Columbia County Booking Releases

Columbia County booking releases come from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office in Dayton. The local jail closed in April 2023 due to safety concerns. Inmates are now held at the Walla Walla County Jail. That means there is no live online roster for Columbia County. To find a person, you need to call the sheriff's office or send a public records request. This page shows you how to do both, plus the state tools you can use as a backup. Booking releases here are still public under state law.

Columbia County Sheriff's Office

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is at 341 E. Main St., Suite 1, in Dayton. The phone for the Communications Center is 509-382-2518. The administration line is 509-382-1100. Office hours run Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. In an emergency, call 911. Sheriff Joseph A. Helm leads the office. Civil Deputy Sarah Boudrieau is also listed as a key staff member.

Because the local jail is closed, the sheriff's office does not maintain a live online jail roster. If you need to find a person who was just arrested in Columbia County, the sheriff is the first place to call. Staff can confirm whether a person is held at the Walla Walla County Jail and give you basic charge info. They can also point you to the right records process for arrest reports.

The staff directory lists each member of the sheriff's office.

The page lists names, phone numbers, and the Dayton address you can use to ask about Columbia County booking releases.

Note: Since the Columbia County jail is closed, calling the sheriff is the fastest way to confirm whether a person is in custody.

Sheriff Contact and Crime Watch

The Columbia County Sheriff Contact Us page says any staff member can be reached through the main office number, 509-382-2518. You can also click on a staff name to send an email. For matters about a recent arrest or where a person is held, the sheriff's office is the right point of contact. There is no online roster to check, so a phone call is often the fastest path.

The Columbia County Sheriff Crime Watch page publishes alerts and press releases. The office posts warnings about scams and updates on local cases. Press releases often include the names of people who were arrested, the charges, and the status of each person held pending a bond hearing or trial. The Crime Watch page is an informal source for booking releases when no live roster exists.

The page lists the main phone line and email links for staff who can answer Columbia County booking release questions.

For news see the Crime Watch page.

The Crime Watch posts often link names of recently booked people to the charges filed in Columbia County cases.

Public Records Department

The Columbia County Public Records Department handles county wide records requests. The office is at 115 E. Main St. in Dayton. The phone is 509-382-4542. Virginia Schmidt serves as the public records officer. You can send requests for county records, including records related to bookings and arrests that are kept by the county even though the local jail is closed.

The county notes that requests must be specific. A request for all or substantially all records is not valid under state law. A request for records about a named person, a topic, or a keyword is valid. The county has five business days to respond. Staff will give you the records, ask for more time, or deny part of the request with a written reason. The county follows the state Public Records Act, RCW 42.56.

The page shows the address and the records officer contact you need to send a Columbia County booking releases request.

State Inmate Tools

State tools help when local data is thin. The Washington DOC Incarcerated Search lists people held in state prisons. People from Columbia County who are sent to prison after a sentence will show up here. Search by name or DOC number. The page also links to WA VINE, a free notice service that sends alerts when an inmate's status changes.

The WA DOC Wanted for Arrest portal lists people sought by police across the state, including Columbia County. The page links to county specific most wanted lists and gives a tip line. This is a useful resource for residents who want a broader view of people with active warrants tied to the county.

The Washington State Patrol WATCH system gives state wide criminal history for an eleven dollar online name check. WATCH is the right tool when you want a deeper view than a single Columbia County booking record can give.

Records Law Basics

The right to see Columbia County booking releases is set by RCW 70.48.100. The law says every jail must keep a public register. Since the Columbia County jail is closed, the jail register for Columbia County inmates is kept by the holding facility, the Walla Walla County Jail. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office still keeps arrest reports for the cases that started in the county.

Note: Always include the full name and an approximate booking date when you ask for a Columbia County arrest report from the sheriff or the public records office.

Nearby Counties

Try a nearby county if your search comes up empty.