What happens after an arrest in Spartanburg County?

1. Arrest and booking

Spartanburg Police, the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, town police departments, and the S.C. Highway Patrol book arrests at the Spartanburg County Detention Center, 950 California Avenue. Booking includes fingerprints, photographs, property, and entering the charges. It can take hours. To confirm someone is there, use the Sheriff's Office bookings search or call 864-596-2607. More: the detention center.

2. The bond hearing

A person charged with a bailable offense must have a bond hearing within 24 hours (S.C. Code § 22-5-510). In Spartanburg County, magistrates usually hold hearings at the detention center every day at 11 a.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m., and midnight, according to the Sheriff's Office. The judge starts from release on a personal recognizance bond and may require a surety bond or conditions instead (S.C. Code § 17-15-10). Charges punishable by death or life imprisonment, and some violent offenses, go to a circuit judge. More: the bond hearing.

3. Posting bond and release

If bond is set, it can be paid in cash, partly in cash if the judge allows, signed by a property owner as an accommodation surety, or posted by a licensed bondsman. Release must happen within four hours after the bond is delivered to the jail. More: how bail works and what a bondsman can charge.

4. Getting a lawyer

Anyone charged with a crime can hire a private lawyer. A person who cannot afford one can apply to the Seventh Circuit Public Defender, which represents people the court finds unable to pay. Apply early. A bondsman may not recommend a lawyer (S.C. Code § 38-53-170). For DUI cases, SpartanburgDUI.com lists local DUI defense attorneys. This site does not give legal advice.

5. Which court hears the case

• Spartanburg Municipal Court hears many City of Spartanburg arrests. It sits in the Spartanburg County Courthouse at 180 Magnolia Street.
• Spartanburg County magistrate courts hear lesser county, Highway Patrol, and town cases at the central court in the courthouse and at regional offices in Moore, Boiling Springs, and Cowpens.
• General Sessions (circuit court) hears felonies and cases moved up from a lower court. The Clerk of Court handles its records and bonds.
• The Seventh Circuit Solicitor's Office prosecutes criminal cases in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.

Addresses and phone numbers for each are on the jail and courts page.

6. Court dates

The first court date is usually on the bond paperwork or the ticket. Every date matters: missing one leads to a bench warrant and can cost the bond. Keep the clerk updated with any change of address. More: missed court dates.

7. When the case ends

When the case ends, the bond ends. Cash posted with the court is returned by the clerk, subject to the law; a bondsman must return collateral within ten days after liability ends unless a bench warrant has been issued. More: getting collateral back.

Where families can help

• Confirm custody and the bond amount yourself; never pay a caller.
• Gather proof of work, address, and family ties for the lawyer or the bond hearing.
• Check any bondsman's license before signing. See license check and red flags.
• Keep copies of every document and every court date.

Procedures and laws can change. Confirm with the court, the detention center, or a licensed attorney.