Socastee Criminal Records in Horry County

Socastee criminal records are produced entirely through Horry County agencies. Socastee is an unincorporated community in Horry County near Myrtle Beach. Because it has no municipal government, there is no city police department or municipal court. All law enforcement in Socastee is handled by the Horry County Police Department and Horry County Sheriff's Office. Criminal cases are processed through the Horry County court system, with felony matters prosecuted in Horry County General Sessions Court in Conway, the county seat. This page covers all primary sources for searching criminal records and court filings tied to Socastee, South Carolina.

Horry County Police Department Socastee Records

The Horry County Police Department provides primary law enforcement services to the Socastee community. The department describes itself as "a full-service law enforcement agency that uses a precinct approach" to coverage. Socastee falls within one of the department's five geographic precincts. The department offers online reporting for certain non-emergency incident types, as well as special operations units that address a range of public safety matters.

Incident reports and arrest records generated by Horry County Police in the Socastee area are subject to public access under S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-10. Written FOIA requests directed to the Horry County Police Department must receive a response within 10 business days per § 30-4-30. Active investigation records and materials protected under § 30-4-40 may be withheld pending the resolution of the relevant proceedings.

Because Socastee has no municipal court, there is no local level of court proceedings. All criminal charges, whether misdemeanor or felony, flow through the Horry County court system. Magistrate-level matters are heard in Horry County Magistrate Court. Felony indictments go before Horry County General Sessions Court. Records for both levels ultimately tie back to Horry County's court infrastructure.

The image below is sourced from sled.sc.gov and illustrates the SLED CATCH portal, which is the statewide resource for searching criminal history records connected to Socastee and Horry County.

Arrest and disposition data from the Horry County Police Department and Horry County Sheriff's Office both feed into the SLED CATCH statewide system, making a CATCH search the most thorough method for surfacing Socastee criminal history.

Horry County Sheriff and Detention Records

The Horry County Sheriff's Office states that it "exists to serve the people of Horry County" and carries responsibilities including court security, civil process service, criminal warrant filing and service, and registered sex offender tracking. The Sheriff's Office operates the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, which is the primary jail facility for Horry County including Socastee-area arrests.

Individuals arrested in the Socastee area by either the Horry County Police Department or Sheriff's deputies may be booked at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Booking records are publicly accessible and updated regularly. The Horry County Sheriff's website provides a dedicated bookings and releases page at horrycounty.org/sheriff/bookings, where users can search by last name, booking date, or release date. Each entry may include a photograph, arresting agency, charge information, and bond details.

The bookings and releases portal is particularly useful for recent Socastee-area arrests. It is not a substitute for a full criminal history search but provides a current snapshot of recent booking activity at the Horry County Detention Center.

Note: The bookings and releases page reflects current and recent detention status only and does not represent a complete record of an individual's criminal history in Horry County or elsewhere in South Carolina.

Horry County Clerk of Court and Criminal Cases

The Horry County Clerk of Court is located at 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, and can be reached at (843) 915-5080. The Clerk's Office maintains Circuit Court criminal records, Family Court records, child support payment documentation, and jury management functions for all of Horry County, including Socastee.

Felony criminal cases arising from the Socastee area are prosecuted in Horry County General Sessions Court in Conway. The Clerk of Court holds the official records for those proceedings, including indictments, plea agreements, sentencing orders, and orders of dismissal. These records are available for public inspection at the Clerk's office during business hours. Certified copies of court documents can be obtained for a per-page fee set by the court.

The Grand Jury process for Horry County, managed by the Clerk of Court, handles the indictment phase of serious felony cases including those originating from Socastee. Individuals with pending charges in Horry County General Sessions Court appear on the court's docket, which is administered through the Clerk of Court's office in Conway.

SC Public Index for Socastee Court Records

The SC Public Index for Horry County is the free online access point for searching court filings in Horry County's Circuit Court and Family Court. Maintained by the SC Judicial Branch at sccourts.org, the Public Index allows name-based and case number searches and returns charge descriptions, case types, filing dates, and current case status.

Criminal cases from Socastee that reached General Sessions Court in Conway will appear in the Horry County Public Index. Searches can confirm whether a case exists, identify the charges filed, and show the current disposition or upcoming court dates. The Public Index does not include sealed records. Juvenile records protected under S.C. Code Ann. § 63-19-2010 are not accessible through the Public Index. Cases expunged under § 17-22-910 are removed from the publicly available record once the expungement takes effect.

Horry County Magistrate Court records for Socastee-area misdemeanors are not reflected in the Circuit Court Public Index. For those records, a direct inquiry to Horry County Magistrate Court is necessary.

Statewide Criminal History for Socastee Residents

The most comprehensive source for a Socastee resident's South Carolina criminal history is the SLED CATCH system, operated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. A CATCH search costs $25 per individual under S.C. Code Ann. § 23-3-115 and aggregates arrest and disposition records from all contributing agencies in the state, including the Horry County Police Department and Horry County Sheriff's Office.

A CATCH result may include arrests that did not lead to conviction, pending charges, and older offense records. Records successfully expunged under § 17-22-910 are removed from the SLED CATCH system after the expungement is processed and will not appear in future searches. The SLED main portal also links to the SC Sex Offender Registry, which includes individuals currently registered with a Horry County address.

The image below is sourced from scdc.state.sc.us and illustrates the SC Department of Corrections inmate search system, which covers individuals from Socastee and Horry County who are currently serving state prison sentences.

The SC Department of Corrections inmate search at scdc.state.sc.us allows name-based lookups and provides current facility information for individuals convicted of felonies and sentenced to state prison in South Carolina.

• Horry County Police Department: horrycounty.org/departments/police
• Horry County Sheriff's Office: horrycounty.org/departments/sheriffs-office
• Horry County Sheriff Bookings: horrycounty.org/sheriff/bookings
• Horry County Clerk of Court: 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway, (843) 915-5080
• SC Public Index - Horry County: publicindex.sccourts.org/horry/
• SLED CATCH statewide search: sled.sc.gov/CATCH/ ($25 fee)
• SCDC inmate search: scdc.state.sc.us