Lee County Criminal History and Court Records
Lee County criminal history records are kept by the Clerk of Court in Bishopville, the Sheriff's Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The county is part of the 3rd Judicial Circuit. It is one of the smaller counties in South Carolina by population, and its courthouse on South Main Street handles all General Sessions criminal cases, Common Pleas civil matters, and Family Court files. This page explains how to search criminal history records in Lee County online and in person.
Lee County Quick Facts
Lee County Clerk of Court
The Lee County Clerk of Court is the Honorable Teresa A. Brown. She was elected on November 8, 2016, and began service on January 2, 2017. Her office is at 123 South Main Street, Bishopville, SC 29010. The mailing address is PO Box 387, Bishopville, SC 29010-0387. The main phone number is 803-484-5341 Ext. 3168, and the fax is 803-484-1632.
The Clerk's office maintains General Sessions criminal files, Common Pleas civil records, and Family Court documents for Lee County. General Sessions files include criminal warrants, bond paperwork, motions, and sentencing sheets. Lee County is e-filing enabled, so some newer case information is available for review online through the Public Index.
Important: the Lee County Clerk of Court office does NOT provide record checks of any kind, whether criminal, civil, or otherwise. Staff will not perform a background search on your behalf. You must know what you are looking for, provide identifying details, and make the request yourself.
| Clerk of Court | Hon. Teresa A. Brown |
|---|---|
| Physical Address | 123 South Main Street, Bishopville, SC 29010 |
| Mailing Address | PO Box 387, Bishopville, SC 29010-0387 |
| Phone | (803) 484-5341 Ext. 3168 |
| tbrown@leecountysc.org | |
| Hours | Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM |
| Clerk Website | leecountysc.org - Clerk of Court |
| Judicial Circuit | 3rd Circuit |
The Criminal and Civil Department staff are Cheryl Watkins and Caroline Truesdale, reachable at (803) 484-5341 Ext. 3166 and 3163. Family Court is handled by Hope Millwood at Ext. 3167.
The Lee County Clerk of Court maintains all General Sessions criminal records at the Bishopville courthouse on South Main Street.
Lee County Criminal Records Copy Fees
Standard copies at the Lee County Clerk's office cost $0.50 per page with a minimum charge of $1.00. Certified copies carry an additional $1.00 fee per document. A statement of records filed costs $2.00, and you must present a valid ID to get one.
The office accepts cash and money orders. Credit cards are not accepted for all transactions, so call ahead to confirm payment options before you visit. Public defender applications are available in the office and carry a $40.00 non-refundable application fee, payable by cash or money order only.
The detailed fee schedule and office policy for Lee County criminal history copies is available at the Clerk's website on leecountysc.org.
Lee County Criminal History Online: Public Index
The Lee County Public Index is hosted by the South Carolina Judicial Branch at publicindex.sccourts.org/lee/publicindex. It is free, available around the clock, and requires no account. Users can search by name or case number.
Case number format for Lee County General Sessions cases is YYYY-GS-31-XXXX. Searching by last name brings up a list of matching defendants. Click a case number to see charges, hearing dates, case status, the assigned judge, and attorney names. The system does not provide access to actual court documents. You must visit the Clerk's office for certified copies or specific filings.
Records not shown in the Public Index include juvenile matters, sealed files, and expunged cases. A recent arrest may not appear online for several business days. The Public Index is a good starting point for Lee County criminal history research but is not a complete substitute for a direct courthouse visit or a SLED CATCH check.
Lee County Sheriff's Office and Arrest Records
The Lee County Sheriff's Office is at 190 E. Church Street, Bishopville, SC 29010, phone (803) 484-5353. The Sheriff's Office maintains arrest records, incident reports, and jail records. It submits criminal data and fingerprints to SLED as required by state law.
Records available from the Sheriff include incident reports, accident reports, arrest records, booking information, and limited active warrant information. Visit in person with valid photo ID. Bring specific details about the incident: names, dates, and any case or report numbers you have. The Sheriff's Office does not run official background checks. For that, contact SLED's CATCH system.
The Lee County Magistrate Court handles traffic citations, misdemeanor criminal cases, and preliminary hearings for felony cases. Chief Magistrate Shirley Davidson can be reached at (803) 484-6463. The mailing address is PO Box 2, Bishopville, SC 29010. The magistrate court is located at the same South Main Street address as the Clerk of Court.
SLED Statewide Search for Lee County Criminal History
SLED operates the statewide criminal records repository. The SLED CATCH portal charges $25 per name-based criminal history search. Results draw from all South Carolina counties, including Lee County. A SLED check is often the most efficient way to see if a person has a criminal history anywhere in the state.
Name-based searches are not fingerprint-based. Common names may return multiple results. Records entered with spelling variations may be missed. For legal purposes where accuracy is critical, a fingerprint-based check through SLED's Public Dissemination Unit at 803.896.1443 is the better option.
The SLED Sex Offender Registry lists registered offenders in Lee County and can be filtered by county or zip code. State prison inmates appear in the SC Department of Corrections inmate search. Individuals on probation or parole are tracked at dppps.sc.gov.
Lee County Criminal Records Law and Expungement
South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act at Title 30, Chapter 4 gives the public the right to inspect most government records. Written FOIA requests should be submitted to the relevant office. For court records, go to the Clerk of Court directly. The agency has 10 business days to respond for records less than 24 months old.
Under Section 23-3-115, SLED is the state's central criminal records authority. The Clerk of Court is required under Section 23-3-120 to report case dispositions to SLED within set timeframes. That means Lee County records feed into the statewide SLED database on a rolling basis.
Expungements in Lee County follow the state statute at Section 17-1-40. A completed expungement removes the record from the Public Index, from SLED, and from Clerk of Court files. The 3rd Circuit Solicitor reviews and approves petitions before they go to a judge. Once granted, the Clerk handles record destruction. The process typically takes several months. Violent felonies and many serious offenses are not eligible for expungement under current state law.
Additional Lee County Records Resources
Lee County Register of Deeds maintains real property records separate from the criminal court records. The office is also at 123 South Main Street, Bishopville, with mailing address PO Box 387, Bishopville, SC 29010. For support with property record searches, call (866) 211-1802. Online property records are at leesc.avenuinsights.com.
The SC Judicial Branch main case records search at sccourts.org/case-records-search provides another entry point for Lee County court information, including court rosters for upcoming hearing schedules.
The Lee County Register of Deeds at leesc.avenuinsights.com handles real property records, which are separate from criminal court files held by the Clerk of Court.
Nearby Counties
Lee County shares borders with several other South Carolina counties. Use the links below to find criminal history resources in neighboring areas.