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 24, 2026.
Braxton County, West Virginia, has about 12,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Braxton County Sheriff's Office, two 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 regional jail, and, if the Prosecuting Attorney files charges, a case in the Braxton County 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: Braxton County public records, West Virginia arrest records, West Virginia inmate search and West Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Braxton County
The Braxton County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Braxton County.
The FBI lists two cities in Braxton County with a reporting agency of their own, with the Census population and what each reported:
- Gassaway, 725 residents: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- Burnsville, 377 residents: 1,152 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 FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Braxton County: the State Fire Marshal in Braxton County and the Department of Natural Resources in Braxton County (state agency); the Sutton State Police (state police).
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Braxton County
Each agency reports its arrests to the FBI by month, and the FBI publishes them 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.
- Gassaway: 1,152 for 2025, 1,152 for 2024, 1,146 for 2023, 1,132 for 2022, 919 for 2021 and 1,146 for 2020.
- Burnsville: 1,152 for 2025, 1,152 for 2024, 1,146 for 2023, 1,132 for 2022, 919 for 2021 and 1,146 for 2020.
Together, the two agencies with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,304 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 2,304 in 2025 against 2,304 in 2024.
Through September 2026, the two agencies with every month so far on file reported 1,332 arrests, against 1,728 in the same months of 2025.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Braxton County Are Held
West Virginia closed its county jails in favor of regional jails run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, so a person held after an arrest in Braxton County goes to the regional jail that serves Braxton County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 42 people, down from about 45 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 40 beds, and it ran at 110 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Braxton County Sheriff's Office at braxtoncountywv.gov/county-sheriff (page title: County Sheriff | Law Enforcement | Braxton County, WV), phone 304-765-2830, 300 Main Street (Located on 1st floor of the courthouse) PO Box 546 Sutton, WV 26601, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
A person sentenced to prison serves the sentence in a facility of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, whose inmate locator is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Braxton County
An arrest in Braxton County can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Braxton County Circuit Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/braxton_county, phone 304-587-2546); the Prosecuting Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at braxtoncountywv.gov/county-prosecuting-attorney, phone 304-765-3880).
West Virginia does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the West 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 Braxton 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 West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer within 5 business days, and it may charge the actual cost of copying.
- An arrest by the Braxton County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 304-765-2830.
- An arrest in Gassaway or Burnsville: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- An arrest by the State Fire Marshal in Braxton County, the Department of Natural Resources in Braxton County or the Sutton State Police: the records office of the agency involved.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 304-765-3880, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Braxton County Circuit Court, through the court records page at courtswv.gov, phone 304-587-2546.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
Cities in Braxton County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for two of the four cities in Braxton County: Gassaway and Burnsville. Sutton and Flatwoods have no separate reporting agency in the FBI's list.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the regional jail and the case goes to the Braxton County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Braxton County each year?
Gassaway reported 1,152 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and the two agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported 2,304 between them.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Braxton County?
Ask the Braxton County Sheriff's Office at 304-765-2830; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at braxtoncountywv.gov/county-sheriff.
Where are people arrested in Braxton County booked?
In the regional jail that serves Braxton County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Braxton County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Braxton County Circuit Court are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the West 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 West Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Braxton County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Braxton County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
Is this the official Braxton 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.