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 October 4, 2026.
Pendleton County, West Virginia, has about 5,900 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Pendleton County Sheriff's Office 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 Pendleton 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: Pendleton County public records, West Virginia arrest records, West Virginia inmate search and West Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Pendleton County
The Pendleton County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Pendleton County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Pendleton County: the Franklin State Police (state police); the State Fire Marshal in Pendleton County and the Department of Natural Resources in Pendleton County (state agency).
Arrest Counts on File for Pendleton County
The FBI publishes monthly arrest counts on the Crime Data Explorer. For Pendleton County the counts on file are partial: Pendleton County Sheriff's Office has sent some months but no full year since 2019, so no annual total is given here.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Pendleton 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 Pendleton County goes to the regional jail that serves Pendleton County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 15 people, down from about 21 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 21 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 Pendleton County Sheriff's Office at pencowv.com/departments/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Pendleton County West Virginia), phone (304) 358-2214, 30 PM 10 South Main Street PO Box 687 Franklin, WV 26807, Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 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 Pendleton County
An arrest in Pendleton County can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Pendleton 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/pendleton_co..., phone 304-822-7442); the Prosecuting Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at pencowv.com/departments/prosecuting-attorney, phone 304-902-7104).
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 Pendleton 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 Pendleton County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at (304) 358-2214.
- An arrest by the Franklin State Police, the State Fire Marshal in Pendleton County or the Department of Natural Resources in Pendleton County: the records office of the agency involved.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 304-902-7104, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Pendleton County Circuit Court, through the court records page at courtswv.gov, phone 304-822-7442.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
Cities in Pendleton County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists no city in Pendleton County with an arrest reporting agency of its own.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the regional jail and the case goes to the Pendleton County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Pendleton County?
Ask the Pendleton County Sheriff's Office at (304) 358-2214; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at pencowv.com/departments/sheriff.
Where are people arrested in Pendleton County booked?
In the regional jail that serves Pendleton County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Pendleton County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Pendleton 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 Pendleton County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Pendleton 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 Pendleton 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.