Find Aiken County Criminal History

Aiken County Clerk of Court

Robert J. Harte is the elected Clerk of Court for Aiken County. His office is at the Aiken County Courthouse, 109 Park Avenue SE, Aiken, SC 29801. The mailing address is PO Box 583, Aiken, SC 29802. The Clerk maintains criminal case files for the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which serves Aiken, Barnwell, and Bamberg counties. All General Sessions felony records, indictments, bond records, and sentencing documents for cases tried in Aiken County are filed here.

The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Public access terminals are available in the office for self-directed research. Staff will not conduct searches on your behalf, but they will assist you in locating a file once you provide a case number or the correct party name. Certified copies are available in person. The office does not provide legal advice and cannot tell you what a record means for your specific situation.

For FOIA requests directed to county government rather than the court, contact Katelyn Hayes, Clerk to Council, at 1930 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801, phone (803) 642-1690.

Note: Copy fees and research policies are set by the office. Contact staff directly for the current fee schedule before visiting.

Criminal History Records in Aiken County

Aiken County criminal records cover a wide range of case types. At the General Sessions level, records include felony charges, indictments, plea agreements, trial verdicts, and sentencing orders. At the magistrate level, records include misdemeanor charges, traffic violations, bond hearings, and preliminary hearings for cases destined for General Sessions court.

Case numbers in Aiken County follow the South Carolina format: YYYY-GS-XX-XXXX for General Sessions cases. You can use this format to look up specific cases in the Public Index. If you only have a name, the Public Index name search will return all matching cases in the system. Because names are not unique identifiers, you should verify results using the case number, date of birth if visible, or other details before drawing conclusions.

Aiken County is part of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. The Solicitor for the 2nd Circuit prosecutes all felony cases in Aiken, Barnwell, and Bamberg counties. Under Section 23-3-115 of the South Carolina Code, the Clerk is required to submit case disposition data to SLED so the statewide repository reflects local court outcomes. That said, there can be a reporting lag, so cross-checking between county and state records is always a good approach.

Arrest records that did not produce a court case, records sealed by court order, and records expunged under Section 17-1-40 will not appear in public searches. Juvenile records are confidential and are not accessible through the Public Index.

Aiken County Public Index

The Aiken County Public Index is maintained by the SC Judicial Branch and provides free online access to court case information. It is available around the clock and requires no registration. Searches can be filtered by case type, allowing you to focus on General Sessions criminal cases without scrolling through civil and family court results.

Each case record in the Public Index shows the filing date, case number, charges with statute citations, plea and disposition details, sentencing information, court hearing dates, continuances, and assigned judge and attorney. This level of detail is often sufficient for confirming whether a case exists and how it resolved. Physical documents such as motions, exhibits, and orders are not posted online and require an in-person visit to the Clerk of Court.

The Aiken County Public Index search interface is shown below, hosted by the South Carolina Judicial Branch.

Results load quickly and do not require a login, making this the fastest starting point for any Aiken County criminal record search.

Note: The Public Index reflects data as reported by the Clerk's office. Newly filed cases may not appear for several days after filing.

Aiken County Sheriff's Office Arrest Records

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office is at 420 Hampton Avenue NE, Aiken, SC 29801, phone (803) 642-1761. The Detention Center is at a separate location: 435 Wire Road, Aiken, SC 29801, and houses up to 400 inmates. The detention facility offers video visitation, commissary, and inmate messaging services. An online inmate search is available 24 hours a day on the Sheriff's website, showing current inmates, booking photos, charges, and bond amounts.

The Records Division at the Sheriff's Office processes requests for incident reports, accident reports, and arrest records. You must visit in person, present valid photo ID, complete a request form, and pay the applicable fee. Specific incident details help speed up the process. The Sheriff's Office refers all formal background check requests to SLED rather than conducting them internally.

For warrant information, the Records Division can confirm whether an active warrant exists for a named individual. They will not provide the full text of a warrant over the phone or in response to a walk-in request.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office website provides access to online inmate searches and service information.

The Sheriff's site also lists civil process status, community programs, and contact numbers for each division.

Searching Criminal History in Aiken County Through SLED

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division maintains the central criminal records repository for the state. Through the SLED CATCH portal, you can submit a name-based criminal history search for $25. The result reflects all records in the SLED database tied to that name across every South Carolina county, including Aiken. This is the most efficient way to get a broad picture of someone's South Carolina criminal history in a single search.

CATCH results are name-based, not fingerprint-based. A common name may produce multiple results requiring manual review. A less common name that was misspelled at booking may not return results. For legal, licensing, or official purposes where accuracy is critical, a fingerprint-based SLED check is more reliable. Reach the SLED Public Dissemination Unit at 803.896.1443 for details on that process.

The SLED Sex Offender Registry covers all registrants in Aiken County and across the state. You can search by name, county, city, or zip code. The registry is publicly accessible and updated regularly. Aiken County's large geographic area and two main urban centers, Aiken city and North Augusta, mean the registry may show a meaningful number of results for this county.

The SC Department of Corrections inmate search shows people in state prison. For those on probation or parole in Aiken County, the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services handles supervision and can be contacted for case status questions.

Criminal Records Laws in Aiken County

South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act, codified at Title 30, Chapter 4, Section 30-4-30, gives any person the right to inspect or copy public records held by a public body. Aiken County court records maintained by the Clerk of Court are public records subject to this law, with exceptions for sealed, expunged, or juvenile records. The county must respond to a written FOIA request within 10 business days for records under 24 months old and within 20 business days for older materials.

Fees are based on actual costs. Search and retrieval is billed at the prorated hourly rate of the lowest-paid employee capable of fulfilling the request. Copy fees are set by the county. Electronic records that already exist in electronic format are provided at no charge. Aiken County's FOIA coordinator, Katelyn Hayes, can be reached at (803) 642-1690 for general government records. Court records should be requested directly from the Clerk of Court at (803) 642-7856.

Section 23-3-120 requires courts to report criminal case dispositions to SLED within specific timeframes. This keeps the statewide repository current and ensures that a SLED CATCH search reflects recent Aiken County outcomes. However, the law also makes clear that the SLED repository is not the official record, the court file is. Always consult the Clerk's office for certified official information.

Note: Certain records are restricted by law regardless of FOIA. These include sealed records, active investigative files, and records the court has ordered confidential.

Expungement in Aiken County

Expungement under South Carolina Code Section 17-1-40 permanently removes a qualifying criminal record from public access. After a successful expungement, the record is deleted from the Public Index, from SLED's database, and from the Clerk's physical files. It no longer shows up in standard background checks.

In Aiken County, the expungement process begins with the 2nd Circuit Solicitor's Office, which reviews the petition for eligibility. Qualifying situations include cases that were dismissed or resulted in a not-guilty verdict, first-offense convictions for certain lesser charges after the required waiting period, and cases resolved through diversion programs. Not every conviction qualifies. Violent offenses, most drug trafficking charges, and repeat offenses face stricter limitations.

Once the Solicitor approves the petition, it goes to the circuit judge for a final order. The Clerk of Court then notifies SLED and other agencies to destroy or seal their copies. The timeline from initial filing to final destruction can range from a few months to over a year depending on case volume. Consulting an attorney familiar with Aiken County courts can help you determine eligibility and move the process forward efficiently.

Cities in Aiken County

Criminal history records for cities within Aiken County are also searchable through the county court system and local law enforcement.

Nearby Counties

Aiken County shares borders with several other South Carolina counties. Explore criminal history resources in neighboring jurisdictions below.

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