Potomac Highlands Regional Jail and Correctional Facility

All ten regional jails share a single WVDCR search, so one lookup covers the whole state. Try these steps:

1. Go to the daily WVDCR jail bookings. The WVDCR Offender Search page also links an "Offender Search (Jails)" name lookup.
2. Enter the name printed on the person's ID. No luck? Try a nickname, a former surname or a second spelling.
3. Note the facility shown. For arrests in this county, that is nearly always Potomac Highlands in Augusta.
4. Get the OID number from jail staff. It is the person's state ID, and every letter must include it.
5. For charge details, bond figures or when someone gets out, ring the jail at 304-496-1275.

Right after an arrest, an empty result is common. Run down this list:

• Still at intake. Entering a new arrest into the system can take a while.
• Not yet moved. Romney or Capon Bridge police, a deputy or a state trooper may keep the person briefly before driving them to Augusta.
• Out already. Release on a signed promise, or after bond was posted, may already have happened.
• Picked up elsewhere. An arrest across the county line can mean another regional jail.
• A minor. The adult jail never holds teens. One who stays in custody is taken to a youth center; others can go home with a parent or guardian.

Still stuck? Call the jail at 304-496-1275. If it has no record, the magistrate clerk at 304-822-4311 can say whether a hearing or a release took place.

The county operates no jail. Instead it pays WVDCR a per-day rate for its inmates (W. Va. Code §15A-3-16). Know these facilities:

• Potomac Highlands Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 355 Dolan Drive, Augusta, WV 26704, 304-496-1275. WVDCR operates it for five counties: Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral and Pendleton. Adults with open cases stay here. So do some people already sentenced to prison who are waiting for a bed. Federal detainees may stay here too.
• Tygart Valley Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 400 Abbey Road, Belington, WV 26250, 304-637-0382. The majority of West Virginia women who are due to go to prison wait here for the transfer.
• Eastern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 94 Grapevine Road, Martinsburg, WV 25405, 304-267-0045. Arrests in Morgan, Berkeley or Jefferson counties land here, so check it after an arrest in Morgan.

Mineral and Hardy share Potomac Highlands, so an arrest in either one still points to Augusta.

West Virginia limits how police use mugshots online. Under W. Va. Code §62-1-6a (enacted 2023), an agency may not post a minor-offense booking photo to social media. The law counts misdemeanors as minor, with some exceptions, along with nonviolent felonies that may qualify for expungement later. Sharing is allowed after a conviction, when a court orders it, or for a fugitive or someone who poses an imminent threat.

Now say a photo went up and the case falls apart. Maybe the charge gets dropped, the grand jury won't indict, or a jury acquits. The agency then has 14 days after a request to remove the photo.

• Booking photo questions go to whoever made the arrest. When deputies did, call the Sheriff's Office, 66 N. High Street #2, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-3894. News outlets use the same route.
• Photos ICE took are requested on its records request form.
• Federal arrest photos generally aren't released. The U.S. Marshals Service is the exception: it may hand out a photo, for instance in a fugitive search.

VINE's job is to report custody status and the facility's name, and it reaches every regional jail in the state, along with the prisons.

• Dial 866-984-8463 (1-866-WV4-VINE) to hear custody status or sign up for phone alerts.
• Register for emails on VINELink.
• A move between facilities sends no VINE call. Look at the state search from time to time, or phone the jail at 304-496-1275.

Want word before a release or parole hearing? State law calls for a written request (W. Va. Code §62-12-23d). Mail one to WVDCR, 1409 Greenbrier Street, Charleston, WV 25311, 304-558-2036, and a second to the West Virginia Parole Board. Your WVDCR letter doubles as a VINE sign-up.

A magistrate fixes bail at the person's first court appearance. Under §62-1-5, that hearing must happen without unnecessary delay. Often the person takes part by video while still in the Augusta jail (Magistrate Court Criminal Rule 5(b)). No price chart exists, because each person's case is weighed one at a time.

• Misdemeanor charges: the law presumes the person goes free on a signed promise, barring good cause (§62-1C-1a). Cases with DUI, a child victim, drugs, a deadly weapon, sexual abuse, violence, or theft above $250 fall outside that rule. For cash bail, the ceiling is triple the biggest fine allowed for the offense. Someone kept in jail just because they can't post a secured bond is entitled to a hearing, and it must come within five days.
• Felony charges: some felonies keep a magistrate from granting release on a bare promise. Those are: felony drug charges, violent felonies against a person, felony arson or burglary, and felonies with a child as the victim. If the charge could bring a life sentence, the circuit court is the one that decides bail (§62-1C-1).
• Paying the bail: a friend or family member may post the bail (Rule 5(f)(2)). A cash bond can mean paying 10 percent in cash while property, a surety or a promise covers the rest. Under §62-1C-4, land pledged for bail must have equity of no less than half the bail. Money orders and cashier's checks are accepted.
• Bail bondsmen: §51-10-8 makes each one hold an Insurance Commissioner license. By law the charge is 10 percent or more. It may be paid all at once, or as 3 percent or more at the start with the remainder settled before 12 months have passed (§51-10-5a). For a license check, call 304-558-0610 or open the license page.

