Jackson Criminal Defense

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Criminal Defense Lawyer Servicing Jackson County, Georgia

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CALL NOW:  706-548-3933

Have You Been Charged with a Crime in Jackson County, Georgia? 


Criminal defense attorney Kim T. Stephens has more than twenty-five years of experience winning trials and successfully defending the rights of citizens in Jackson County, Georgia. As the cities of Commerce, famous for its Tanger Outlets, and Jefferson, home of the Amazon Distribution Center, have grown from agricultural communities to industrial and commercial hubs, the number of people charged with crimes has also increased. 

Jackson County, Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney


Nationally ranked defense attorney Kim Stephens has a winning reputation when it comes to defending people who have been charged with misdemeanor, felony, and federal crimes in Jackson county. Mr. Stephens understands that good people sometimes find themselves in difficult situations where they need a criminal defense attorney who will ensure that one mistake does not cost them their future or even their freedom. 

What to Look for in a Criminal Defense Attorney


Because criminal charges can have severe consequences on a person’s life—including loss of money, family, livelihood and even freedom—it’s important to find the right attorney to defend you. If you have been charged with a crime, you need an attorney with vast knowledge of criminal law and a successful history of trying and winning cases. The role of a good defense attorney is to aggressively fight for their clients and consistently achieve the best possible results. 

Let Nationally Ranked Defense Attorney Kim Stephens Fight for You! 


Kim Stephens has a reputation for winning serious cases and has successfully defended individuals throughout Jackson County charged with misdemeanor crimes, including DUI; as well as felony crimes, including drug crimes, trafficking charges, sex crimes, child molestation, aggravated assault and murder. When you hire Kim Stephens, he and his legal team will thoroughly investigate your case and powerfully protect your constitutional rights and defend against the charges brought against you. 

What Past Clients Say about Kim T. Stephens:

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“My husband was falsely accused, charged, jailed and looking at 25 years in prison. However, Kim Stephens used his years of experience and wisdom, and the accuser confessed to lying. Mr. Stephens recorded that confession. We will be forever grateful.”

– Client Review

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“I am beyond grateful for the work Mr. Stephens did to resolve our son’s case which resulted in dismissal of the case with no criminal record.”

– Client Review

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“My son was falsely accused of rape. I hired Kim Stephens to represent him, and it was the best decision I could’ve made. All charges were dismissed.”

– Client Review

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“I was looking at many, many years in prison, but Kim was able to help me. He never once judged me or treated me like a number. I now have a new outlook and a second chance at life. I am forever indebted to him.”

– Client Review

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“I got back to back DUIs in two different counties. Both of the DUI charges were dropped. I recommend Mr. Stephens to anyone! He saved me.”

– Client Review

If you have been charged with a crime, you need PROFESSIONAL ADVICE and a POWERFUL DEFENSE. Call Kim T. Stephens today at 706. 548. 3933 and let Georgia’s premier criminal defense firm fight for you. 

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Frequently Asked Questions


  • Who has a criminal record in Georgia?

    If you have ever been arrested, fingerprinted, and charged with any felony offense or certain misdemeanors in Georgia, an official criminal record exists. Misdemeanor offenses that will appear on your criminal history are those designated as “fingerprintable offenses” by the Attorney General of Georgia. You have a criminal record even if you did not serve time in jail or if the charges against you were dismissed.

  • How do I get a copy of my criminal history?

    When requesting a copy of your criminal history, it is important to know that there are both official and unofficial versions. The official state and national reports are provided by state and federal bureaus of investigation, and the unofficial reports are provided by private background check companies. Most of the information that follows covers how to understand and deal with your official criminal history report.

    • State of Georgia: In Georgia, official criminal history information is kept and distributed by the Georgia Crime Information Center (“GCIC”), the state agency that keeps criminal history record information. GCIC is a division of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (“GBI”). You can get a copy of your official GCIC criminal history record from most law enforcement agencies such as police departments, and sheriff’s departments for a fee.
    • National: The official national criminal history is kept and distributed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) through the Interstate Identification Index (“III”). Georgia criminal records information is pulled from GCIC’s database. This national report, known as the “III Report” is only available to the individual named in the record and to a specific list of employers and agencies.
    • Unofficial Sources: Many private companies provide background checks for a fee. The information these companies have on file may differ from the information contained in your official criminal history report. These companies’ websites allow you to request a copy of your unofficial criminal history.
  • What does my official Georgia criminal history record include?

    Your official Georgia criminal history record contains information about every incident for which you were arrested and charged with any felony offense or with certain misdemeanor offenses. It should include the final disposition and also custodial information if you were incarcerated in a Georgia correctional facility. The official Georgia criminal history may be incomplete, or it may not include the information regarding the final disposition, if the final disposition was not reported to GCIC by the law enforcement or criminal justice agency maintaining the information.

  • Can employers get my official Georgia criminal history?

    When conducting a background check for employment and licensing, there are two ways an employer can access your official Georgia criminal history record. The most common is a name-based check using your personal identifying information (i.e. full name, date of birth and/or social security number). The other method is a fingerprint-based check. For both, the employer must have your signed consent to access your criminal history record from GCIC. No consent is required, however, to access records of felony convictions.

  • How are convictions in states other than Georgia reported?

    Each state has its own laws regarding criminal history records. Eligibility for expungement, sealing, and pardons varies from state to state. If you were arrested in another state, you should contact an attorney in that state for assistance.

