Horry County Criminal Records and Arrest Search
Horry County criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of Court, the Horry County Sheriff's Office, and the Horry County Police Department, all operating within the 15th Judicial Circuit. Horry County has a unique law enforcement structure as the only county in South Carolina with both a county-wide police department and a Sheriff's Office operating simultaneously. This dual-agency setup means that criminal records in Horry County can originate from two distinct law enforcement sources. Researchers looking for Horry County criminal records should check the South Carolina Public Index, the Sheriff's Office bookings database, and SLED for a complete picture.
Horry County Quick Facts
Horry County Clerk of Court and General Sessions Criminal Records
The Horry County Clerk of Court is located at the Horry County Government and Justice Center, 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway SC 29526. The phone number is (843) 915-5080 and the office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Clerk maintains Circuit and Family Court records, including all General Sessions criminal cases processed in Horry County. General Sessions is the court through which all felony criminal charges and certain misdemeanor matters in the county are prosecuted.
Online access to Horry County court records is available through the Horry County Public Index, which is Circuit 15, County 26. The Public Index is a free system allowing users to search case records by party name, case number, filing date, or court type. Searches return case summaries, scheduled court events, and basic filing information for both active and disposed cases. This is the most direct online access point for Horry County criminal records at the court level.
The SC Courts case records search portal provides a statewide gateway to court records and includes a link to Horry County's Public Index. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-10 et seq., General Sessions criminal records maintained by the Clerk of Court are public records subject to inspection and copying. Written records requests must be acknowledged within ten business days under S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-30.
Horry County Sheriff's Office and the J. Reuben Long Detention Center
Sheriff Phillip Thompson leads the Horry County Sheriff's Office, located at 2560 Main Street, Conway SC 29526, with a main phone number of (843) 915-5150. The HCSO operates the J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 4150 J. Reuben Long Avenue, Conway SC 29526. The Detention Center phone numbers are (843) 915-5140 and (843) 915-6500. The Sheriff's Office handles criminal warrants in unincorporated areas, serves civil and family court papers, and manages the county detention facility.
The HCSO operations in Horry County are unique because the Sheriff's Office is not the primary call-responsive agency in the unincorporated areas of the county. That primary responsibility belongs to the Horry County Police Department. This arrangement means that criminal records generated by arrests in Horry County may originate from either HCSO or HCPD, depending on which agency made the arrest and where the incident occurred.
The HCSO maintains a publicly accessible bookings and releases search at horrycounty.org/sheriff/bookings. Users can search by last name, booking date, or release date. Each result displays a mugshot, the arresting agency, the charge, and bond information. The database is updated daily and reflects approximately 55% weekly turnover, meaning recent bookings are visible for a limited window before being replaced by new intake records. This is a useful real-time tool for tracking recent arrest activity in Horry County.
The following image is sourced from the Horry County Police Department website.
Horry County criminal records are generated by both the Sheriff's Office and the Horry County Police Department, and both agencies feed case data into the South Carolina Judicial Department's court system.
Horry County Police Department and Criminal Records
The Horry County Police Department is the only remaining county police department in South Carolina. It was established in 1959 by legislative decree and was re-endorsed by Horry County citizens in a 1998 referendum. HCPD operates five precincts across the county and is the primary call-responsive agency for unincorporated Horry County. The department's mission is to serve the community compassionately through partnerships and professionalism.
Arrest records generated by HCPD feed into the same General Sessions court system managed by the Clerk of Court. Contact for HCPD is through hcg.Police@horrycountysc.gov, and the department is reachable Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The HCPD website at horrycounty.org/departments/police provides departmental information, precinct contacts, and guidance on crime reporting. Records requests directed to HCPD are subject to the same FOIA requirements applicable to all South Carolina government agencies, including the ten business day response requirement under S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-30.
Under S.C. Code Ann. § 30-4-40, HCPD may withhold arrest records that could compromise an active investigation or reveal a confidential informant. Arrest records from HCPD reflect custody and charging, not a determination of guilt. Researchers should always verify case outcomes through the Horry County Public Index or the Clerk of Court to understand the full record.
SLED CATCH and Horry County Criminal History
The SLED CATCH portal at catch.sled.sc.gov provides a statewide criminal history search that includes records from Horry County. A CATCH name-based search captures arrests, charges, and dispositions reported by all South Carolina law enforcement agencies, including HCSO and HCPD. The fee is $25.00 plus a $1.00 online processing fee under S.C. Code Ann. § 23-3-115. Reporting by both agencies is mandatory under S.C. Code Ann. § 23-3-120.
SLED maintains the free South Carolina Sex Offender Registry, which allows public searches of registered sex offenders by name, county, or ZIP code. The registry is particularly useful for researchers checking on specific individuals who may be present in the Horry County and Myrtle Beach area. The SCDC inmate search provides records for individuals currently or previously housed in South Carolina state correctional facilities. The SLED main website provides a full directory of available criminal records services.
Horry County Criminal Records: Contents and Legal Framework
Horry County criminal records from General Sessions include the defendant's full name, date of birth, assigned case number, the charges as filed, all court events, the case outcome, and any sentence imposed. For cases that end in dismissal or acquittal, the record may be subject to destruction under S.C. Code Ann. § 17-1-40, protecting individuals from the permanent stigma of unproven charges. Researchers should be aware that a search returning no record does not necessarily mean a person has no criminal history; some records may have been destroyed or expunged.
Juvenile records in Horry County are confidential under S.C. Code Ann. § 63-19-2010. Access is restricted to the juvenile, parents or guardians, defense counsel, prosecutors, and the courts. The general public cannot obtain juvenile criminal records. Expungement of eligible Horry County criminal records is governed by S.C. Code Ann. § 17-22-910. A successful expungement order removes the record from the Public Index and from SLED CATCH results. The process begins with the Clerk of Court and proceeds through the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office before a judge issues the final ruling. Full statutory text is at scstatehouse.gov/code/t17c022.php and scstatehouse.gov/code/t30c004.php.
Nearby Counties
Looking for criminal records in neighboring counties? The following counties border or are near Horry County.