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.
Jefferson County, West Virginia, has about 61,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, four city agencies and four 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 Jefferson 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: Jefferson County public records, West Virginia arrest records, West Virginia inmate search and West Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Jefferson County
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Jefferson County. It reported 519 arrests for 2025.
Arrests inside four of the county's cities are reported to the FBI by an agency of the city's own, listed here with the Census population and what each reported:
- Charles Town, 8,869 residents: 264 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ranson, 6,035 residents: 80 arrests reported for 2025.
- Shepherdstown, 1,524 residents: 28 arrests reported for 2024.
- Harpers Ferry, 263 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 Jefferson County: the Department of Natural Resources in Jefferson County and the State Fire Marshal in Jefferson County (state agency); Shepherd University (campus police); the Kearneysville State Police (state police).
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Jefferson 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.
- Jefferson County Sheriff's Office: 519 for 2025, 545 for 2024, 541 for 2023, 476 for 2022, 544 for 2021 and 697 for 2019; 2020 is missing months.
- Charles Town: 264 for 2025, 291 for 2024, 252 for 2023, 239 for 2022, 238 for 2021 and 237 for 2020.
- Ranson: 80 for 2025, 24 for 2024, 0 for 2023 and 6 for 2019; 2020, 2021 and 2022 are missing months.
- Shepherdstown: 28 for 2024, 52 for 2022 and 56 for 2021; 2023 is missing months.
Together, the three agencies with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 863 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 863 in 2025 against 860 in 2024, up 0.3 percent.
Shepherdstown reported only part of 2025 (10 months) and is left out of the totals.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County goes to the regional jail that serves Jefferson County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 130 people, down from about 140 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 128 beds, and it ran at 95 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Jefferson County
For Jefferson County the place to look is the Prosecuting Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at jeffersoncountywv.org/county-government/elected-officials/prosecuti..., phone 304-728-3243).
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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- An arrest in Charles Town, Ranson, Shepherdstown or Harpers Ferry: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- An arrest by the Department of Natural Resources in Jefferson County, Shepherd University or the State Fire Marshal in Jefferson County: the records office of the agency involved.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 304-728-3243, handles discovery for pending cases.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
Cities in Jefferson County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for four of the five cities in Jefferson County: Charles Town, Ranson, Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry. Bolivar has 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 Jefferson County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Jefferson County each year?
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reported 519 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and the three agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported 863 between them.
Where are people arrested in Jefferson County booked?
In the regional jail that serves Jefferson County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Jefferson County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Jefferson 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 Jefferson County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.