  • What does it mean to have a record expunged, restricted, or sealed?

    Depending on the situation, you may be eligible to have the record of a particular case restricted, which means that it will not be publicly available to any private individual, business, licensing board, etc.– that is, it won’t show up on a background check. This process used to be called “expungement” in Georgia, but they changed the name in 2013 because “expunged” makes it sound like records are being shredded, deleted, or otherwise obliterated, which is not what is going on here. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) still has the information on file, but they won’t show it to anyone but law enforcement. If anyone other than a law enforcement agency runs a criminal history check on you, restricted records will not show up. 


    When we talk about having a record sealed, we mean the “local record” of court documents and reports from the police or sheriff’s department that made the arrest. Most cases where restriction applies are also eligible for being sealed. Ideally, you’ll want to do both.

  • Does Restriction happen automatically?

    If you are arrested but no charges are brought, the arrest will be automatically removed from your criminal history in the GCIC after a certain period of time – two years for misdemeanor arrests, four for most felonies, and seven years for serious violent and sex-related felonies.

  • Why does a charge still appear on my criminal history if I wasn’t convicted?

    If you are charged with a crime but not convicted, and your case qualifies for record restriction, then the relevant arrest will be restricted by GCIC as soon as the court’s final disposition is entered into their database. “Disposition” means the document showing the final decision in the case. If you are found not guilty, the charges are dropped, or a similar outcome that qualifies, your record will be restricted as soon as the disposition is filed.

  • Can I get my whole criminal history restricted?

    Georgia law allows for restriction of records on a case-by-case basis. Applications must be done separately for each individual arrest. 

  • When can the record of a particular arrest be restricted?

    Georgia law allows for restriction of a record in three circumstances:


    1. Non-Conviction: This is exactly what it sounds like: the case ended without a conviction. This can take place in several ways: a not guilty verdict, the charges being dismissed or dropped, a prosecutor’s decision not to pursue the case, a reversed or vacated conviction, and other similar scenarios. 


    Cases with no conviction are almost always eligible for restriction, with just a couple of exceptions defined by Georgia law: 


    If a charge was dismissed due to one of the following reasons, restriction is not available:

    • You pled guilty to another charge in the case
    • You were involved in a pattern of criminal activity prosecuted in another jurisdiction
    • Key evidence against you was suppressed
    • You had some form of immunity

    If you were acquitted, but it is later determined that there was jury tampering or judicial misconduct, restriction is not available.


    2. Youthful Offenders:  Many misdemeanor convictions are eligible for restriction if the individual was under 21 years of age at the time of their conviction. If you go five years after your conviction without getting in trouble for anything beyond minor traffic tickets, and the conviction doesn’t fall under one of the categories listed below, then it is eligible for restriction. 


    Restriction is not available for convictions that fall into the following categories: 

    • Serious traffic offenses such as DUI, reckless driving, fleeing/attempting to elude, serious injury by vehicle, or vehicular homicide. 
    • Theft (but not shoplifting
    • Child Molestation or Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes
    • Pimping or keeping a place of prostitution
    • Pandering by compulsion
    • Masturbation for hire
    • Giving massages in a place used for lewd sexual acts
    • Sexual Battery
    • Sexual Assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority
    • Sexual exploitation of children
    • Electronically furnishing obscene material to, or having obscene telephone contact with, a minor
    • Child Pornography

    3. Charged with a Felony, but Convicted of an Unrelated Misdemeanor:  If you are arrested and charged with a felony, but only convicted of an unrelated misdemeanor offense in the same case, you can have the felony charge restricted. That is, if you are arrested and charged with a misdemeanor and a felony, but are only convicted of the misdemeanor, the felony arrest/charge can be restricted. This does not apply if you are convicted of a lesser version of the felony charge. 

  • If I never had to go to court, can my record be restricted?

    If you were arrested and released without ever having to go to court, the record will be automatically restricted after a certain period of time by GCIC and the arresting agency.

  • Can my record be restricted if I pled guilty under the Conditional Discharge Act?

    The Conditional Discharge Act allows for some first-time drug offenders to be released without a conviction appearing on their record if they plead guilty and successfully complete their sentence. People who are released without conviction under the Conditional Discharge Act will automatically have the record of the charges restricted as soon as they have completed their sentence. 

  • Can I have my record restricted if I completed a drug court or mental health court program?

    If you successfully complete a drug court or mental health court treatment program, the record of charges against you will be restricted five years after you complete the program, so long as you don’t get in trouble for anything beyond minor traffic offenses during that five year period.

  • Can I have a record restricted if I was sentenced to “time served” and was released?

    Being sentenced to time already served unfortunately means that you were convicted of an offense. Convictions cannot be restricted unless you meet the criteria for “youthful offender” described above.

  • Can I have a record restricted if I did an Alford Plea or pled Nolo Contendere?

    An Alford Plea happens when a defendant pleads guilty to concede that a court will likely find against them, but does not acknowledge actual guilt or fault. Nolo Contendere (“no contest”) is another type of plea that does not admit guilt. Both of these situations do still involve a conviction, though, and so are ineligible for restriction unless they fall under the youthful offender criteria.

  • Can I have a record restricted if the case was dismissed after I completed a pretrial intervention or pretrial diversion program?

    Cases where you had the charges dismissed after completing a pretrial intervention or pretrial diversion program are eligible for restriction.

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Contact Stephens & Brown Today

Contact Stephens & Brown Today

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