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 between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Preston County, West Virginia, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person held after an arrest in Preston County is at the regional jail that serves Preston County, and the state's inmate search covers every regional jail. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Preston County public records, Preston County arrest records, Preston County warrants, Preston County criminal records, Preston County court records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Preston County
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 Preston County is at the regional jail that serves Preston County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
That search is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
Preston County in the Regional Jail: The Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the regional jail held about 110 people from Preston County, down from about 140 in 2019. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Preston County has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so about 32 of every 10,000 of them are in the regional jail on an average day.
Who Books People
The Preston County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Kingwood, Terra Alta, Reedsville and Masontown make the arrests that end in a booking in Preston County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Preston County: the Department of Natural Resources in Preston County and the State Fire Marshal in Preston County (state agency); the Kingwood State Police (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Kingwood's 1,152 for 2025, Masontown's 1,152 for 2025 and Reedsville's 1,152 for 2025.
Together, the four agencies in Preston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,638 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the regional jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Preston County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Preston County 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Preston County?
Through the state's inmate search at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx, which covers every regional jail.
How many people from Preston County are in the regional jail?
About 110 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Preston County go?
To a facility of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation; its inmate locator is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
Is this the official Preston 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.