Jackson County Bench Warrants

Jackson County bench warrants are issued by judges in the 14th Judicial Circuit when a person fails to show up for a court date or breaks a court order. Marianna is the county seat and home to the main courthouse. You can search for active bench warrants in Jackson County through the Clerk of Court, the Sheriff's Office, or the FDLE statewide warrant database. These are all public records under Florida law, and you can look them up by name or case number. This page covers how to check for bench warrants in Jackson County, what to do if you have one, and where to go to get it resolved.

Jackson County Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court in Jackson County keeps all court records, and that includes bench warrants. The office is at 4445 Lafayette St. in Marianna, Florida 32446. You can call (850) 482-9552 for case info. The clerk's staff can look up a bench warrant by name or case number. If you need copies of court documents, the clerk can help with that too. Public records requests go through this office under Florida's Sunshine Law, Chapter 119. All bench warrant records in Jackson County are public unless a judge has sealed the case. The clerk also handles bond payments and case filings.

Jackson County is part of the 14th Judicial Circuit, which also includes Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, and Washington counties. This matters for bench warrants because some cases may cross county lines within the circuit. A judge in the 14th Circuit can issue a bench warrant that gets served anywhere in Florida. Under Florida Statute 901.04, any sheriff in the state can serve that warrant. So a bench warrant from Jackson County follows you no matter where you go in Florida.

Search Jackson County Warrants Online

You can search for Jackson County bench warrants through the FDLE statewide database. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement runs a public warrant search tool that pulls data from all 67 counties, including Jackson. The database gets updated every 24 hours. You can search by first name, last name, or date of birth. Results show the charge type, warrant status, and issuing agency. Not every bench warrant shows up right away, though. There can be a short delay between when a judge issues a warrant and when it hits the FDLE system.

The FDLE homepage provides access to the statewide wanted persons search and other public safety tools for Jackson County residents.

The FDLE database includes several types of warrants you might find tied to Jackson County cases. These include bench warrants for failure to appear, direct capias warrants, violation of probation warrants, and fugitive warrants. Each type has a different origin, but they all result in an active arrest order.

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers association also connects all 67 county clerk offices. Their eWarrants system links police, state attorneys, clerks, judges, and sheriffs across the state. This means a bench warrant entered in Jackson County shows up in law enforcement databases statewide.

Note: Jackson County bench warrants do not expire and stay active until served, recalled by a judge, or the subject is deceased.

Jackson County Sheriff's Office

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office handles warrant service in the county. The office is at 3420 W. 5th St. in Marianna, FL 32446. You can call (850) 482-9624 for questions about warrants. Deputies in Jackson County serve bench warrants, arrest warrants, and capias warrants. The sheriff's office also books people into the Jackson County Jail when they get picked up on a bench warrant.

If you think you have a bench warrant in Jackson County, the best move is to talk to an attorney first. A lawyer can check the details of your case and may be able to file a motion to quash the warrant. Sometimes judges will recall a bench warrant if the person shows good cause for missing court. Voluntary surrender at the Jackson County Jail often leads to better outcomes than getting arrested during a traffic stop or at your home. Officers can pick you up on a bench warrant at any time, day or night.

Bench Warrant Penalties in Jackson County

Missing court in Jackson County has serious results. Under Florida Statute 843.15, failure to appear on a felony charge is a third-degree felony. That can mean up to five years in prison. Failure to appear on a misdemeanor is a first-degree misdemeanor, which carries up to one year in jail. These are new charges stacked on top of whatever you were in court for. The bench warrant itself is just the tool the judge uses to get you back into the courtroom.

Florida bench warrants work differently from search warrants. Search warrants expire after 10 days under Florida Statute 933.05. Bench warrants do not have any time limit. A bench warrant from three years ago in Jackson County is still active today. It shows up if you get pulled over, if you have any contact with law enforcement, or if someone runs a background check. The only ways to clear it are through arrest, a judge recalling it, or a motion to quash filed by your attorney.

Note: Under Florida Statute 88.3051, a court can issue a bench warrant or writ of bodily attachment when someone fails to appear after proper notice in Jackson County.

Resolving Jackson County Bench Warrants

There are several ways to deal with an active bench warrant in Jackson County. The first step is to find out if the warrant is real. You can check through the FDLE database, call the clerk at (850) 482-9552, or contact the sheriff's office. Once you confirm the warrant exists, talk to a criminal defense attorney. Many lawyers in the Marianna area handle these cases.

To resolve a bench warrant in Jackson County, you can:

• Hire an attorney to file a motion to quash or recall the warrant
• Turn yourself in at the Jackson County Jail
• Contact the sheriff's office at (850) 482-9624
• Call the clerk at (850) 482-9552 for your case status
• Appear at the courthouse in Marianna during business hours

Watch out for scam calls. Real law enforcement in Jackson County will never ask you to pay over the phone to clear a bench warrant. No gift cards, no wire transfers, no prepaid cards. If someone calls and tells you to pay money right now to avoid arrest, hang up. Call the clerk's office or the sheriff's non-emergency line to verify. Under Florida Statute 901.02, a judge must sign a valid bench warrant. It does not come through a phone call asking for money.

Jackson County Warrant Records Access

Bench warrants in Jackson County are public records. Anyone can request them. You do not need to be involved in the case. Florida's Sunshine Law makes court records open to the public, with some limits for juvenile cases and sealed records. The clerk's office can provide copies of bench warrant documents, case files, and court orders. There may be a small copy fee for printed documents.

Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or the state attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring a person before the court. In Jackson County, this process happens when the court needs someone present for sentencing or adjudication. A direct capias works much like a bench warrant. It orders law enforcement to bring the person to court. The difference is in how it gets started, but the end result is the same. You get arrested and brought before the judge.

Cities in Jackson County

Jackson County has several communities including Marianna, Graceville, Sneads, Cottondale, Grand Ridge, Malone, Greenwood, Campbellton, and Jacob City. All bench warrants in the county are handled through the 14th Judicial Circuit Court in Marianna. None of these cities meet the population threshold for a dedicated page, but all bench warrant matters go through the Jackson County courthouse.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Jackson County. Make sure your bench warrant is in the right county before you take action. Each county has its own clerk and sheriff that handle warrants.