Carolina Forest Criminal Records Access
Carolina Forest criminal records flow entirely through Horry County's law enforcement and court systems. As an unincorporated community, Carolina Forest has no municipal government, no city police department, and no local court of its own. All law enforcement in the area is handled by the Horry County Police Department and the Horry County Sheriff's Office. Criminal case filings, arrest records, and court dispositions for Carolina Forest residents are held by Horry County agencies and processed through the county court system in Conway. This guide covers how to search Carolina Forest criminal records using free online tools and official county resources.
Horry County Police Department Records
The Horry County Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for Carolina Forest. The department describes itself as a full-service agency that uses a precinct approach to better serve Horry County citizens, having geographically split the county into five distinct precincts for quicker service and stronger community relations. It is notably the only remaining county police department in South Carolina, established in 1959 and reaffirmed by residents in a 1998 referendum.
The department's mission is to compassionately serve the community through partnerships and professionalism. The main administrative office is located at 2560 Main Street, Suite 7, Conway, SC 29526, and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The department can be contacted at hcg.Police@horrycountysc.gov for non-emergency matters.
Arrest records and incident reports generated by HCPD are public documents under § 30-4-10. Written requests for records must be responded to within ten business days per § 30-4-30. Records related to active investigations or involving protected individuals may be withheld under § 30-4-40 exemptions.
The image below is sourced from horrycounty.org and shows the Horry County Sheriff's Office that works alongside HCPD to serve the Carolina Forest area.
Both the Horry County Police Department and the Horry County Sheriff's Office contribute to criminal records in the Carolina Forest area, each with distinct jurisdictional responsibilities.
Horry County Sheriff Arrest and Booking Records
The Horry County Sheriff's Office works alongside the Police Department and provides court security, civil process service, management of the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, criminal warrant filing and service, and registered sex offender tracking. The Sheriff's Office exists to serve the people of Horry County and provides resources and assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
The J. Reuben Long Detention Center is the primary jail facility for Horry County. Booking records from the facility are updated daily and reflect the high volume of arrests in one of South Carolina's most populous counties. The Horry County Bookings and Releases page allows online searches by last name, booking date, or release date. Each entry includes inmate details such as arresting agency, charges filed, and bond information. The facility sees approximately 55 percent weekly turnover in its inmate population.
Arrests on active criminal warrants are handled through the Sheriff's Office warrant division. Warrant records that have been served become part of the public criminal case record once charges are formally filed in court.
Horry County Clerk of Court Criminal Records
The Horry County Clerk of Court is the official keeper of criminal case records for all circuit court proceedings in Horry County. The office's purpose is to provide all services of the judicial system to the general public. The Clerk's office can be reached at 843-915-5080 and is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Circuit court records maintained by the Clerk include criminal (General Sessions) filings, Common Pleas records, Family Court cases, child support records, and grand jury materials. Felony cases originating in the Carolina Forest area go through General Sessions Court, which is part of the 15th Judicial Circuit centered in Conway.
Case records are accessible in person during business hours. Certified copies are available at standard copy fees. For juvenile-related criminal proceedings, records are sealed under § 63-19-2010 and are not available through public records requests absent a court order. Cases that have been expunged under § 17-22-910 are also removed from public access once the order is entered.
Note: The Clerk of Court manages circuit-level records only; magistrate court records for minor criminal matters are held separately by Horry County magistrate courts.
Online Search for Carolina Forest Court Cases
The SC Judicial Department Public Index for Horry County provides free online access to circuit court case records. Maintained by the SC Judicial Branch, the Public Index allows name-based and case-number searches without any account or payment requirement. Results show charge descriptions, case type, scheduled court dates, and current case status.
The Public Index covers General Sessions and Common Pleas Court. Magistrate-level proceedings and records from the Horry County Police Department's internal systems are not part of the Public Index. Expunged records and sealed cases do not appear in results.
The online booking search at the Horry County Sheriff's website complements the Public Index by providing arrest-level data before charges are formally adjudicated. Together, the two tools offer the broadest free picture of criminal records tied to the Carolina Forest area.
Statewide Criminal History for Carolina Forest
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division operates the SLED CATCH system for statewide criminal history searches. A search costs $25 per person under SC Code § 23-3-115 and returns a comprehensive record of all arrests and dispositions entered into the state database from across South Carolina's counties, including Horry County. SLED CATCH is the most complete single-source criminal history available at the state level.
SLED maintains the SC Sex Offender Registry at no charge. Horry County's sex offender data is part of the statewide registry and is searchable by name and location. The SLED main website provides access to both systems and additional public safety information.
For individuals who have served time in SCDC-managed facilities, the SC Department of Corrections inmate search allows name-based lookups of current and recent custody status. This database is maintained separately from SLED CATCH and reflects state prison records rather than county jail bookings.
Carolina Forest in Horry County's 15th Circuit
Carolina Forest is an unincorporated area within Horry County, which is part of South Carolina's 15th Judicial Circuit. Conway serves as the county seat and the center of criminal court activity for the county. All felony cases arising in Carolina Forest are heard in Horry County General Sessions Court in Conway. The 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office handles criminal prosecutions for Horry County.
Because Carolina Forest has no incorporated government, there is no local records office, no municipal court, and no city-issued criminal records. Everything flows through the county. This makes Horry County agencies the exclusive source for official criminal records tied to the Carolina Forest area. Searches that start with county-level tools -- the Public Index, the booking records site, and HCPD -- will capture the full range of available records.
South Carolina FOIA under § 30-4-10 ensures public access to criminal records held by county agencies. Any person may submit a written request to the Horry County Police Department or Sheriff's Office for records related to specific incidents or arrests. Requests that are denied in part or in full must be accompanied by an explanation identifying the exemption being applied under § 30-4-40.