Try these steps on whatever device you have:

1. Visit the jail search.
2. Start with the surname. A first name can narrow a long list.
3. Read the charge, the bail figure and the place of custody on each match.
4. When nothing appears, try other forms of the name: a nickname, maiden name or middle name.
5. Copy any booking number. It helps staff pull the right file.

This search draws on the statewide victim alert network, so it can run behind real events. Call 423-447-2197 before you make a trip.

Several everyday situations explain a blank screen:

• Paperwork in progress. Fingerprints, photos and a health screening happen first.
• Short stop at city police. Pikeville officers may hold someone for a bit before the jail takes over.
• Back on the street. A citation, a signed promise to return, or a paid bond can free a person within hours.
• Sent elsewhere. Some people go to another county's jail or into state custody.
• Too young. Anyone under 18 is left off an adult list.

Call the Sheriff's Office at 423-447-2197. If the name still isn't found, ask who made the arrest and where that agency took them.

Most adults picked up in Bledsoe County end up at the county jail, 235 Allen P. Deakins Road, Pikeville, TN 37367, 423-447-2197. We could not verify what each part of the building is used for, such as men, women or longer sentences, so ask staff on the phone.

A big state prison also sits in Pikeville, at 1045 Horsehead Road, Pikeville, TN 37367. It houses people already convicted and sentenced to state time, so it is not where a new arrest goes. For state custody questions, call the Tennessee Department of Correction at 615-741-1000.

Someone arrested by an agency from next door could be held in that neighbor's jail. Ask the arresting officer which agency took them. Federal, immigration and state-sentence cases are covered in later answers.

We could not confirm that the county search carries photos. Tennessee's Public Records Act covers government photographs, and plenty of sheriffs show mugshots online, yet the statute never names booking photos. The arresting agency decides if one can be given out.

Ask the Sheriff's Office at 423-447-2197, or Pikeville police at 423-447-2919 for a city arrest.

• Pictures that ICE took come from ICE alone, so file a request on its public records request site.
• A federal booking photo is off limits to the public. A U.S. Marshals manhunt can be the one time such a picture gets released.

Tennessee VINE sends free calls, texts or emails when custody changes. Sign up at VINELink and pick Tennessee, or phone 888-868-4631 to reach a live operator at any hour.

Alerts can arrive late, and coverage differs by county. Before arranging a pickup, confirm a release with the jail at 423-447-2197.

A magistrate or judge sets the amount soon after arrest. The law asks for the lowest figure that still secures a return to court and public safety. The judge weighs where they live, their work, their family and their record.

• Cash for the full amount goes to the court clerk. Ask whether a card or phone app is accepted and what extra fee applies.
• A licensed bondsman usually wants roughly a tenth of the bond amount. The bondsman keeps that fee whatever happens in the case. Local courts approve which bondsmen may work here.
• Some stalking and domestic arrests can carry a 12-hour cooling-off hold. Ask the jail if one applies.

The full story is on our bail page, and our state-law overview covers Tennessee's rules.

The jail search lists the charge. For the court side, call the Circuit Court Clerk at 423-447-6488 with the full name and birth date. Mail goes to P.O. Box 455, Pikeville, TN 37367.

The Clerk and Master, 423-447-2484, deals with civil cases, so ask which office fits your question. The District Attorney General for the 12th Judicial District chooses the final charges. Ask the clerk for that office's number.

Lawyer requests are made in front of the judge at the first hearing. Speak up clearly. Income is reviewed, and the judge picks who receives a free attorney.

• District Public Defender, 12th Judicial District: 423-942-3235. Ask which office is closest.
• A hired attorney is always an option, and the family can pick one at any time. Jail staff can explain how a lawyer arranges a call or visit.

Before you call, write down the court date, the charge and the booking number.

We found no confirmed visiting days, hours or dress code, so please call before you go. Phone 423-447-2197 and ask:

• When may visitors come?
• Is a reservation needed?
• Which photo ID is required, and how old must visitors be?
• Are visits face to face, on a screen, or both?
• What clothing and items are allowed?

Expect to secure phones and bags outside the visiting area, and let staff guide you. Our visiting guide adds general tips.

