Sumter County Bench Warrant Lookup

Bench warrants in Sumter County are issued by judges in the 5th Judicial Circuit when a person fails to appear for a court hearing or violates a court order. The Sumter County Clerk of Court and the Sheriff's Office both track and serve these warrants out of Bushnell. You can search for active bench warrants through the clerk's records system, the sheriff's office, or the statewide FDLE database. These are public records under Florida law. This page walks through how to look up bench warrants, what penalties come with them, and how to resolve an outstanding warrant in Sumter County.

Sumter County Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court in Sumter County maintains all court case files, and that includes bench warrants. The main office is at 215 East McCollum Avenue in Bushnell, Florida 33513. You can call (352) 569-6600 for questions about a case or to check on a warrant. The Sumter County Clerk website has links to court records, public records requests, and case lookup tools. Walk-in requests are taken during normal business hours. The clerk handles all filings for the 5th Judicial Circuit courts in Sumter County.

The Sumter County Clerk homepage is shown below and gives access to court records and case search tools for bench warrants.

Public records requests can be made by phone, mail, or in person at the clerk's office in Bushnell. This covers bench warrant documents, case files, and other court records. Under Florida Statute 901.02, a judge can issue a bench warrant when probable cause exists and a person has failed to comply with court orders. In Sumter County, these warrants get entered into the clerk's system as soon as the judge signs them.

Search Sumter County Bench Warrants Online

Sumter County provides online access to court records for searching bench warrants and other case information. The clerk's system lets you look up cases by name, case number, or date filed. You can check criminal, civil, and traffic case records. Results show case details like charges, filing dates, and case status. The online system gets updated on a regular schedule, so new bench warrants may take a short time to appear in Sumter County search results.

The FDLE statewide database at fdle.state.fl.us is another way to check for Sumter County bench warrants. The state system pulls warrant data from all 67 Florida counties and gets updated every 24 hours. Search by first name, last name, or date of birth. The database covers outstanding arrest warrants, failure to appear capias warrants, direct capias warrants, and violation of probation warrants. It is free to use and open to the public. FDLE does note that the data should not be used as probable cause for any arrest.

The 5th Judicial Circuit covers Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Lake, and Marion counties. Court records and warrant data are shared across all five of these counties through the circuit system. This means if you have a bench warrant in Sumter County, it will show up in searches conducted by law enforcement in neighboring circuit counties as well.

Sumter County Sheriff and Warrants

The Sumter County Sheriff's Office serves bench warrants in the county. They are at 7361 Powell Road in Wildwood, Florida 34785. You can reach them at (352) 793-2621. The sheriff's office is the primary agency responsible for locating and arresting people with active bench warrants in Sumter County. Under Florida Statute 901.04, any sheriff in the state can serve a bench warrant. That means a warrant from Sumter County can be executed in any other Florida county, and the arrest can happen at any time on any day.

If you think you have a bench warrant in Sumter County, turning yourself in is the recommended approach. Voluntary surrender at the Sumter County Jail or through the sheriff's office typically leads to better outcomes than getting arrested during a traffic stop or other routine encounter. Contact the sheriff's non-emergency line first to find out what to expect. Sumter County is home to a large portion of The Villages community, which spans multiple counties, so it is important to confirm which county actually issued your bench warrant before taking action.

Note: Bench warrants in Sumter County do not expire and stay active until the person is arrested, the judge recalls the warrant, or the subject is deceased.

Bench Warrant Penalties in Sumter County

Missing court in Sumter County creates real legal trouble. 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, carrying up to one year in jail. These charges are separate from and added on top of the original case. The bench warrant itself is a new legal matter. Sumter County judges do not overlook failure to appear, and the additional charge follows you until it is resolved.

Florida bench warrants are different from search warrants. Search warrants must be executed within 10 days under Florida Statute 933.05. Bench warrants have no time limit. A bench warrant from five years ago in Sumter County is still active and enforceable today. It will show up during a traffic stop, at the airport, or during any law enforcement contact. Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or state attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring a person before the court for sentencing or adjudication in Sumter County.

Resolving Sumter County Bench Warrants

If you discover a bench warrant in Sumter County, talk to a criminal defense attorney before you do anything else. A lawyer can review the case details and figure out the best course of action. They may file a motion to quash the warrant, which works well for old cases or less serious charges. Going to court on your own schedule is almost always better than being arrested without warning.

Ways to handle a bench warrant in Sumter County:

• Hire an attorney to file a motion to quash or recall the warrant
• Turn yourself in at the Sumter County Jail
• Contact the sheriff's office at (352) 793-2621
• Call the clerk's office at (352) 569-6600 for case status

Beware of scam calls. Real law enforcement in Sumter County will never ask you to pay over the phone to clear a bench warrant. Under Florida Statute 88.3051, a court can issue a bench warrant, capias, or writ of bodily attachment when someone does not appear after proper notice. All bench warrant records in Sumter County are public under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, the Sunshine Law. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers association connects all 67 county clerk offices through systems like eWarrants, making Sumter County warrant data available to law enforcement across the state.

Cities in Sumter County

Sumter County has several cities and towns. All bench warrants in the county are handled through the 5th Judicial Circuit Court in Bushnell. No cities in Sumter County have a population over 75,000.

Places in Sumter County include Bushnell, Wildwood, Webster, Center Hill, and Coleman. A large part of The Villages retirement community also falls within Sumter County. Bench warrants for residents of these areas are all handled at the Sumter County courthouse in Bushnell.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Sumter 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.