Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Mitchell County, North Carolina, has about 15,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Mitchell County is held at the county jail, run by the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Mitchell County public records, Mitchell County arrest records, Mitchell County warrants, Mitchell County criminal records, Mitchell County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Mitchell County
The county jail, run by the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Mitchell County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office at mitchellcountync.gov/departments/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Mitchell County, North Carolina), phone 828.688.2139, 305 Baker Lane in Bakersville, NC 28705, Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 828.688.2139.
The Mitchell County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 33 people, down from about 44 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 41 beds, and it ran at 107 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Mitchell County has about 15,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 22 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Mitchell County Jail
The Mitchell County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Spruce Pine and Bakersville make the arrests that end in a booking in Mitchell County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Bakersville's 1,153 for 2025, the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office's 346 for 2021 and Spruce Pine's 122 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Mitchell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,275 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Mitchell County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Mitchell County serves the sentence in a facility of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, whose inmate locator is at dac.nc.gov/dac-services/criminal-offender-searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Mitchell County?
Ask the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office at 828.688.2139; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at mitchellcountync.gov/departments/sheriff.
How many people are in the Mitchell County jail?
About 33 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 41 beds.
What is the phone number for the Mitchell County jail?
828.688.2139, the number on the page of the Mitchell County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Mitchell County go?
To a facility of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction; its inmate locator is at dac.nc.gov.
Is this the official Mitchell County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.