Account money covers snacks, soap and phone time. Call 423-447-2197 to learn which deposit methods work today, the limits and which company handles them. Keep the person's name and booking number close.

Account money cannot be used as bail. Do not mail cash, and beware of any caller who wants gift cards. See our money guide and commissary guide.

The jail chooses its own calling system. Phone 423-447-2197 and ask how to open an account, cost per call, plus any text or video options. Also ask whether calls are recorded.

Someone may be listening in. Talk about the case only with your attorney. Details live in our phone-call article and the email and text article.

Call 423-447-2197 first. Ask for the mailing address, if a booking number must appear and which things can be sent.

Letters need the sender's home address plus the receiver's legal name exactly as booked. Never slip money into the envelope. The mail guide lists typical rules.

Items on the person at arrest are held by the jail, and its staff set the release rules. Phone 423-447-2197 to ask about pickup hours, any signed release and what ID to bring.

The office is at 235 Allen P. Deakins Road, Pikeville, TN 37367. Name each item, such as a wallet or phone, since cash and valuables are often kept separately.

Phone 423-447-2197 and request the nurse or medical office. Name the medicine, the dose, the prescribing doctor and any allergy.

The person can also put a request in writing to the nurse. Call 911 if life is in danger. If you are worried about their state of mind, tell the person you reach.

The Sheriff's Office, 423-447-2197, serves warrants in the county, and Pikeville police, 423-447-2919, serve them in the city limits. We found no public wanted page from either office, so call and ask whether a name has an open warrant. To look up a case, ask the Circuit Court Clerk, 423-447-6488, and have the birth date ready, since the clerk searches by name. Before you try to clear it, speak with an attorney. Then call the court that signed it. The clerk's office address is P.O. Box 455, Pikeville, TN 37367.

The court holding the case controls the schedule. Call the Circuit Court Clerk at 423-447-6488 and ask which court, which day and what time. We have no confirmed courthouse street address, so ask where to report. Mail goes to P.O. Box 455, Pikeville, TN 37367.

General Sessions Court handles first appearances and misdemeanors. Felony trials follow in Circuit or Criminal Court after a grand jury indicts. Our court guide describes every stage. For general county government help, call 423-447-6855.

Cases brought by the U.S. government in this area belong to the Eastern District of Tennessee, Southern Division, at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building, 900 Georgia Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402, clerk 423-752-5200.

1. A judge rules on jail or release at an early hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals office, 900 Georgia Avenue, Room 340, Chattanooga, TN 37402, 423-752-5115, knows the housing site.
3. Appointed federal defenders work from Federal Defender Services, 800 South Gay Street, Suite 2400, Knoxville, TN 37929, 865-637-7979.
4. After sentencing, look for them at the BOP inmate locator.

The usual sequence:

1. The paper that starts a hold is Form I-247A, filled out by ICE and sent to the jail.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail may keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. Look the person up in the ICE Online Detainee Locator using a legal name and birth country. The New Orleans Field Office handles this state.
4. This county appears on the state's list of places working with ICE under 287(g) (state page). Ask the jail at 423-447-2197 what that means in practice.

People sentenced to state time may wait in the county jail before moving. Call 423-447-2197 to ask. After that, try the Tennessee offender search, where results may include a picture, current status, housing site, crime and term.

The Tennessee Department of Correction, 320 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243, 615-741-1000, runs state intake. Visit and mail rules are in our Tennessee state prisons guide.

Juvenile Court handles young people, and their names are kept off the adult list. We could not confirm a juvenile court address or a detention center, so phone for help. First ask the Sheriff's Office at 423-447-2197 where the child is.

Then call the Circuit Court Clerk, 423-447-6488, to be pointed to the juvenile court office and the hearing time. Ask about a lawyer for the child and when parents may visit.

These agencies cover the county, with 15,679 residents in the latest Census Bureau figures:

• Pikeville Police Department, 25 Municipal Drive, Pikeville, TN 37367, 423-447-2919. Works inside city limits.
• Bledsoe County Sheriff's Office, 235 Allen P. Deakins Road, Pikeville, TN 37367, 423-447-2197. Works everywhere else in the county.
• Tennessee Highway Patrol. Find the right post on the Patrol's contact list by asking which district covers Pikeville.