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 September 30, 2026.
Roane County, West Virginia, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Roane County Sheriff's Office, one city agency 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 Roane 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: Roane County public records, West Virginia arrest records, West Virginia inmate search and West Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Roane County
The Roane County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Roane County. It reported 79 arrests for 2025.
One city in Roane County reports its arrests to the FBI separately:
- Spencer, 1,936 residents: 187 arrests reported for 2025.
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 Roane County: the Department of Natural Resources in Roane County and the State Fire Marshal in Roane County (state agency); the Spencer State Police (state police).
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Roane 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.
- Spencer: 187 for 2025, 140 for 2024, 189 for 2023, 163 for 2022, 140 for 2021 and 96 for 2020.
- Roane County Sheriff's Office: 79 for 2025, 92 for 2024, 106 for 2023, 79 for 2022, 72 for 2021 and 131 for 2019; 2020 is missing months.
Together, the two agencies with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 266 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 266 in 2025 against 232 in 2024, up 15 percent.
Through August 2026, the two agencies with every month so far on file reported 84 arrests, against 208 in the same months of 2025.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Roane 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 Roane County goes to the regional jail that serves Roane County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 47 people, down from about 51 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 45 beds, and it ran at 110 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
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 Roane County
An arrest in Roane County can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Roane 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/roane_county, phone 304-927-2372); the Prosecuting Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at roanewv.com/elected_officials/prosecutor.php, phone 304 927-2091).
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 Roane 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 Roane County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- An arrest in Spencer: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- An arrest by the Department of Natural Resources in Roane County, the Spencer State Police or the State Fire Marshal in Roane County: the records office of the agency involved.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Prosecuting Attorney, 304 927-2091, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Roane County Circuit Court, through the court records page at courtswv.gov, phone 304-927-2372.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
Cities in Roane County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for one of the two cities in Roane County: Spencer. Reedy 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 Roane County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Roane County each year?
Spencer reported 187 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and the two agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported 266 between them.
Where are people arrested in Roane County booked?
In the regional jail that serves Roane County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Roane County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Roane 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 Roane County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Roane 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 Roane 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.