Toombs County Records Search

Toombs County police records are managed by law enforcement agencies in Lyons, the county seat. Sheriff Jordan Kight leads the Toombs County Sheriff's Office, which is the main source for police records in this part of southeast Georgia. The department handles incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and booking information. Lyons also has its own municipal police department, and Vidalia straddles the Toombs-Montgomery county line. Records requests depend on which agency responded to the incident, so it helps to know that before you start.

Toombs County Sheriff's Office

The Toombs County Sheriff's Office is at 357 NW Broad Street Suite 1, Lyons, GA 30436. Sheriff Jordan Kight runs the department. Call (912) 526-6778 for records inquiries. The office serves all of Toombs County outside of municipal boundaries and is the central point for most police records requests in the county.

In-person requests at the Lyons office are the fastest option. Bring your ID and the details of the record you need. A case number makes the process quick. If you do not have one, the staff can search by date, location, and names. Be as specific as you can. The more details you provide, the faster the search goes.

Mail requests work too. Send your written request to 357 NW Broad Street Suite 1, Lyons, GA 30436. Include your name, phone number, mailing address, and everything you know about the record. Phone requests at (912) 526-6778 help you confirm a record exists before you make a trip or send a letter.

The EPORTS system from the Georgia Department of Public Safety provides access to State Patrol reports from Toombs County.

If a Georgia State Patrol trooper handled an incident in Toombs County, the report will be in the EPORTS system rather than with the sheriff's office.

Open Records Requests in Toombs County

Georgia's Open Records Act controls how police records are released in Toombs County. O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 makes public records open for inspection and copying. Police reports, arrest records, and other law enforcement documents fall under this law. You do not need to be a Toombs County resident to make a request. You do not need to give a reason.

The law requires agencies to respond within three business days. That is under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. The response must say whether the records exist and what the fees will be. If the records are simple and ready, you might get them right away. More involved requests take additional time, but the initial acknowledgment must come within three business days.

Fees follow state guidelines. Copies are $0.10 per page. The first quarter hour of search time is free. Hourly charges after that are based on the salary of the lowest-paid employee who can do the search. If the estimated cost exceeds $25, the agency needs your OK before proceeding. These rules apply to all Toombs County law enforcement agencies.

Note: You can submit an open records request to any Toombs County agency by mail, in person, or sometimes by email.

Crash Reports in Toombs County

Accident reports from Toombs County are available depending on which agency took the report. For crashes handled by a sheriff's deputy, contact the sheriff's office at (912) 526-6778. Give them the date, location, and driver names. Reports for people involved in the crash are usually around $5.

Georgia State Patrol crash reports are available online through eports.gamccd.net. Reports cost $5 each. You can also check BuyCrash.com for reports that have been uploaded by participating agencies. Both options cover State Patrol incidents in Toombs County and across Georgia.

US Highway 1 and State Route 292 pass through Toombs County. Crashes on these roads may be worked by the State Patrol rather than local deputies. If you do not know which agency responded, start with the sheriff's office. They can usually tell you whether they have the report or if you need to look elsewhere.

Toombs County Record Exemptions

Georgia law allows certain police records to be withheld from public view. O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 lays out the exemptions. In Toombs County, the most common reason for withholding records is an active investigation. While deputies are still working a case, detailed investigative files can be kept from the public. This includes witness statements, evidence lists, and internal notes.

Initial reports are different. Initial incident reports and arrest reports are always public. The basic facts of what happened and who was involved are released right away. The exemption applies to the deeper case file, not to the initial report. Once the investigation closes and all court proceedings end, the full file becomes available.

Redactions are standard on released records. Agencies remove Social Security numbers, certain birth date information, law enforcement home addresses, and medical details. These redactions comply with state privacy requirements and apply uniformly across all Georgia counties, including Toombs.

Criminal Records and Court Files

Arrest records from the Toombs County Sheriff's Office show booking details for people taken into custody. These are tied to individual incidents. For a statewide criminal history search, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation operates the Georgia Crime Information Center. The GCIC stores criminal records from all 159 counties in Georgia.

Court records are separate from police records. The Toombs County Clerk of Superior Court in Lyons maintains criminal case files. These include charges, hearings, plea agreements, verdicts, and sentencing information. Police records tell you about the arrest. Court records tell you what happened after. For the full story on a criminal matter in Toombs County, check both sources.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a directory that lists the Toombs County Sheriff's Office and every other sheriff's office in Georgia. It is a good starting point for confirming contact details.

Note: The Vidalia Police Department may handle records for incidents that occurred on the Toombs County side of the city limits.

How to Get Toombs County Police Records

Start by figuring out which agency handled the incident. Toombs County has the sheriff's office, the Lyons Police Department, and the Vidalia Police Department (which serves parts of both Toombs and Montgomery counties). Each agency keeps its own records. Contact the right one to avoid delays.

For sheriff's office records, visit or write to 357 NW Broad Street Suite 1, Lyons, GA 30436. For Lyons PD records, contact the Lyons Police Department directly. For Vidalia incidents, check with the Vidalia Police Department. All three agencies follow the same state rules for records access and fees.

Georgia law gives agencies three business days to respond to your request. Simple requests often get filled faster than that, especially if you go in person with good details about what you need. Complex requests involving multiple records or extensive searches take longer. But you should always hear back within three business days at the outside.

Nearby Counties

For police records from counties around Toombs County, use the links below.