On a phone or computer, work through these steps:

1. Go to the county inmate search.
2. Type only the surname. Bring in a first name if hundreds of rows appear.
3. Pick the right row and read the charges, the bond and the booking details.
4. Copy any booking number or ID that shows up. It speeds up every later call.
5. Try again after an hour or two if the arrest was today.

Online lists run behind real life, so one call can save hours of worry. Reach 423-346-6262 and keep the person's whole name plus birthday close.

Many names are absent during the first hours. Common causes:

• Booking is under way. Prints, pictures and forms eat up time.
• A stop at the city station. Officers sometimes finish reports before driving to the jail.
• A citation and a ride home. Minor cases can end with a ticket that sets a later court day.
• Quick release. A bond or a signed pledge to return may have sent them home already.
• Another place. Look at other counties' jails, and think about state or federal custody.
• Spelling. Try nicknames, middle names, and surnames taken at marriage.

Phone 423-346-6262 and have an officer check the spelling and birthday.

Research for this page turned up a single adult facility in the county: the Morgan County Jail, 414 Main Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-6262. Ask the front desk which housing area holds the person, and whether any other site is used for women, work release or short stays.

When an arrest took place near the county line, try the neighbors. These East Tennessee jails have pages on our site:

• Roane County Detention Facility, 230 N. Third Street, Kingston, TN 37763, 865-376-5582
• Anderson County Detention Facility, 308 Public Safety Lane, Clinton, TN 37716, 865-457-7100
• Scott County Jail, 575 Scott High Drive, Huntsville, TN 37756, 423-663-2245

Federal, immigration and state custody are also possible. See the answers further down.

Open the inmate search and watch for a photo beside the record. With no picture there, phone the Sheriff's Office at 423-346-6262 and ask if staff can give out a booking picture.

Anyone may request photographs held by public offices under Tenn. Code Ann. 10-7-503. Booking pictures go unnamed in that statute, which leaves each agency to set its own policy on mugshots. If a Wartburg officer made the arrest, ask city police too.

• To get a booking picture from ICE, submit the ICE records page form.
• Federal mugshots are closed to the public. The U.S. Marshals Service alone may share one, for example when hunting a fugitive.

A free service called VINE can notify you by call, text or email. Visit VINELink, pick Tennessee, then look the person up. You may also dial 888-868-4631 and speak with an operator at any hour.

For people in state custody, the state recommends VINE. Whether a county lockup feeds it can vary, so confirm with the jail at 423-346-6262 and keep peeking at the county search too.

A judge or magistrate names the amount. State law wants a sum only high enough to bring the person back and protect others. The judge looks at home, job, family and past cases. Defense counsel can ask for less.

• Cash. The entire bail sum is paid at the clerk's window; the Circuit Court office is at 415 North Kingston Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-3503. Check what hours cash is accepted and which cards or apps are taken.
• Bondsman. The bondsman's cut is close to a tenth of the bond. Plan on never seeing it again. Get a receipt, and make sure the bondsman holds a state license and has local court approval.
• Property. Real estate can back a bond, but a judge must look over the deeds first, which slows things down.

Some arrests, such as stalking or domestic abuse cases, may keep a person inside for 12 more hours before release. Ask the jail if that rule applies. Full steps are on the bail page, and state rules are outlined on the bail laws page.

The inmate search record usually lists the charges. For the court file, contact the office that holds the case.

• General Sessions Court, Morgan County Courthouse, 415 N. Kingston St., Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-6943. Misdemeanors and first appearances start here.
• Circuit Court Clerk, 415 North Kingston Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-3503. Felony files arrive here once a case leaves General Sessions.

Prosecutors in the District Attorney General's office choose which charges to pursue: 1008 Bradford Way, Suite 100, Kingston, TN 37763, 865-376-2145.

The judge will raise the topic of counsel at the first hearing. Speak up and say you want a lawyer but have no money. The judge then decides who gets free help.

Morgan, Loudon, Meigs and Roane counties share one public defender office, in the Ninth Judicial District: 1013 Brentwood Way, Kingston, TN 37763, 865-376-4040. Retaining private counsel is also open to families whenever they wish. Collect pay stubs, bills and other income papers.

Hours, dress codes and ID needs can shift, so check before you drive over. Reach the jail at 423-346-6262 and ask:

• Is it face to face, by screen, or either?
• Which days are open, and must I book a spot?
• Which ID do I carry, and is there an age limit?
• What clothing is fine, and where do bags and phones stay?

