Lee County Booking Records

Lee County 24 hour booking records are maintained by the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Jonesville and the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, which handles detention for the county. Arrests made in Lee County generate public booking records under Virginia law. You can look up current inmates, check past arrest records, and access court case information through state and local channels. This page covers where to find Lee County booking data and how the process works.

Lee County Sheriff's Office

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for Lee County. Deputies patrol the county, respond to calls, serve warrants, and process all arrests through booking. The Sheriff's Office keeps arrest records and handles FOIA requests from the public. The county seat is Jonesville, located in the far southwestern corner of Virginia near the Kentucky and Tennessee borders.

Lee County is one of Virginia's most rural counties. The Sheriff's Office is the main law enforcement presence throughout most of the county. When a person is arrested, booking follows state procedures: confirming identity, taking fingerprints and photos, recording all charges, and conducting a medical screening. Under Virginia Code § 19.2-72, a magistrate reviews the case and sets bail. Virginia's magistrate system runs 24 hours a day. After booking, detained individuals are transferred to the regional jail facility that serves the area.

Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority

Lee County is served by the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority. This regional facility handles pretrial detention and short sentences for Lee County and other jurisdictions in southwestern Virginia. Regional jails bring together inmates from multiple smaller counties, which is more efficient than each county running its own full facility. If you need to find someone recently arrested in Lee County, contacting the regional jail directly is the most reliable way to get current information.

For people who have moved into state custody after sentencing, the Virginia Department of Corrections Inmate Locator is the right place to search. That system requires the first letter of the person's first name and their full last name, or the seven-digit VADOC inmate ID. It updates daily. People in pretrial detention at the regional jail will not show up in the VADOC system because they have not been sentenced to state custody.

Mail requests for Lee County arrest records should go to the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Jonesville. Include the person's full name, date of birth, and the approximate date of the arrest. The office must respond to your request within five working days under Virginia FOIA law.

Note: Recent arrests in Lee County may take 24 hours or more to show up in online databases. For same-day information, call the Sheriff's Office or the regional jail directly.

Find Lee County 24 Hour Booking Records Online

Virginia offers several tools for searching arrest and booking data statewide, including Lee County cases. The VADOC Inmate Locator is the starting point for anyone in state custody. The screenshot below shows how the VADOC search portal looks.

For court case records tied to Lee County arrests, the Virginia Judicial System case portal lets you search by name, case number, or hearing date. The Circuit Court Online Case Information System covers Lee County circuit court cases in real time. Use "CR" as the prefix for criminal case searches. Results include charges, case status, and upcoming hearing dates.

FOIA Rights and Lee County Arrest Records

Virginia's Freedom of Information Act, at Virginia Code § 2.2-3706, guarantees public access to arrest records. Law enforcement agencies must release the identity of any adult who is arrested and charged. They must also release the booking date, charge status, and booking photos taken at initial intake. Any chronological listing of adult arrests is a public document under this law. These are mandatory disclosures, not subject to agency discretion.

Exceptions exist for certain categories of records. Juvenile arrest records are not public. Medical and mental health information stays private. Active investigation files may be withheld if disclosure would harm the case or help a suspect flee. Information that could identify a confidential informant is also exempt. For most adult arrests in Lee County, the basic booking record is open to the public. You do not need to explain why you want the records. A written request naming the specific records you want is all that is required.

If an agency denies your request, you can appeal to the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council. They provide guidance and can help resolve disputes between requesters and agencies. Agencies that violate FOIA can be subject to court action.

Lee County Arrest and Booking Procedures

An arrest in Lee County starts when a deputy or State Police trooper takes a person into custody. This can happen on a warrant issued by a magistrate or based on probable cause at the scene. Under Virginia Code § 19.2-82, anyone arrested without a warrant must be brought before a magistrate promptly. The magistrate may appear in person or via two-way video communication.

Once in custody, the person goes through the booking process. This includes recording personal information, confirming identity with fingerprints and a database check, taking a booking photo, and documenting all charges. A health screening is also conducted. The booking record is entered into the Virginia Criminal Information Network, which is accessible to agencies statewide. This is the basis for the 24 hour booking entry that becomes part of the public record.

For minor offenses that are Class 3 or Class 4 misdemeanors, officers may issue a summons rather than making a full custodial arrest. The summons is a written notice to appear in court on a set date. It bypasses the booking process entirely. That said, if an officer believes the person poses a risk or will not appear, a full custodial arrest can still occur even for low-level offenses.

Lee County Court Case Search

After a Lee County arrest, cases move through the General District Court for misdemeanors and the Circuit Court for felonies. Virginia's online court case system, shown in the screenshot below from the official Virginia Courts Online portal, lets anyone search cases statewide.

Use the Circuit Court Online Case Information System to look up Lee County criminal cases by name, case number, or hearing date. For misdemeanor and traffic cases, check the general district court system through the Virginia Courts case information portal.

Sealing and Expungement of Lee County Records

Virginia's new record sealing law takes effect July 1, 2026. It opens up sealing eligibility for a wide range of criminal records, including about 90% of all misdemeanors and close to two-thirds of Class 5 and 6 felonies. For Lee County residents with old arrest or conviction records, this law could make a significant difference.

Automatic sealing applies to categories such as misdemeanor larceny, concealment offenses, trespass, and disorderly conduct. A person must have no convictions for any crime in the seven years following the conviction to qualify. All marijuana possession records will be sealed automatically under the new law, including non-convictions and deferred dispositions. Petition-based sealing is also available and will not require filing fees or fingerprint cards after July 1, 2026.

Lee County residents who already qualify for expungement under current law can petition the Circuit Court now. Cases that were dismissed, resulted in acquittal, or were nolle prossed are generally eligible for expungement under the existing process. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, visit the Justice Forward Virginia Foundation expungement and sealing resource page.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Lee County in far southwestern Virginia. All share the same regional area and similar booking procedures.