Crime Statistics
Crime statistics are provided by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services annually for all counties. According to these statistics, Athens county reported 1365 arrests from 2014 to 2017. Accurately, in 2015 with a population of 273,523, the county recorded 30 violent crimes and 20 in 2017.
In that same year, the county recorded 391 arrests for property crimes, with the most popular being Larceny/Theft with 255 arrests, Burglary, 118, and 18 captures for Motor vehicle theft.
The county’s arrest rate of 620.98 per 100,000 persons was 15.97% lower than the national average of 739.02 per 100,000 residents.
Data shows that in recent years, the rate of violent crimes has increased in the county but remained 69.98% lower than the national average 100.65 per 100,000 residents. Hence, the county is ranked 43rd statewide for violent crimes per person, for murder,14th in the state.
Inhabitants have a 1 in 53 chance of becoming a victim of crime in the county, making Athens county safer than 58% of the rest of the country.
Athens County Criminal Records
In the state of Ohio, not all criminal records are public records. Hence most times, individuals may only have access to personal records using name or fingerprint through the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). Documents obtained via this means cost $22.
To inspect or acquire a copy of an individual’s criminal records, the inquirer must provide a legal reason as Ohio limits access to criminal history information.
The process can seem somewhat lengthy. However, if the inquirer is only interested in reviewing or inspecting criminal records, Court Records, and records of the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections are accessible. These arrest records are usually created by law enforcement agencies that eventually become Court records, jail records, or DOC records.
Athens county has most of its records online via the county and court websites, hence, these records may be reviewed or inspected through these portals.
Also, interested parties may query criminal records through the offender locator features on the Department of Corrections Website.
Searches in the state could be name or fingerprint-based. However, the latter is known to be more reliable.
These records carry information like;
- Full name and known aliases
- Age
- Contact information and Location
- Time and place of arrest
- Fingerprints and Mugshots
- Warrants
- Charges
- Convictions
The records may also be available at the local law enforcement offices, the Sheriff’s department, and the police department. They may be available for inspection, provided they are not sealed by law.
Athens County Sheriff’s Office
State: Ohio
City: Athens
Address: 13 W Washington St
Phone Number: (740) 593-6633
Email: sheriffsmith@athenssheriff.com
Albany Police Department
5358 W Clinton
(740) 698-6127
Athens Police Department
11 N. College St
(740)593-6606
Nelsonville Police Department
211 Lake Hope Drive
(740)753-1736
How To Find Athens County Sex Offender Information
In Ohio, sex offenders are expected to register with the local Sheriff’s department with the following information;
- Full name
- Home address
- Work address
- Vehicle information
They also include information like email addresses, phone numbers, and social media handles. However, those are not public information.
This information goes to the Statewide Registry known as eSORN (electronic sex offender registration network) maintained by the Ohio Attorney General. The registry also allows members to input personal information like phone numbers and email addresses into the database for alerts to contact the local Sheriff’s office or the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) when necessary.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI&I) established a database on the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) as a source for Sex Offender Registration information compiled from the state registry of sex offenders and child-victim offenders.
Locally, the Sheriff’s Department maintains an online database of sex offenders specific to Athens county for public members to access when needed.
How do I Visit an Inmate in Athens County Jail?
The Athens County Jail address is;
Athens County OH Jail
Ohio, Athens
13 West Washington Street
(740) 593-6633
The county jail is operated locally by the Athens County Sheriff’s Office. It only holds inmates awaiting trial or sentencing, but the sentenced inmates are usually there for less than two years.
Inmates may be contacted in person during visiting hours in the facility, via phone calls and video visitation.
The hours scheduled for video visitation are as follows:
- Morning - 7:30am to 10:30am,
- Afternoon-11:50am to 2:50pm,
- Evening session- 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
These visits are 30 minutes in duration. Families can fund an inmate’s account and also get acquainted with the facility’s visitation policy ahead of time to avoid losing visitation privileges due to misconduct.
