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.
Hampshire County, West Virginia, has about 24,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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: Hampshire County public records, West Virginia arrest records, West Virginia inmate search and West Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Hampshire County
The Hampshire County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Hampshire County. It reported 113 arrests for 2025.
The FBI lists two cities in Hampshire County with a reporting agency of their own, with the Census population and what each reported:
- Romney, 1,755 residents: 38 arrests reported for 2024.
- Capon Bridge, 426 residents.
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 Hampshire County: the Department of Natural Resources in Hampshire County and the State Fire Marshal in Hampshire County (state agency); the Romney State Police (state police).
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Hampshire 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.
- Hampshire County Sheriff's Office: 113 for 2025, 100 for 2023, 123 for 2022, 176 for 2020 and 130 for 2019; 2021 and 2024 are missing months.
- Romney: 38 for 2024, 22 for 2023, 35 for 2022, 18 for 2021 and 50 for 2020.
Together, the two agencies with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 122 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2023 and 2022 complete reported 122 in 2023 against 158 in 2022, down 23 percent.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Hampshire 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 Hampshire County goes to the regional jail that serves Hampshire County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 64 people, down from about 83 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 92 beds, and it ran at 70 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 Hampshire County Sheriff's Office at hampshiresheriffs.com (page title: Hampshire County Sheriffs Office Home), Monday: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., 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 Hampshire County
For Hampshire County the place to look is the case index of the Hampshire County Circuit Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at hampshirecircuitclerkwv.com, phone 304-822-5112).
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 Hampshire County
An arrest report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court or the jail. 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 Hampshire County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- An arrest in Romney or Capon Bridge: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- An arrest by the Department of Natural Resources in Hampshire County, the Romney State Police or the State Fire Marshal in Hampshire County: the records office of the agency involved.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Hampshire County Circuit Court, through the court records page at hampshirecircuitclerkwv.com, phone 304-822-5112.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
Cities in Hampshire County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for every one of the two cities in Hampshire County: Romney and Capon Bridge.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the regional jail and the case goes to the Hampshire County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Hampshire County each year?
The Hampshire County Sheriff's Office reported 113 arrests to the FBI for 2025. For 2023, the latest year most of the agencies in Hampshire County sent in full, the two with every month on file reported 122 between them.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Hampshire County?
Ask the Hampshire County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at hampshiresheriffs.com.
Where are people arrested in Hampshire County booked?
In the regional jail that serves Hampshire County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Hampshire County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Hampshire 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 Hampshire County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Hampshire 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 Hampshire 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.