Payments go to the magistrate clerk, Judicial Center, 50 South High Street, Suite 3, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-4311. See our bail guide for this county, and for the bigger picture, the West Virginia bail law summary.

A complaint filed in magistrate court lists the first charges. Here is where to look:

• The free Magistrate Court Record Search finds cases by name or case number, up to 30 at once. Paper copies come from the magistrate clerk, Judicial Center, 50 South High Street, Suite 3, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-4311.
• A felony goes up to circuit court once a grand jury indicts. Search through the Court Record Access page. For help by phone or in person, try the Circuit Clerk, 50 South High Street, Suite 157, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-5022.
• The Prosecuting Attorney's Office settles on the final charges, from 50 South High Street, Suite 153, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-3567.

Jail staff at 304-496-1275 can tell you the charges listed on the booking.

Short on money? A court-appointed lawyer is possible. Request form SCA-C&M-101 at the first hearing; on it, the person swears to their finances. Magistrate court forwards the form, and a circuit judge rules on it.

• No public defender office is based in this county. Instead the court names a private attorney as counsel.
• The Circuit Clerk lets the chosen lawyer know. That office is at 50 South High Street, Suite 157, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-5022.
• Expect to hear from the lawyer, ideally within a week.
• Turned down? Ask the judge in writing to look again.

A family may still pay for its own lawyer. Have the case number from the court search ready when you call.

The jail at 355 Dolan Drive, Augusta, WV 26704, holds only non-contact visits, with a barrier between you and the person. Every visit needs a booked time.

1. Book by phone at 304-496-7057 one day ahead. The line takes calls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
2. Visiting days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
3. Plan on one visit per month, 30 minutes long. Two adults can come, or one adult and two children.
4. Adults show a valid photo ID. Kids need a birth certificate plus a parent or guardian, or a notarized Juvenile Visitation form.

WVDCR offers video visits through GettingOut as well. Call the main desk at 304-496-1275 to find out if at-home video visits run here. Our visiting guide helps you get ready.

A trust account pays for things like snacks, soap and paper. WVDCR accepts deposits through ConnectNetwork:

• On the ConnectNetwork.com website.
• In the ConnectNetwork phone app.
• By calling 888-988-4768.
• At a lobby kiosk, if the jail at 355 Dolan Drive, Augusta, WV 26704 has one. Ask before you go.

Have the person's full legal name ready, and ask the jail for any ID number a deposit needs. Deposit trouble goes to trust account support at 888-428-1845. For this jail's limits, ask at 304-496-1275. Cash in an envelope is never safe. Learn more in our commissary page and our deposit guide.

GettingOut carries calls and video visits for WVDCR. To start, families set up a GettingOut account, either on gettingout.com or with the app.

• Phone calls: load money into a prepaid AdvancePay account through ConnectNetwork.com, its app or 800-483-8314. Then the person can call your number.
• Messages: the GettingOut guide also names messaging, voicemail and photo sharing.
• Video: WVDCR explains visits from a home computer, while visits on a phone work at select sites only.

For account help, GettingOut family support answers at 866-516-0115. To learn which services Potomac Highlands uses, call 304-496-1275. Leave case details for the lawyer, not the phone. For more, see our calling guide and guide to messages.

Letters go to Maryland first. WVDCR's mail rules have them scanned there. Use three lines on the envelope:

• The person's first name, last name and OID number
• Potomac Highlands Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, written out in full
• PO Box 336, Phoenix, MD 21131

Send only a handwritten or typed letter. A photo, an attachment or any other item gets everything returned. Write to just one person per envelope. On the return address, write your full first and last name. Initials alone break the rule.

Before mailing legal papers, books or a package, check with the jail at 304-496-1275 that these rules apply at this facility. Our letters guide adds more tips.

Belongings taken at booking get logged and locked up by jail staff. To get something before release, call 304-496-1275 and ask for help with property.

• Check if a signature from your loved one is required first.
• Find out the days and hours for pickup.
• Find out what ID you need, then bring it.

Pickups happen at 355 Dolan Drive, Augusta, WV 26704. A quick call first can spare you an empty drive.

Ring the jail at 304-496-1275 and ask to reach medical staff. Name every medicine and how much they take, and give the doctor's or pharmacy's name. Speak up about allergies, pregnancy, seizures or mental health needs.

