Martinez Booking Reports
Martinez booking reports come from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Martinez is an unincorporated community in Columbia County, Georgia, with a population of about 33,000. Because Martinez is unincorporated, there is no city police department. Law enforcement comes from Columbia County Sheriff's deputies, and all arrests result in booking records at the Columbia County Detention Center. This page explains how to access those records, what they contain, and how Georgia open records law applies to Martinez booking data.
Martinez Quick Facts
Columbia County Sheriff and Martinez Arrests
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office handles all law enforcement and booking for Martinez. Because Martinez is unincorporated, the Sheriff's Office serves as the primary police agency for the community. Contact the Sheriff at 706-541-0975. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, Georgia sheriffs are required by law to maintain jail records. The Columbia County Sheriff fulfills that duty by keeping booking reports for every person processed at the county detention facility, including all Martinez arrests.
The Columbia County Sheriff's website at columbiacountyso.org is the official site for the agency. The site experienced technical issues at the time this page was compiled. If you cannot reach the online portal, call 706-541-0975 directly. Staff can confirm whether someone is currently in custody and walk you through the steps to request a booking report.
As of January 2026, the Georgia Sheriffs' Association reported 25,487 inmates held in county jails statewide, with Georgia jails running at 71.9% of capacity. About 67.9% of those inmates were awaiting trial rather than serving a sentence. This pattern reflects the pre-trial nature of most county jail populations in Georgia, including Columbia County.
Columbia County Detention Center
Everyone arrested in the Martinez area is taken to the Columbia County Detention Center for booking. The facility is located at 2273 County Camp Rd, Appling, GA 30802. The detention center can be reached at 706-541-0754. Appling is the county seat of Columbia County, located a short drive from the Martinez community.
As of the time this page was written, the Columbia County Detention Center does not provide an online inmate list. To check whether someone is currently held at the facility, you must call 706-541-0754 or visit the detention center in person. Staff can confirm custody status and provide information about the booking and visitation process. This is an important distinction compared to counties that offer online rosters, so a phone call is the necessary first step for Martinez booking inquiries.
The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search at gdc.georgia.gov covers people serving state prison sentences. If someone arrested in Martinez receives a state sentence, they are transferred from the Columbia County Detention Center to a GDC facility. The GDC search above is where you track them after that move.
Requesting Martinez Booking Reports
Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq., entitles any person to request public records from government agencies. Booking reports are public records in Georgia. You do not need to give a reason for your request. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days. A denial must be accompanied by a specific legal exemption.
To request a Martinez booking report, put your request in writing and direct it to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office at 706-541-0975 or visit in person. Include the name of the person you are searching for, the approximate date of arrest if known, and your contact information. Ask about any applicable fees when submitting. Most basic booking data costs very little to reproduce.
Exemptions to public disclosure are found in O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72. Active investigations may be protected. Records that could put someone at risk can be redacted. But the core facts of a Martinez arrest, name, date, charges, are public in nearly all cases. An arrest is a public event in Georgia, and the booking record that documents it is open to the public by default.
Note: Because no online inmate roster is currently available for Columbia County, phone contact with the detention center at 706-541-0754 is often the most direct route for current custody inquiries.
What a Martinez Booking Report Contains
A booking report is produced when someone is brought to the Columbia County Detention Center after an arrest in the Martinez area. It documents the facts of the intake process and creates the official record of the arrest. This is separate from the court file, which the Columbia County Superior Court Clerk maintains and which tracks hearings, motions, and case outcomes after booking.
A standard Martinez booking report includes the person's full legal name and date of birth, physical identifiers including height, weight, and race, the charges filed at the time of arrest, the arresting agency, the booking date and time, any bond amount set or current hold status, and the booking photograph. Some records also carry a jail ID number assigned at intake. Charges on the booking report reflect what existed at the moment of arrest and may change as the Columbia County case moves through court.
Georgia's Booking Photo Statute
Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, Georgia law enforcement agencies may not charge a fee to release a booking photograph unless the requesting party intends to use it for commercial purposes. This statute was enacted in response to websites that posted mugshots and then demanded payment for removal. For any non-commercial request, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office should provide a Martinez booking photo without charge.
Third-party websites that post Martinez booking photos and require payment for removal may be acting in violation of this Georgia law. If you face that situation, a Georgia attorney familiar with O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 can advise on your legal options.
Inmate Notification and Related Services
VINE provides free custody notifications for anyone tracking an inmate held at the Columbia County Detention Center. Register at vinelink.com to receive alerts by phone, text, or email when the status of a detainee changes. VINE sends notifications for releases, transfers, and other custody changes. This service is free and widely used by victims and family members in Georgia.
JailATM at jailatm.com and Securus at securustech.net handle money transfers and communication services at some Georgia jails. Check those sites to confirm current availability at the Columbia County Detention Center. For people sentenced to state prison and transferred out of Columbia County, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender database at services.gdc.ga.gov is where you search for them. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Georgia Crime Information Center maintains statewide criminal history and handles GCIC-related inquiries.
Record Restriction for Martinez Arrests
Georgia allows some people to restrict public access to their arrest records. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 provides the process for record restriction when an arrest did not lead to a conviction, such as when charges were dismissed or not prosecuted. A restricted record does not show up in most public searches. Applications run through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the person must meet the eligibility criteria set by statute.
The First Offender Act, O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, is a separate option for first-time offenders who complete all terms of their sentence. Under this law, the record is treated as a non-conviction and restricted from public view. If a search for Martinez booking reports comes back empty, one of these statutes may have been applied to the record. The GBI's Georgia Crime Information Center processes formal restriction applications for Georgia residents.
Columbia County Booking Reports
Martinez is an unincorporated part of Columbia County, and all booking records for the community are held by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. For county-level information on the detention center, records requests, and related resources, visit the Columbia County page.