Pursuant to the Criminal Code of state, section 544.20, a Missouri active warrant will be issued by an associate circuit judge when a complaint is made in writing or on oath which sets forth that a felonious incident has occurred and offers the name of the perpetrator thereof. If the magistrate can find probable cause, he/she is legally obligated to issue an order which recites the accusation and commands law enforcement officers to take the accused into custody.
Such a judicial directive is known as an arrest warrant and it can be issued to police officers who are present in court at the time of the pre-warrant hearing or transmitted to the requesting authority via electronic means or facsimile. Arrest warrants are aimed at police officers and other law enforcement agents from the state of MO as well as the rest of the country. These orders can be served within the geographic bounds of the state and elsewhere as commanded by the magistrate.
The execution of Missouri outstanding warrants
Warrants are said to be served when arrests are made under the provisions of the order. These custodial detentions can occur by way of surrender or capture. The arrestee is held in judicial custody till such time that he can fulfill the bond requirements for release stated on the warrant, if this facility has been granted or stand before a magistrate for a bail hearing in which the judge will decide if the detainee can be allowed to walk.
Arrest records and information pertaining to criminal history in general including details on the issue of all active warrants from Missouri is maintained by multiple state agencies that are involved in justice processes. For instance, within the county, this information is kept by the court of the magistrate that issues the orders, the sheriff’s department that requests the release of these directives and serves them as well as by the office of the county clerk.
Initiating a warrant search in Missouri
Among the simplest way to initiate a warrant search is to look for lists of arrest orders that are often posted on the sheriffs’ websites of various counties. Although not an inquiry by name or subject information per se, if the person in question was ever involved in a heinous crime, you are likely to find his name in these lists. Some of the urls that you can visit for information on arrest warrants and most wanted criminals include:
- Greene County: http://www.greenecountymo.org/sheriff/warrants.php. You can also contact the sheriff’s office on 417 868 4040 for more information.
- St. Francois County: http://www.sfcsd.org/awf.htm
- Countrywide arrest warrants list offered by St. Francois county sheriff’s office: http://www.sfcsd.org/awm.htm
- Platte County: http://www.plattesheriff.org/warrants/warrantsearch.html .
- Daviess County: http://www.daviesscountysheriff.com/activelocalwarrants.htm
- Cass County: http://www.cassmosheriff.org/warrants.php
- Callaway County: http://www.callawaysheriff.org/warrant.php
Another option to find information on arrest warrants from Missouri is to look through the court dockets database maintained by the judicial administration office on their website. Case.net is an internet based system for looking up information held by the state judiciary. The automated repository can be used to find details on involved parties, case records, judgments, docket entries, any charges filed against the defendant and more.
As long as the information you are looking for is made available publicly, you can find it through this website at https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do. You can also visit the office of the court administrator in your quest for crime history data. The agency works out of 3425 West Truman Blvd, Jefferson City, MO 65109.