation violation. Ask which document started the detention. A warrant can be recalled, and a recalled warrant may leave an entry that looks active until a clerk clears it.
Court Case Filings & Disposition
A solicitor reviews the arrest and decides whether to file a case. The case gets a number, a courtroom, and a calendar date. Lesser charges go to magistrate court, and serious ones go to the Circuit Court. A disposition is the final result: a dismissal, a plea, or a finding at trial. A booking page never shows that ending, so check the public index kept by the clerk for the final order.
| Custody step | Office that holds the paper | Identifier |
|---|---|---|
| Booking and housing | Detention Center | Booking number |
| Warrant or hold | Issuing court or agency | Warrant number |
| Filed charge | Clerk of Court | Case number |
| Final order | Clerk of Court | Case number |
| Release record | Detention Center | Booking number |
Follow a case through those rows in order. The jail paper explains the detention, the warrant explains the legal basis, and the court paper explains the outcome. A release does not erase a charge, and a pending case can sit for months before a solicitor acts on it. Keep one folder for each person you research, with a dated page for every office you contact.
Photographs & Public File Access
A booking photo is taken at intake, against a plain wall, under flat light. The jail attaches it to the custody record and may post it on the roster. The image shows how a person looked on one day. Weight, hair, and facial hair change, and a photo taken at three in the morning rarely flatters. Treat the face as one clue in a longer list.
Booking Photos & Identity Verification
Compare a photo with a second fact before you accept a match. A birth date, a middle name, or an address from a court paper carries more weight than a likeness. Scars, tattoos, and ear shape survive a bad camera angle better than a haircut does. Ask the detention center whether the image belongs to the booking number you hold, and ask staff to read the birth date from the file.
Public Directories & File Redactions
Some county pages list names in a directory without a photo or a charge. Others blank out a home address, a phone number, or a victim name. Redaction follows state law and jail policy, and a clerk decides what leaves the page. A black bar on a scan is not proof that the file is sealed. Ask which rule applied if a field you need is missing.
Juvenile & Active File Restrictions
South Carolina shields juvenile files from public view in most cases. A young person’s case may move to family court, and the record stays outside the adult index. Active investigations close parts of a file too, and a prosecutor may ask a judge to seal a warrant. A juvenile file or a sealed warrant does not vanish, since the agency that opened it keeps the paper.
Record Accuracy & Resolution
Errors in a jail file tend to be small and annoying: a dropped middle initial, a transposed digit in a birth date, a charge listed twice. Each one can break a search or send a request to the wrong office. South Carolina gives a person a way to ask for a correction, and the jail keeps a process for it. Bring identification and a copy of the page.
Update Delays & Missing Records
A new booking should reach the roster within one business day. A holiday, a weekend, or a busy night can push that to three. A name typed with a different spelling will not answer a search for the common form. Try a maiden name, a hyphen, or a shorter version of the first name. Call (843) 529-7300 if the entry never appears, and ask which spelling the jail used.
Expunged & Sealed File Removal
An expungement removes an arrest from public view after a court signs an order. South Carolina limits which charges qualify and sets a waiting period. The applicant files a request, often through a solicitor or a lawyer, and pays a fee set by statute. Sealing works differently: the file stays with the court but leaves the public index. No single phone call erases a record, and no fee removes one on the spot.
Legal Presumption of Innocence
A charge on a roster is an allegation, and a court has not tested it. South Carolina presumes a person innocent until a plea or a trial ends the case. A booking photo, a bond amount, and a charge title do not change that rule. Read a record with the outcome attached, or say plainly that the outcome is unknown. Share the citation with anyone who asks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Readers send the same four questions about county arrest files. The replies below rest on South Carolina practice and on the offices named on this page. Each answer stays brief and points to the agency that holds the paper. Deadlines and fees can change, so call before you mail a request or pay a charge. Nothing here replaces advice from a lawyer on a pending case.
How quickly do arrest records update online?
Most bookings appear on the jail roster within one business day. An arrest late on a Friday may wait until Monday for data entry. Charges filed later by a solicitor show up on the court index, not on the roster. Holiday closures add a day or two. If a name is missing after three business days, call the detention center at (843) 529-7300 with the full name and any booking number.
What information is needed for an official request?
Bring the full legal name, a date of birth, and the approximate arrest date. A booking number or a case number speeds the work and prevents a mix-up with a similar name. Photo identification is required at most counters. State which document you want: a booking summary, a charge list, or a certified court paper. Ask about the copy fee and the wait time before the clerk starts the search.
Are booking photos included in all arrest logs?
No. The roster shows a photo for many current bookings, yet an image can be withheld. Some agencies do not release a picture for a juvenile, a sealed case, or a person held on a federal detainer. A photo may be dropped after release. Ask the detention center whether an image exists for the booking number you hold. A missing photo is not proof that no arrest happened.
Who confirms unlisted arrest records?
The agency that made the arrest holds the first paper. Call that police department or the Sheriff’s Office and ask its records desk to search by name and date. The detention center confirms custody and booking numbers. The Clerk of Court confirms a filed case. A state background check through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division covers arrests from every county in one report. Add the booking number to every request.