Where And How To Find Athens County Inmate Information
The Sheriff is the supervisor of the county jail’s operations and thereby has information on the inmates incarcerated in the facility. An inquirer may also call the facility directly to gather information about an inmate.
The Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation also keeps an inmate roster of individuals incarcerated in all correctional facilities. Researchers can review the database using either of the following;
- Search by last name alone or first and last names for more narrowed down results
- Search by County of Commitment
- Search by Residential County or Zipcode
- Search by Next Parole Board Hearing Date
- Offender ID Number
NB;
The site only displays information on offenders currently incarcerated in an Ohio prison, under Department supervision, judicially released, or inmates that died of natural causes.
Sheriff
Athens County Sheriff
13 West Washington St.,
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: (740) 593-6633
Athens County Court Records
Court records in Ohio created, stored, and disseminated by each court. These records are documents, files, and transcripts of entire legal processes and hearings. Some records are sealed by law and may not be accessible. However, papers that are open to the public are available through the online databases of courts that have them. For example, the Ohio Supreme Court offers online access to court records at the state level. Court records may also be obtained from the courthouse after filing a request form and for a fee.
The Athens County Clerk of Courts also maintains records of court legal processes that can be issued on request.
Location Of All Courts In Athens County
Athens County Court of Common Pleas
1 S Court St,
4th Floor,
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: (740) 592-3242
Fax: (740) 592-3282
Athens County Courthouse
1 S Court St,
2nd Floor,
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: (740) 592-3256
Fax: (740) 592-3268
Athens County Municipal Court
8 E Washington St,
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: (740) 592-3328
Fax: (740) 592-3331
Buchtel Mayor’s Court
17710 N Akron Ave,
Nelsonville, OH 45764
Phone: (740) 753-1036
Coolville Mayor’s Court
126 Main St,
Coolville, OH 45723
Phone: (740) 667-7349
Glouster Mayor’s Court
16 Front St,
Glouster, OH 45732
Phone: (740) 767-3497
Nelsonville Mayor’s Court
City Hall
211 Lake Hope Dr,
Nelsonville, OH 45764
Phone: (740) 753-5692
Athens County Vital Records
The Ohio Department of Health - Bureau of Vital statistics manages vital records of births, deaths, and other essential events for Ohio. These include adoption data and error correction on vital records.
Athens County Births and Death Records
Ohio made keeping records of births and deaths a law in 1867. The state office maintains birth records from December 20, 1908, and death records from 1964 to the present. The department, however, does NOT maintain records of marriages and divorces in the state. They can only be obtained from the county where they occurred or were originally recorded. For death and birth records before those times, the inquirer may write to the County Probate Court in Athens county where the event occurred.
Death records that occurred between December 20, 1908 – December 31, 1963, can be obtained from:
Ohio Historical Society, Archives Library Division
1982 Velma Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211-2497
NB: Records from the State office cost $21.50
Ohio Department of Health
P.O. Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098
Athens County Health Department
278 W. Union Street,
Athens, OH 45701
Athens County Marriage and Divorce Records
Marriage certificate copies can be obtained from the specific county probate court and Divorce decrees and certificates from the Court of Pleas or directly from the County Clerk.
These records date back to when the county was created in 1805.
Athens County Probate Court
1 S. Court St.
Athens, OH 45701-2897
(740) 592-3251
Athens County Court of Common Pleas
1 S Court St,
4th Floor,
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: (740) 592-3242
Fax: (740) 592-3282
Athens County Recorder
Jessica Markins
Phone: (740) 592-3228
Fax: (740) 592-3229
Email: jmarkins@athensoh.org
15 S. Court Street, Room 236
Athens, OH 45701
The Ohio Department of Health also published a vital statistics report on Marriage and Divorce in the state with data from 1990 - 2018. However, this only gives a statistical summary and not details of the records.
