Find 72 Hour Booking in Craig County
Craig County 72 hour booking records track recent arrests handled by the Craig County Sheriff's Office and held at the Western Virginia Regional Jail near Salem. The county is rural and small. Most cases run through the same Sheriff and the same court in New Castle. The roster at the regional jail is the place to find a fresh booking. This page shows where to look up Craig County 72 hour booking entries and how the system works.
Craig County Overview
Craig County 72 Hour Booking Lookup
The Craig County Sheriff's Office does not run a stand-alone jail. Anyone arrested here is taken to the Western Virginia Regional Jail in Salem. The regional jail serves Craig along with Roanoke County, Franklin County, Botetourt, and the City of Salem. Its inmate roster is the main place to find a Craig County booking from the past three days.
The local Craig County Sheriff's Office sits at 182 Main Street, New Castle, VA 24127. The phone number is (540) 864-5127. Sheriff's staff can confirm whether a person was arrested here and when they moved to WVRJ in Salem. The drive from New Castle to the regional jail is about 45 minutes.
Use the WVRJ inmate lookup to start. Type in a last name and the system pulls back the matching records. Each entry shows charges, bond, booking date, and current status. The jail updates the public list every few hours.
Craig County Sheriff's Office
The Sheriff's Office is the only law enforcement agency for Craig County. Deputies handle patrol, traffic stops, civil process, and court security in New Castle. The agency is small but covers the whole county. After an arrest, the suspect is processed at the Sheriff's office and then driven to WVRJ for full intake.
The Sheriff also handles records requests for Craig County arrests. To file a FOIA request under Virginia Code § 2.2-3700, mail or hand a written request to the office at 182 Main Street. The agency must respond within five working days. Most fees are small. Standard pages cost about ten cents each.
For after-hours custody questions, the regional dispatch number is the right call. Dispatch can route you to a deputy or to the jail. The Sheriff does not always have a 24 hour records desk, but the jail does.
Note: Craig County is one of Virginia's smallest counties by population, so a single deputy may handle multiple cases at once on a given shift.
Western Virginia Regional Jail and 72 Hour Booking
The Western Virginia Regional Jail is the holding site for most Craig County inmates. The facility is on Cove Road in Salem. It is one of the larger regional jails in southwest Virginia. The roster is searchable around the clock. Most names from a Craig County arrest show up there within a few hours of intake.
The screenshot above is the WVRJ home page. From there you can click into the inmate search and run a name lookup. The site lists recent bookings, transfers, and releases. Each entry shows the charge list, bond amount, and the next court date. Some records include a photo.
If a person is not on the public roster yet, they may still be in early intake. Booking can take a few hours. Call the jail to confirm. The phone line works 24/7 and staff can tell you if a Craig County deputy has dropped someone off recently.
How to Search Craig County 72 Hour Booking
Start with the WVRJ inmate roster. If that does not turn up the name, try VINELink. Then call the Sheriff or the jail. To make the search work you need a name and an idea of when the arrest happened.
Helpful info for a Craig County jail search:
- Last name (required)
- First name
- Approximate booking date
- Date of birth if you have it
- The arresting agency
For court outcomes, the Virginia Courts Case Information System is free and statewide. You can search the Craig County General District and Circuit Court files there. The site shows charges, bond, hearing dates, and case status.
Craig County Court Records and Bookings
The Craig County General District Court handles misdemeanors, traffic cases, and preliminary hearings. The court is in the courthouse at 182 Main Street in New Castle. It is part of the 25th Judicial District. Most first appearances after a Craig County 72 hour booking happen here.
The Circuit Court handles felonies, civil suits, and appeals. The same courthouse holds both courts. The Clerk of Circuit Court keeps the case files, deeds, and court records. Walk-in records requests run during weekday hours.
Court files become public when the warrant is signed. Virginia Code § 19.2-389 sets limits on raw criminal history files at the state level, but the live court docket stays open through CIS.
Bond and Magistrate Process in Craig County
Every Craig County arrest passes through a magistrate. The magistrate hears the deputy, reviews the facts, and decides on probable cause. This step is set by Virginia Code § 19.2-82. The law says the suspect must be brought before the magistrate "forthwith" after a warrantless arrest.
The magistrate can hear cases in person or by video link. If probable cause is found, a warrant issues and bond is set. Bond may be cash, surety, or release on personal recognizance. Some serious charges have a hold without bond until a judge can review at a later hearing.
The first court date in General District Court usually comes within a few business days after intake. Anyone facing charges should talk to a lawyer right away or ask the court for appointed counsel.
Note: Craig County is small enough that the magistrate may serve more than one nearby county on the same shift, often working out of the regional public safety hub.
Craig County 72 Hour Booking Records Access
Most basic Craig County 72 hour booking facts are public. Name, charge, date of booking, and bond amount can be released on request. The Sheriff and the regional jail handle requests through the FOIA process. Send a written request and the agency must answer in five working days.
For statewide alerts, sign up on VINELink. The free service tracks custody status changes at most Virginia jails, including WVRJ. To pull a state-level criminal history report, use Form SP-167 from the Virginia State Police CCRE. The fee is $15 per name search.
If you spot wrong info on a Craig County booking record, contact the Sheriff first. The CCRE Expungement and Record Challenge Section handles state-level fixes. For full expungement of an arrest, file a petition in the Circuit Court of the county where the case happened.