Kent County Booking Releases

Kent County booking releases come from the Sheriff's Office and Detention Center in Chestertown on Maryland's Eastern Shore. This is one of the state's smallest counties, with roughly 19,000 residents. The sheriff runs both law enforcement and the jail from a single location at 104 Vickers Drive. Kent County does not post an online inmate roster. You can check booking releases by calling the detention center, using VINELink, or searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search system. A formal records request under the Maryland Public Information Act is also an option for more detailed booking data.

Kent County Sheriff and Detention Center

The Kent County Sheriff's Office handles all booking releases in the county. The sheriff serves as both the chief law enforcement officer and the operator of the local jail. Both offices share the same address and phone number. Call 410-778-6025 to ask about a specific booking or current inmate status. Staff can confirm if someone is in custody, tell you about charges filed, and give you basic booking details over the phone.

The detention center sits at 104 Vickers Drive in Chestertown, MD 21620. It is a small facility. As of March 2026, the jail held 119 inmates. About 89% are male and 11% are female. The largest age group is 25 to 30 years old, making up 26% of the total population. The 41-to-45 age group accounts for 14%, and the 36-to-40 range sits at 13%. The average daily population runs around 152 inmates, which is higher than the current count at any given time because of turnover from new bookings and releases each week.

Kent County does not have an online roster. This is common for smaller Maryland counties. If you need to check on booking releases after hours, use VINELink or wait until the next business day to call the jail.

How to Search Kent County Booking Releases

There are a few ways to look up booking releases in Kent County. The fastest is a phone call. Dial the detention center at 410-778-6025 and ask about a specific person. Staff will confirm custody status during normal hours. You do not need to give a reason for your call under Maryland law.

VINELink is a free tool that works for Kent County. It is a national victim notification system, but anyone can use it to search for inmates. You can check custody status, see facility info, and sign up for release alerts. This is helpful when the jail is closed or you cannot reach someone by phone. The VINELink phone line for Maryland is 1-866-MD4VINE (1-866-634-8463). It runs around the clock, so you can call at any time to check on Kent County booking releases.

The Maryland Judiciary Case Search covers court records tied to booking releases across all counties, including Kent. You can search by name to find criminal cases in both District Court and Circuit Court. The system shows charges, case numbers, and court dates. It does not show real-time jail status, but it links booking releases to the court process. Use the % symbol for partial name searches.

Records Requests for Kent County Bookings

If you need copies of booking documents from Kent County, submit a request under the Maryland Public Information Act. General Provisions Article § 4-201 gives you the right to inspect public records held by county agencies. You do not need to explain why you want them. Send your request to the Kent County Sheriff's Office at 104 Vickers Drive, Chestertown, MD 21620.

Under § 4-203, the sheriff has 30 days to respond. The first two hours of search time are free per § 4-206. After that, fees vary. Standard copies cost about $0.25 to $0.50 per page in most Maryland counties. Kent County follows the same general fee structure. If you cannot pay, you can file an Affidavit of Indigency to ask for a waiver. Some booking release records may be partially redacted under § 4-301 if they involve active investigations or sealed juvenile cases under Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-8A-27.

Kent County Circuit Court Records

The Kent County Circuit Court is in the courthouse in Chestertown. Call 410-778-6600 for court-related questions. Circuit Court handles felony cases, serious misdemeanors, and appeals from District Court. If a booking release leads to criminal charges, the case file will show up in the Circuit Court system and on the Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal.

Court records include the charging document, bail information, hearing dates, and disposition. These are separate from jail booking records but closely tied to them. Under Criminal Procedure § 10-221, criminal history record information is available to the public unless it has been expunged or shielded. Kent County Circuit Court cases go back several years in the online system. For older records, you may need to visit the clerk's office in person or submit a written request.

Other Ways to Find Kent County Booking Releases

JailExchange maintains a page for Kent County with jail information, contact details, and links. It is a third-party site, not an official government source. But it can be a useful starting point if you need quick access to the detention center's phone number or address. JailExchange also lists visiting hours and general facility rules for Kent County.

The DPSCS Incarcerated Individual Locator is worth checking too. It covers state-level facilities in Maryland. If someone from Kent County has been transferred to a state prison after sentencing, they will show up in that system. Search by name, DOC number, or SID number. The locator shows housing location and sentence details but does not cover short-term jail bookings at the county level.

The PIA Compliance Board at the Attorney General's office can help if you run into problems getting Kent County booking releases. They handle complaints when agencies do not respond to public records requests within the required timeframe.

Clearing Kent County Booking Records

Some booking releases in Kent County can be removed from public view. Expungement under Criminal Procedure § 10-301 through § 10-306 covers charges that were dismissed, acquitted, or dropped. You must wait for the statutory period to pass before you can file. The process starts at the Circuit Court in Chestertown.

Maryland's Second Chance Act, found in Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-1301 through § 3-1303, lets certain first-time misdemeanor convictions be shielded from public search after three years. Shielded records stay in the system but do not appear on most public searches. This affects how Kent County booking releases show up in the Case Search database and in local records held by the sheriff.

Nearby Counties

Kent County sits on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. These neighboring counties also handle their own booking releases through local detention centers.