Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. 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 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Lincoln County, West Virginia, has about 19,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Circuit Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it.
This guide covers who makes arrests, arrest counts, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Lincoln County public records, West Virginia arrest records, West Virginia inmate search and West Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Lincoln County
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Lincoln County.
The FBI lists two cities in Lincoln County with a reporting agency of their own, with the Census population and what each reported:
- Hamlin, 973 residents.
- West Hamlin, 495 residents: 23 arrests reported for 2023.
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 Lincoln County: the State Fire Marshal in Lincoln County and the Department of Natural Resources in Lincoln County (state agency); the Hamlin State Police (state police).
Arrest Counts on File for Lincoln County
The FBI publishes monthly arrest counts on the Crime Data Explorer. For Lincoln County the counts on file are partial: Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Hamlin and West Hamlin have sent some months but no full year since 2019, so no annual total is given here.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County goes to the regional jail that serves Lincoln County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 46 people, down from about 62 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 48 beds, and it ran at 101 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 Lincoln County Sheriff's Office at p2c.lincolnsheriff.org/jailinmates.aspx (page title: Lincoln County Sheriffs Office P2C), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 27, 2026.
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 Lincoln County
An arrest in Lincoln County can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Lincoln County Circuit Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at courtswv.gov/court-record-access); the Prosecuting Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at lincolncountywv.org/prosecuting-attorney, phone (304) 824-7990).
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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- An arrest in Hamlin or West Hamlin: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- An arrest by the State Fire Marshal in Lincoln County, the Department of Natural Resources in Lincoln County or the Hamlin 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) 824-7990, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Lincoln County Circuit Court, through the court records page at courtswv.gov/court-record-access.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
Cities in Lincoln County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for every one of the two cities in Lincoln County: Hamlin and West Hamlin.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the regional jail and the case goes to the Lincoln County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Lincoln County?
Ask the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at p2c.lincolnsheriff.org/jailinmates.aspx.
Where are people arrested in Lincoln County booked?
In the regional jail that serves Lincoln County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Lincoln County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Lincoln 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 Lincoln County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.