Complete a Free Greene County Warrant Search (Missouri)

Executing a free Greene County warrant search will confirm whether or not someone is wanted.

Access to warrant records in Greene County is possible due to Missouri’s Sunshine Laws which are based on the overarching federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Subsequently, citizens can retrieve records at the county and state levels via various methods. They can typically acquire warrant records at no cost, except when the requestor needs copies reproduced.

This article provides helpful resources such as links and contact information to official channels to find warrant data on anyone wanted in Greene County, Missouri.

An Overview of Looking Up Warrants in Greene County Missouri

Before embarking on a search for warrant records, citizens will – at the very least – need to know which county agency issued the warrant and where the subject of the search resides.

Knowing the full names of the wanted persons is important since many government databases must be queried using this data. Some agencies will also ask the requester to provide the defendant’s date of birth (DOB)—auxiliary information such as sex, race and age can help find warrant information.

As touched on before, warrant records are public information since they are part of court documents; data drawn from courts are available to citizens pursuant to Missouri’s Sunshine Law.¹ Searchers can request, scrutinize and reproduce warrant data in electronic or written form without providing a reason.

Nevertheless, some warrant records, such as search orders, are inaccessible to the general public. This is because releasing this information before executing these warrants can impede investigations and tip off suspects to destroy evidence.

In Greene County, patrons who need to find out if they or someone else is wanted can turn to two county agencies, namely the County Circuit Clerk and the sheriff’s office.^{2, 3} Citizens can also look for warrant information in local jurisdictions such as city police departments and municipalities. Requestors may find warrant records through several methods, including searching online databases, by calling, mailing, or making in-person visits to the agencies.

Several types of warrants in Missouri and Greene County are authorized for several reasons, such as not paying court fines, failure to appear for court sermons, and not paying child maintenance payments. Examples of warrants include arrest, bench and capias writs (orders). These are discussed in detail in the sections below.

How To Conduct a Greene County Warrant Search

Patrons looking to find out if they or someone else is wanted by law enforcement will need to turn to the Greene County Circuit Clerk and the sheriff’s office. These two agencies are mandated to provide warrant records to the public, who can view these records electronically or as written documents. Methods of retrieval include online, phone, mail and in-person requests.

Acquire Warrant Data from the County Circuit Clerk: Judges from Missouri’s 31st Judicial Circuit Court that serves Greene County issue and authorize warrants. The Greene County Circuit Clerk is the custodian of warrant records, which are part of court documents; patrons can view these online, by mail or by visiting the courthouse.

The Missouri Courts Judicial Branch of Government has a free online court records database accessed through CaseNet.⁴

This allows users to find records from all state judicial courts, including those in Greene County. Interested individuals can find them through several criteria, including litigant name, filing date, and case number. Select Greene County 31st Judicial Circuit from the “Search for Cases In” drop-down menu.

Use the tab for docket entries to search for warrant records. If a warrant is present on the record, information such as the reason for the issue and the date filed will be displayed.

Moreover, interested parties can elect to request copies of court records and receive them via mail or email.⁵ Each regular copy (non-certified) costs $0.25 per page and can be paid through cash, cashier’s check, credit/debit card and business check.

Requestors should expect receipt of documents in 5-7 business days. To make an application for court documents, citizens will need to complete a Greene County request for court records form and email it to [email protected], mail or deliver in person to the Circuit Clerk’s Office in Springfield (address below).⁶

Greene County Circuit Clerk’s Office
1010 North Boonville Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802

Call or email the Circuit Clerk’s Office at 417.868.4074 and [email protected] for questions and inquiries.

Check a Warrant Status via the Sheriff’s Office: The Greene County Sheriff’s Office is the primary law enforcement agency in the county and serves warrants issued by the courts.⁷

Furthermore, Missouri’s 31st Judicial Circuit recommends citizens seek warrant data from the sheriff’s office as a quicker way to retrieve this data. Patrons can view information on active warrants at no cost through an online list of wanted persons in Greene County furnished by the sheriff’s office.⁸

The information on this list includes the following data about the defendant:

• Full Names
• Age
• Warrant Type
• Bond
• Warrant Number
• Offense Description

Information on this index may not be accurate or up to date, some warrants may have been resolved. Requesters must confirm information from the database by calling the sheriff’s office at 417.829.6235, 417.868.4040, and 417.868.4830 or visiting the address below. Individuals who visit the sheriff’s office with active and outstanding warrants can be taken into custody.

Greene County Sheriff’s Office
Records & Warrant Division
5100 West Division Street
Springfield, Missouri 65802

In addition, requesters can make a Sunshine Law Request to obtain copies of police records.⁹ They may do so using the Sunshine Request Form; fees for these requests are found on the form.¹⁰ To send in the request, applicants can scan and fax the document to 417.829.6520 or email it to [email protected].

Lastly, citizens can submit an online tip anonymously on wanted persons; they may call the Crime Tip Hotline of Greene County at 417.829.6230 or Crime Stoppers at 417.869.8477.¹¹

Search for Wanted Persons in Local Jurisdictions: Interested individuals can direct their search for persons with warrants from local public agencies such as municipalities and city police departments. There are 7 cities in Greene County, with the most populated being Republic, Willard and Battlefield.

The Republic Municipal Court is a division of the 31st Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri and issues warrants and its Court Clerk has the task of maintaining court records.¹² To find out if someone is wanted, contact the Republic Municipal Court Clerk by calling 417.732.3880, emailing [email protected] or visiting the court at the address below.¹³ Inquire about the costs of document reproduction when contacting the Court Clerk.

