Find Booking Records in Craig County

Craig County 24 hour booking records are processed by the Craig County Sheriff's Office in New Castle. This small county in western Virginia handles arrests through the Sheriff's Office and routes cases through the general district and circuit courts that serve the 25th judicial district. Virginia law makes adult arrest records public, which means you can request booking information, check case status online, and verify inmate location through official state databases. This page covers the tools and steps you need to access Craig County arrest and booking records.

Craig County Sheriff and Jail Booking

Craig County is one of Virginia's smallest counties by population, but it operates the same way as every other county in the state. The Sheriff's Office in New Castle handles all local arrests, runs the county jail, and maintains booking records. Every arrest generates a booking record that documents the person's name, age, charges, arresting officer, and initial bond information.

Virginia's magistrate system supports Craig County around the clock. Magistrates are judicial officers appointed by circuit court judges for four-year terms. When a person is arrested in Craig County, they must be brought before a magistrate right away, either in person or by two-way video under Virginia Code § 19.2-72. The magistrate reviews the charges, determines whether probable cause exists, and sets initial bond. This creates the formal record that kicks off the case.

For smaller counties like Craig, some inmates may be housed in a regional facility if the county jail is at capacity or if the charges require a higher-security setting. In those cases, the VADOC Inmate Locator at vadoc.virginia.gov/general-public/inmate-locator/ is helpful for tracking state-sentenced individuals.

How to Search Craig County Booking Records

The best starting point for Craig County case records is the Virginia Circuit Court Online Case Information System at eapps.courts.state.va.us/CJISWeb/circuit.jsp. The system covers 117 of Virginia's 120 circuit courts and is updated in real time. Search by name or case number. Use CR for criminal cases. The system shows all case activity including charges, hearing dates, and outcomes.

For general district court cases in Craig County, which cover misdemeanors and traffic offenses, use the general district court case information system through vacourts.gov/caseinfo/home. This is the same statewide portal. General district court results show the charge, court date, and case disposition. Traffic cases are also included here.

The Virginia Circuit Court case system is one of the most useful tools for checking Craig County arrest records because it shows real-time case activity. Once a person is arraigned and their case is formally filed, it appears in the system. You can also set up free case alert notifications through the Case Alert Subscription System (CASS) to get email or text updates.

Note: Court case records appear after arraignment. If an arrest happened very recently, it may not yet show in the online system. In that situation, call the Craig County Sheriff's Office directly for current booking status.

Craig County Arrest Records Under Virginia FOIA

Virginia's Freedom of Information Act guarantees the public the right to access most arrest records. Virginia Code § 2.2-3706 requires law enforcement to release: the identity of adult arrestees and the status of their charges, booking photographs taken during initial intake, criminal incident information for felony offenses, and any chronological list of adult arrests. These are mandatory disclosure items. The agency does not have the option to withhold them for standard public records requests.

To make a FOIA request in Craig County, submit a written request to the Craig County Sheriff's Office. The request should name the person or time period you are researching and specify the type of records you need. The Sheriff's Office must respond within five working days. If they need more time they must tell you and may take up to seven additional days. Fees for copies are capped at the actual cost of reproduction. No extra charges are allowed under Virginia FOIA.

Records that may be withheld include juvenile arrest records, records that could compromise an ongoing investigation, victim and witness identifying information, and undercover operation details. These exemptions are narrow. For standard adult arrest records in Craig County, access is generally not an issue.

Virginia Statewide Booking Databases

Several state-level resources help you find booking and arrest information beyond the local Craig County level. The Virginia Department of Corrections at vadoc.virginia.gov manages around 29,790 people in state prison and roughly 669 in jail facilities under state custody. Its inmate locator is updated daily. People held at the county level before sentencing do not appear there, but once transferred to state custody they do.

The Virginia Department of Corrections promotes public safety through care and re-entry services for sentenced individuals. When someone from Craig County is convicted of a serious offense and sentenced to more than two years, they transfer from the county jail to a VADOC facility. At that point the VADOC Inmate Locator is the right tool. You can search by name or inmate ID number. The locator shows current facility and release date information.

Virginia State Police maintains the Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE), which stores criminal history records statewide. A background check through the Virginia State Police at vsp.virginia.gov costs $15 per name search. This gives you a compiled criminal history rather than a single booking record. The Sex Offender Registry at sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov is free and searchable by name or location.

Virginia's record sealing law takes effect July 1, 2026. Around 90% of misdemeanors and a wide range of lower-level felonies will become eligible for sealing after seven crime-free years. More information is available at justiceforwardvafoundation.org.

Virginia Law and the Craig County Booking Process

Several sections of Virginia law govern how booking works across all 95 counties, including Craig. Under § 19.2-72, a magistrate issues an arrest warrant only when a sworn complaint establishes probable cause. The warrant must name the accused, describe the offense, and direct an officer to make the arrest. Every step of this process creates a record.

Under § 19.2-82, a person arrested without a warrant must go before a magistrate immediately. In Virginia, "immediately" includes both in-person and two-way video appearances. This ensures that no one sits in a Craig County jail cell overnight without some formal review of their situation. The magistrate then sets bond based on factors like the nature of the charge, the person's ties to the community, prior record, and flight risk. That bond decision is part of the public booking record.

When charges are at the misdemeanor level (Class 3 or 4), officers may release the person on a summons rather than taking them to jail, under § 19.2-74. Exceptions apply when the officer believes the person will not appear in court or poses a risk to others. Most minor traffic and misdemeanor cases in Craig County resolve without a jail booking at all.

Nearby Counties

Craig County borders several counties in western Virginia. Each has its own sheriff and court system.