Colleton County Public Sex Offender Registry
Colleton County is a large, rural county in the coastal Lowcountry of South Carolina, with Walterboro as the county seat. The Colleton County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Guerry L. "Buddy" Hill, Jr., manages all sex offender registration functions for the county. The office is located at 394 Mable T. Willis Blvd. in Walterboro. Online services from the Sheriff's Office include judicial case search, sex offender search, and Crime Stoppers. Residents can access the full registry of registered sex offenders in Colleton County through the SLED Online Registry Tool, which provides free public access to names, addresses, photographs, and offense details for all persons required to register under state law.
Colleton County Quick Facts
Colleton County Sheriff's Office
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office is at 394 Mable T. Willis Blvd., Walterboro, SC 29488. The main phone number is 843-549-2211. Sheriff Guerry L. "Buddy" Hill, Jr. leads the agency. The Colleton County Detention Center, a medium-security facility, is located at 22 Klein St in Walterboro and can be reached at 843-549-5742. The detention center houses pretrial detainees and persons serving shorter sentences in Colleton County.
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office provides online services including judicial case search, sex offender search, and Crime Stoppers access. These tools make it easier for residents to check records and report tips from home.
An online inmate search portal is available through the Colleton County Sheriff's inmate portal, which allows searches for current and recently released detainees held in the local detention center. This can help determine whether a person of concern is still in local custody or has been released.
Walterboro also has its own police department, led by Chief Wade Marvin, at 242 Hampton St, Walterboro, SC 29488. The Walterboro Police Department can be reached at 843-549-1811 for matters within the city limits. Sex offender registration for all of Colleton County, including Walterboro, is handled through the Sheriff's Office.
How to Search Colleton County Sex Offenders
The Colleton County SLED Online Registry Tool is the official public database for registered sex offenders in the county.
You can search by name, ZIP code, city, or interactive map. Each result displays the offender's legal name, any known aliases, the registered address, a current photograph, the nature of the qualifying offense, and the tier classification. All of this information is public under South Carolina law and available without charge.
The National Sex Offender Public Website is a useful complement for those who want to check whether someone has a prior registry history in another state. It searches all 50 state databases and U.S. territories simultaneously. This tool does not replace the South Carolina SORT tool but works alongside it when out-of-state history is a concern.
Note: SORT reflects the most recently reported registration information. Brief gaps between an address change and its appearance in the database can occur when an offender has just filed an update.
Crime Stoppers for the Colleton County Region
Colleton County is part of a regional Crime Stoppers program serving Allendale, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties. The tip line for this region is 843-554-1111. Anyone who has information about a suspected registration violation, a sex offender living at an undisclosed location, or other criminal activity in Colleton County can call this number to leave an anonymous tip. Crime Stoppers tips can lead to warrants and arrests without the caller ever being identified.
This regional model means Colleton County residents have an additional reporting channel beyond the Sheriff's Office. Both routes are appropriate for reporting sex offender concerns. The tip line is available around the clock and does not require you to give your name.
Registration Requirements Under State Law
Sex offender registration in South Carolina is governed by the Sex Offender Registry Act at Title 23, Chapter 3 of the SC Code of Laws. Every person convicted of a qualifying offense must register with the sheriff of the county where they reside. In Colleton County, all registrations take place at the Sheriff's Office on Mable T. Willis Blvd.
Offenders released from the South Carolina Department of Corrections must register within one business day of release. Those who move to Colleton County from another county have ten days to complete registration with the local Sheriff's Office. Any address change within Colleton County must be reported within three business days of the move.
Tier levels determine how often an offender must verify their address. Tier I offenders check in once a year. Tier II offenders check in every six months. Tier III offenders check in every 90 days, and this requirement never expires. There is no provision under current state law that allows a Tier III offender to be removed from the registry or to reduce their verification schedule.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division maintains the statewide database that powers the SORT tool and supports local agencies with training and technical resources. SLED also conducts its own investigations when registration violations cross county or state lines.
Penalties for Registration Violations
Failing to register or maintain current registration information is a criminal offense. A first violation is a misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum sentence of 90 days in jail. A second violation carries a mandatory minimum of one year. A third violation is a felony with a minimum sentence of five years in prison. These minimums cannot be suspended or reduced by a judge.
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office monitors compliance through scheduled verification appointments and periodic field checks. When an offender fails to appear for a verification or is discovered living at an address other than what is registered, an arrest warrant can be issued. The Sheriff's Office coordinates with SLED and neighboring jurisdictions to track down offenders who attempt to evade compliance.
The South Carolina Attorney General's Office can support local enforcement efforts in cases involving persistent non-compliance or offenders who have left the state to avoid registration obligations.
Note: Colleton County offenders who move out of state are still required to notify the Colleton County Sheriff's Office within three business days and must comply with registration requirements in their new state of residence.
Residency Restrictions
Section 23-3-535 of the SC Code bars certain registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare center, or similar facility where children are regularly present. Colleton County, with its rural character and spread-out communities, still enforces this restriction fully. The Sheriff's Office checks address compliance at registration and during all verification appointments.
The SC Code at Title 23 details the full scope of the residency restriction, including which offenses trigger it and how proximity is measured.
Residents can access public records including sex offender registry data under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act at Title 30, Chapter 4 of the SC Code. A formal FOIA request to the Colleton County Sheriff's Office or to SLED can yield registry information that goes beyond what the SORT tool provides online.
Cities in Colleton County
Walterboro is the county seat and the largest city in Colleton County. Other communities in the county include Lodge, Smoaks, and Islandton. All areas within Colleton County fall under the sex offender registry administered by the Colleton County Sheriff's Office, regardless of whether they are inside an incorporated city limit or in a rural unincorporated zone.
Nearby Counties
Colleton County borders Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley, Allendale, Hampton, and Beaufort counties. Residents near county boundaries may want to search neighboring registries as well, since sex offenders can be registered in one county while spending significant time in adjacent areas.