Find Background Check Records in New Kent County

New Kent County background check records are available through the Sheriff's Office and the Circuit Court Clerk's office in New Kent. Both offices keep criminal history files, court case records, and related documents that are open to the public under Virginia law. The county has a dedicated FOIA officer and a remote access system for some court records. This guide covers where to go, who to contact, and what to expect when searching for background check information in New Kent County.

New Kent County Sheriff Background Records

Sheriff Lee S. Bailey heads the New Kent County Sheriff's Office and serves as the county's FOIA officer for law enforcement records. The Records Section runs with both full-time and part-time staff. They handle police records, budget and finance records, criminal investigation files, warrant tracking, and patrol-related documents. If you need an arrest record, incident report, or crash report tied to New Kent County, you start here.

The office handles criminal records searches and tracks warrants through the county's records system. For a statewide criminal history check, the Sheriff uses the Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) managed by the Virginia State Police. You can also request your own criminal history directly from state police. Local incident reports are only available through the Sheriff's Office FOIA process.

New Kent County Criminal Court Records

The Circuit Court Clerk's office holds all criminal and civil court records for New Kent County. Clerk Hon. Amy P. Crump manages the office at 12001 Courthouse Circle. Records go back to September 1864, including land records, marriage licenses from 1858, probate records, and civil and criminal case files. This is where you find conviction records, case dispositions, and court orders for felony cases tried in New Kent County.

Copies cost $0.50 per page with an additional $2.00 for certification. No fax copies are available. If you can't visit in person, you can send a written request with payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Recordation stops at 4:00 PM even though the office stays open until 4:30 PM. The clerk also maintains a remote access system at newkentvacocc.org for some land and court records.

The statewide Virginia Courts Case Information portal is another option. It provides free online access to case records across all Virginia Circuit and General District Courts, including New Kent County cases.

FOIA and Online Access in New Kent County

New Kent County has a formal FOIA process. The county FOIA Officer is Rodney A. Hathaway, the County Administrator. His office is at 12007 Courthouse Circle, and requests can be sent to P.O. Box 150, New Kent, VA 23124. You can reach him at (804) 966-9683. The county's FOIA page at newkent-va.us/FOIA has forms and instructions.

Virginia's FOIA law requires agencies to respond within 5 working days. If the request is large, they can take an additional 7 days. For criminal investigative files, the law allows up to 65 working days total. You can ask for a cost estimate before any work begins. Deposits are required if estimated costs top $200. Any past-due balance from prior requests must be paid before new ones are processed.

Note: Copy charges are based on actual costs, and staff time is billed at the employee's hourly rate calculated from annual salary divided by 2,080 hours.

Virginia Criminal Records Laws

New Kent County background check records follow Virginia state law. The key statutes are in Title 19.2, Chapter 23 of the Virginia Code. These rules cover who can request criminal history, how records must be handled, and what types of information are public versus restricted. The Virginia State Police manages the CCRE, which is the main database for statewide criminal history.

If you want your own criminal history, you can request it directly from the Virginia State Police. Name-based and fingerprint-based checks are both available. Fingerprint checks are more reliable and often required for jobs in education, healthcare, and other licensed fields. The VSP forms page has the request forms you need.

Virginia's record sealing law under Virginia Code section 19.2-392.12 allows certain dismissed charges and some convictions to be hidden from public searches. If a record is sealed, it does not show up in most background checks. Law enforcement can still access sealed records. For New Kent County cases that may qualify, the Circuit Court Clerk's office can tell you the current status of a case and whether it has been sealed.

The Virginia Sex Offender Registry is public and searchable by name or address. It is maintained by the Virginia State Police and includes New Kent County residents who are required to register.

New Kent County Records

The New Kent County Sheriff's Office maintains criminal records, warrant tracking, and arrest information for the county.

Sheriff Lee Bailey's office runs the Records Section and handles FOIA requests for law enforcement documents in New Kent County.

For court records and certified copies of criminal case files, contact the clerk through the New Kent County Circuit Court Clerk's office.

The Circuit Court Clerk holds records dating to 1864, including criminal convictions, civil judgments, and probate files for New Kent County.

Nearby Counties

New Kent County is surrounded by counties in the central Virginia region. Each has separate courts and sheriff offices for criminal records.