Republic Municipal Court
540 Civic Boulevard
Republic, Missouri 65738

In addition, citizens can seek information on wanted persons from the City of Willard Municipal Court, whose clerk is responsible for court documents, warrant records included.¹⁴ Interested parties may view these frequently asked questions to find the hours of operation of the City Hall.¹⁵ Patrons may also retrieve warrant data by contacting the Battlefield Police Department.¹⁶

How Do I See Warrants Throughout the State in Missouri?

Two agencies that can provide information on individuals wanted by law enforcement agencies in the state are the Missouri Courts Judicial Branch of Government and the State Highway Patrol (MSHP).^{17, 18}

As seen earlier, the Missouri Courts Judicial Branch provides a free online tool that searches all court records in the state, CaseNet. Patrons will need to know which county issued the warrant or the subject’s county of residence. The instrument can retrieve court records by case number, litigant name and the date filed.

Citizens can contact Missouri Courts on the use of the system or if they are having issues retrieving records.¹⁹

Secondly, the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) does have a web page dedicated to its most wanted criminals.²⁰ Information on the offender includes their mugshots, names, dates of birth, and description of their crimes.

For more information on wanted persons, contact the MSHP General Headquarters at 573.751.3313; their physical and mailing addresses appear below:

Missouri State Highway Patrol
1510 East Elm Street
Post Office Box 568
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Different Kinds of Warrants & What Each Signifies

Missouri and Greene County have several types of warrants, including arrest, search and municipal writs. A warrant is a written authorization or writ that grants law enforcement authorization to detain a suspect or search a premises.

Judges issue warrants only if presented with documents showing probable cause since these apprehension orders violate the rights of citizens to be free and secure in their domiciles as per the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.^{21, 22}

These warrants are referred to as active or outstanding; they do cease to be this way once they have been executed such as the case when a defendant has been placed into custody or if the subject of the order has taken steps to resolve it by paying fines or rescheduling court dates.

Arrest Warrant: Judges issue arrest warrants and law enforcement agencies must take those affected by them into custody. Several types of arrest warrants include bench, capias and fugitive writs.

Bench Warrant: As the name infers, judges issue bench warrants from the bench to defendants who miss their court date.

Alias Warrant: Similar to bench arrest orders, alias warrants are issued to defendants who fail to appear before a judge before a plea is entered or do not respond to a citation.

Municipal Warrant: When defendants fail to appear for two scheduled court dates on several charges or do not honor a payment plan agreed upon, Municipal writs will be issued against them.

Capias Warrant: This is a form of a bench warrant typically preceded by another arrest writ. Failure to comply with a court order, such as paying a fine, will result in this warrant. Defendants at this point have either pleaded guilty or gone through court appearances and found guilty.

Civil Capias Warrant: When defendants fail to comply with multiple civil court orders, the judge will issue an apprehension order known as a civil Capias warrant.

Fugitive Warrant: Judges issue fugitive warrants out of state for suspects who may be in Greene County.

Governor’s Warrant: This type of order comes from the Governor’s Office and allows law enforcement officials to extradite a defendant to another state where they have allegedly committed a crime.

Traffic Warrant: When drivers fail to pay fines for traffic violations to the courts, traffic warrants are issued against them.

Parole & Probation Warrant: Convicted offenders under community supervision will receive parole and probation warrants when they do not honor the terms of release, particularly not reporting to their officers. This turns them into absconders and wanted persons.

Child Support Warrants: Judges may authorize child support warrants to parents behind on their child maintenance payments.

Search Warrant: Search warrants are orders that permit law enforcement officials to search a location for evidence.²³

How To Resolve a Warrant in Greene County Missouri

Active and outstanding warrants should never be ignored as they can cause convenience and embarrassment to defendants taken into custody. It is, therefore, important to quash and clear them by performing actions such as paying outstanding fines or enlisting the services of a legal representative.

In the case of acquaintances, if a citizen confirms a warrant, they should inform the wanted person as they sometimes are unaware of the apprehension order against them. In scenarios where a wanted person has been located by vigilant citizens within the community, they will need to report these defendants to law enforcement agencies.

In Greene County, the sheriff’s office allows citizens to submit a tip online for persons with warrants anonymously. In addition, patrons may also call the county’s crime tip hotline at 417.829.6230 or Crime Stoppers at 417.869.8477.

Moreover, vigilantes can report suspicious activity through the Missouri Department of Safety; patrons may submit online tips to any 3 Missouri Fusion Centers.^{24, 25} They may also submit tips using the SafeNation app, which will direct citizens to communicate with the ideal fusion center.

To resolve a warrant in Greene County, visit the Circuit Clerk’s Office, which will prepare the required paperwork beforehand as a preparation to see the judges from the Associate Courts.^{26, 27} The judges will see defendants for unscheduled cases Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 10 AM. Rescheduling court dates from these hearings will cure warrants such as bench writs.

Hiring a lawyer to help quash and resolve active warrants is advisable for cases related to the Circuit Level. If the defendant does not have legal counsel, they should still contact the Circuit Clerk’s Office. This office will also advise defendants on resolving warrants from unpaid fines and dues. Paying fines and monies owed is a viable way to solve certain warrants such as those related to traffic violations.

Sometimes, the only way to resolve a warrant is by turning oneself in. Before doing this, obtain the services of a lawyer and bond agent in case a bond is viable. Informing family members before this action is recommended.

Running a Greene County warrant search is imperative to ascertain whether someone is wanted; this resource provides helpful links to accomplish this and advises on possible ways to resolve an apprehension order.