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 between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Washington County, Virginia, has about 54,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, three city agencies and three campus, state or other agencies. An arrest leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the Commonwealth's Attorney files charges, a case in the Washington Circuit Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it, with the arrest counts each agency reported.
This guide covers who makes arrests, how many arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Washington County public records, Virginia arrest records, Virginia inmate search and Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Washington County
The Washington County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Washington County. It reported 933 arrests for 2025.
The FBI lists three cities in Washington County with a reporting agency of their own, with the Census population and what each reported:
- Abingdon, 8,316 residents: 395 arrests reported for 2025.
- Glade Spring, 1,368 residents: 26 arrests reported for 2025.
- Damascus, 790 residents: 66 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
The Saltville Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Washington County, so its arrests are not broken out for Washington County here.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Washington County: the Washington County State Police (state police); Virginia Highlands Community College and Emory and Henry College (campus police).
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Washington County
The FBI publishes every agency's monthly arrest counts on the Crime Data Explorer. These are the full-year totals, all offenses, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026; a year with months missing or not reported is left out.
- Washington County Sheriff's Office: 933 for 2025, 966 for 2024, 872 for 2023, 922 for 2022, 968 for 2021 and 1,124 for 2020.
- Abingdon: 395 for 2025, 326 for 2024, 404 for 2023, 334 for 2022, 288 for 2021 and 258 for 2020.
- Damascus: 66 for 2025, 58 for 2024, 96 for 2023, 65 for 2022, 57 for 2021 and 68 for 2020.
- Glade Spring: 26 for 2025, 56 for 2024, 58 for 2023, 59 for 2022, 9 for 2021 and 0 for 2019; 2020 is missing months.
Together, the four agencies with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,420 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 1,420 in 2025 against 1,406 in 2024, up 1 percent.
Through July 2026, the four agencies with every month so far on file reported 923 arrests, against 842 in the same months of 2025.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Washington County Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Washington County is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 740 people, up from about 450 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 402 beds, and it ran at 94 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at news.washeriff.net/divisions/bookings (page title: Bookings | WCSO), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone who was booked recently; a person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the Virginia Department of Corrections lists its inmates at vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Washington County
An arrest in Washington County can be traced in three places, depending on where the case stands: the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office described above, for anyone booked into the county jail; the case index of the Washington Circuit Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at vacourts.gov/caseinfo/home); the Commonwealth's Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at washcova.com/commonwealths-attorney, phone (276) 676-6291).
Statewide, Online Case Information System is the Virginia courts' free statewide case search.
Virginia does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the Virginia State Police goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court's own case index is the public record of an arrest that led to a charge.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Washington County
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer within 5 working days, and it may charge the actual cost of searching and copying.
- An arrest by the Washington County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- An arrest in Abingdon, Glade Spring or Damascus: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- An arrest by the Washington County State Police, Virginia Highlands Community College or Emory and Henry College: the records office of the agency involved.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Commonwealth's Attorney, (276) 676-6291, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Washington Circuit Court, through the court records page at vacourts.gov/caseinfo/home.
- Your own statewide record: a request to the State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange; a check on someone else needs their signed consent.
Cities in Washington County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for every one of the three cities in Washington County: Abingdon, Glade Spring and Damascus.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the county jail and the case goes to the Washington Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Washington County each year?
The Washington County Sheriff's Office reported 933 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and the four agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported 1,420 between them.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Washington County?
Look on the custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at news.washeriff.net/divisions/bookings. It covers people booked into the county jail.
Where are people arrested in Washington County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Washington County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Washington Circuit Court are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the Virginia State Police is not public; you can get your own. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Washington County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Washington County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 working days.
Is this the official Washington 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.