Please fill in the form below to begin your Warrant search
Please fill in the form below to begin your Warrant search
Grounds for indictment, the importance of probable cause, and the conditions for the issue of an arrest warrant are defined by section 35-33-2-1 of the Indiana Penal Code. Pursuant to this law, if an indictment is filed against a person and if the police have not already detained him or are not otherwise in judicial custody, the magistrate is to issue an active warrant in his name immediately.
In case of an indictment, even when an application for such a warrant has not been submitted, and probable cause cannot be verified, the tribunal shall still order the arrest of this person. However, if the prosecution has not sought an indictment, the police can file a court petition for an arrest order.
For the issue of a warrant in such a scenario, the proof presented before the magistrate and any witness testimony available must be enough to ascertain probable cause before a warrant can be granted to the cops. Simply put, the conditions laid down by this code for the issue of a detention directive can be summed up as follows- No arrest warrant can be issued in the state of Indiana unless:
Not only active orders for arrest but also search warrants have to be based on the establishment of probable cause. In contrast, bench warrants can be issued without the police having to file an affidavit in court. Because these decrees are issued when the defendant fails to honor a court order, the warrant can be issued on the knowledge of the magistrate that a criminal act has been committed.
An outstanding warrant from Indiana will have a fixed format and will include information about the issuing entity and the person to be arrested. In terms of the former, the warrant will have a mention of the county and the date on which the order was issued along with the signature of the magistrate and a clear indication of the fact that the directive has been issued on behalf of the state of Indiana.
As far as the arrestee goes, the document will contain information that will help cops to apprehend him like the name of this person, any discerning traits like tattoos, etc, address, gender, and race. Apart from this, the charges that are being sought against this individual will also be stated in the arrest warrant. Finally, the document will have an explicit order directed at law enforcement officials to arrest the person in question.
Like other judicial orders issued by the Indiana tribunals, such as search warrants and bench orders for arrest, a summons differs widely from an arrest directive issued in a criminal case. The most striking difference between these two judicial provisions is that a summons is an order to the defendant to appear in court while a warrant is an order issued to the cops to apprehend the suspect and bring him before the bench.
Generally, it is the norm for a summons to be issued if the affiant is not a police officer. However, if the defendant fails to obey the summons and shows up in court, a warrant will promptly be issued on its heels.
You can find arrest records on cases that have already resulted in conviction through the Indiana DOC website or the list of the most wanted for your county. However, getting your hands on information pertaining to active and outstanding warrants can be slightly tricky. Although Indiana is an open record state, only information that is part of the public domain is disseminated in response to a civilian inquiry.
If you need to find information on past arrests and warrants, the Department of Corrections website provides an inmate locator tool that can help you find individuals in state correctional facilities. You can search by last name or both first and last names to refine your results. It’s recommended to use both names when possible. If you have the Department of Corrections (DOC) number of the person you’re looking for, using it will speed up the search process. Visit the Department of Corrections website to access this tool.
For information on background checks and crime history including arrests, you will have to approach the Indiana State Police. At this time, the agency offers a name-based search which can be initiated by sending a completed request form through mail or by using their online service. To download the form, go to the official website of the Indiana State Government here and send a $7 check with the completed form to Criminal History Limited Check, PO Box 6188, Indianapolis, IN 46206. To use their online tool, you can visit the Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History Request Service. here.
If you are interested in court records from civil or criminal tribunals, it would help to go to the clerk of the court’s office. This department handles the court dockets, and through these written session transcripts, you can find details on all legal provisions, including arrest warrants issued in Indiana.