General tips for a first visit appear in our visiting guide.

Money on an account covers snacks, soap and phone time. Find out at 423-346-6262 which deposit routes are open this week and how much is allowed. Have the whole name and booking number nearby.

Read the money guide for popular deposit options and the commissary guide for what an account balance purchases. Bond works differently. Hand it to the clerk, a bondsman, or secure it with property, and never route it through a jail account. Do not mail cash.

Rules and rates differ by jail. Ask at 423-346-6262 how your relative can contact you, what each call runs, and if text or video is an option.

Treat every line as recorded. Leave case details for the attorney. Prior to paying a vendor, peruse the phone guide and email and text guide.

Phone the jail at 423-346-6262 first. Learn what may go in an envelope, for example photos or books, and which number to write on it.

On the envelope put the person's full name and ID number, then Morgan County Jail, 414 Main Street, Wartburg, TN 37887. Include your own return address and skip the cash. More pointers are in the mail guide.

Clothes, wallets and other items taken at booking are kept until release. Ring 423-346-6262 to learn who may collect them, what days work, and which photo ID to carry. The jail sits at 414 Main Street, Wartburg, TN 37887. Ask whether the person must sign a slip first. Staff decide what can be handed over.

Call 423-346-6262 right now. Give staff the problem, the medicine name with the dose, and the doctor's name. Ask them to alert the nurse or medical team.

People inside can submit a medical request slip. If life is at risk, call 911. Tell the jail when you worry about their mind.

Sheriff's deputies, 423-346-6262, serve warrants out in the county, while Wartburg Police, 423-346-7090, serve them within the city. Phone either office and give the full name; a call is how you ask. For case status, ring the General Sessions clerk at 423-346-6943. To clear a warrant, consult a lawyer before you reach the issuing court. The clerk's office stands at 415 North Kingston Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, and staff can say which court has the file.

Whichever court holds the case will set the date:

• General Sessions Court, Morgan County Courthouse, 415 N. Kingston St., Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-6943. First appearances, many lesser crimes and felony probable-cause hearings happen here.
• Circuit Court Clerk, 415 North Kingston Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-3503. A grand jury indictment sends felony trials to this court.

Court rules require a quick first appearance (Rule 5, Tennessee criminal procedure). With a felony charge, the probable-cause hearing is due in 14 days for a held person and 30 days for one on bond. The court guide covers every stage.

Federal prosecutions for this county are heard in Knoxville, by a Knoxville court, the Northern Division for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Find it at 800 Market Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 (Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. Courthouse). The clerk answers at 865-545-4228.

1. A judge decides at the first federal hearing whether the person waits in jail or at home (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Pretrial federal prisoners are in Marshals hands. Their Knoxville office, 800 Market Street, Suite 320, TN 37902, takes calls at 865-824-3801. Ask which jail houses the person.
3. When a sentence is final, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows where they are.

Here is the typical chain of events:

1. Holds begin with ICE sending the jail its Form I-247A.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail may hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. ICE then takes custody. The ICE New Orleans Field Office covers Tennessee. To find a detainee, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator.
4. To search, type a full name plus country of birth, or just the A-number.

The state counts this county among those that team up with ICE under the 287(g) program (see the state page). Questions can go to the state's Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division at 615-532-9736.

People with a state sentence are processed at a Tennessee Department of Correction intake center, where staff decide which prison fits. Some wait locally for days first, so ask at 423-346-6262.

• Try the TDOC offender search. Results can include a picture, custody status, current site, the crime and the term.
• Department headquarters: 320 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243, 615-741-1000.
• Rules on visiting, letters and deposits for each prison sit on our Tennessee state prisons page.

A child is handled by Juvenile Court and not the adult jail. The Circuit Court Clerk takes juvenile filings, at 415 North Kingston Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-3503. Ask the clerk where the child is being kept and what day the court looks at holding them.

If you cannot locate the child, phone the Sheriff's Office at 423-346-6262. An officer's name or a report number helps staff find the right file.

The booking record or arrest report names the agency. Local departments are:

• Morgan County Sheriff's Office, 414 Main Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-6262. Answers for everything outside town limits.
• Wartburg Police Department, 423-346-7090. City Hall is at 407 Eliza Street, Wartburg, TN 37887, 423-346-2323.
• Oakdale and Sunbright. The Sheriff's Office can say which agency takes calls there.
• Highway Patrol (state troopers). The THP contact page lists district offices; pick the one for this area.