• Have the person turn in a medical request form from inside, so the need is in writing.
• Their lawyer can raise a serious health issue in court.
• In a life-or-death emergency, dial 911.

To learn whether a warrant is out, ask the Sheriff's Office at 66 N. High Street #2, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-3894. State troopers keep a Most Wanted page that points to other wanted lists. You can also scan open cases on the no-cost Magistrate Court Record Search. It tracks court cases rather than warrants, so the clerk or the Sheriff should confirm. Step one with any warrant is a lawyer's advice. Next, contact the court that issued it. Magistrate Court: Judicial Center, 50 South High Street, Suite 3, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-4311.

Criminal cases begin before a magistrate, and felonies later shift to circuit court. Our court guide lays out each stage.

• Magistrate Court: Judicial Center, 50 South High Street, Suite 3, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-4311. A person held on a felony charge is entitled to a preliminary hearing within 10 days of first seeing the magistrate, unless it is waived (Rule 5(e)).
• Circuit Court: Circuit Clerk, 50 South High Street, Suite 157, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-5022. Indicted felonies are tried here.
• Romney city cases: call the town's court clerk at the police number, 304-822-4060.

Skipping court is a separate crime (§62-1C-17b). If the case is a felony, the penalty may be 1 to 5 years in state prison, a fine reaching $5,000, or both. For a misdemeanor, the maximum is a year in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.

The Martinsburg division of the federal Northern District of West Virginia hears these cases.

1. Court meets in the federal courthouse at 217 W. King Street, Room 102, Martinsburg, WV 25401, 304-267-8225. Its name is the W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building.
2. Early on, a federal detention hearing settles release versus jail until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142). The judge must use the least strict terms that will get them back to court and keep others safe.
3. The U.S. Marshals Service has custody of federal detainees, who can be held at a regional jail. The Martinsburg Marshals office is at 217 West King Street, Suite 113, Martinsburg, WV 25401, 304-267-7179.
4. After sentencing, look on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. Use a name or the federal register number.

These are the steps when immigration officers ask the jail to hold someone:

1. ICE hands Potomac Highlands its detainer paperwork, Form I-247A.
2. 8 CFR 287.7(d) lets the jail hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released, giving ICE time to take custody.
3. West Virginia cases go through ICE's Philadelphia Field Office, located at 114 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
4. Look for the person on the ICE Online Detainee Locator with the A-number. Lacking that, a name search with the country of birth also works.

West Virginia agencies may not adopt policies that limit help with immigration enforcement (§15-16-2). If an agency is holding a person on a detainer, §15-16-3 has it tell the bail court about it, note the detainer in the person's file and honor it "to the extent required by law". In an August 13, 2025 announcement, the Governor listed signed 287(g) agreements with ICE for WVDCR, for the State Police and for the National Guard.

After a judge hands down a prison sentence, WVDCR intake comes first. Staff classify the person, and WVDCR picks the prison that suits them. Until a bed opens, some stay at a regional jail.

• Their current location shows up when you use "Offender Search (Prisons)", found on the WVDCR Offender Search page.
• Planning a prison visit or a letter? Our West Virginia state prisons guide breaks it down prison by prison.

Juvenile court hears the case when the teen had not had an 18th birthday before the alleged offense. Officers are required to notify a parent or guardian without delay. Unless an exception applies, they must hand the teen over to that adult (W. Va. Code §49-4-705). If the teen is held, a detention hearing follows by the end of the next day. No teen is housed in an adult jail.

• Boys may stay nearby at the J.M. "Chick" Buckbee Juvenile Center, 144 Jerry Lane, Augusta, WV 26704, 304-496-1341.
• The Vicki V. Douglas Juvenile Center, 900 Emmett Rousch Drive, Martinsburg, WV 25401, 304-267-0164, takes both girls and boys.
• Call probation, 50 South High Street, Suite 4, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-4712, and ask who handles youth cases.

If the teen needs an appointed lawyer, a parent completes a financial form (§29-21-16). Moving a youth case to adult court takes the grounds set out in §49-4-710.

Roughly 23,649 people lived here in 2023, by Census Bureau estimate. Romney and Capon Bridge are its two incorporated towns. Arrests come from these offices:

• Romney Police Department, 340 E Main Street, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-4060.
• Capon Bridge Police Department, 259 Whitacre Loop, Capon Bridge, WV 26711, 304-856-2179.
• Sheriff's Office, 66 N. High Street #2, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-3894. Deputies cover every area outside the two towns, home to most residents.
• West Virginia State Police, Romney Detachment, 525 Depot Street, Romney, WV 26757, 304-822-3561.

For something that is not an emergency, the county's around-the-clock line is 304-822-6000.