Wakulla County Bench Warrants

Bench warrants in Wakulla County are issued by judges in the 2nd Judicial Circuit when a person fails to appear for a court hearing or breaks a court order. The Wakulla County Clerk of Court and the Sheriff's Office both handle tracking and serving these warrants from Crawfordville. You can search for active bench warrants through the clerk's office, the sheriff, or the FDLE statewide warrant database. All bench warrants are public records under Florida law once served. This page explains how to look up bench warrants in Wakulla County, what penalties exist, and what you can do to resolve an outstanding warrant.

Wakulla County Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court in Wakulla County keeps all court case records, including bench warrants. The office is at 3056 Crawfordville Highway in Crawfordville, Florida 32327. You can call (850) 926-0905 for general questions about a case or to check on a warrant. The clerk handles all filings for the 2nd Judicial Circuit courts in Wakulla County. Walk-in requests are taken during normal business hours at the courthouse in Crawfordville. If you need to check on a bench warrant, the staff can look it up by name or case number.

Wakulla County is a smaller county just south of Tallahassee. The clerk's office handles a lower volume of cases than urban counties, but the same Florida laws apply to bench warrants here. Under Florida Statute 901.02, a judge can issue a bench warrant when probable cause exists and a person has failed to comply with a court order. In Wakulla County, warrants are entered into the system as soon as the judge signs them. Public records requests for bench warrant documents can be made by phone, mail, or in person at the clerk's office.

The Florida Statutes page governing warrant issuance is shown below. This law applies to all bench warrants in Wakulla County.

This statute explains the legal standard judges in Wakulla County must meet before issuing a bench warrant for failure to appear or other violations.

Search Wakulla County Warrants Online

Online court records access in Wakulla County is more limited than in larger Florida counties. For bench warrant searches online, the best resource is the statewide FDLE database at fdle.state.fl.us. The FDLE system pulls warrant data from all 67 Florida counties, including Wakulla. It gets updated every 24 hours. You can 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.

The 2nd Judicial Circuit covers Wakulla, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, and Liberty counties. Tallahassee is in this same circuit. Court records and warrant data are shared across all of these counties. If you have a bench warrant in Wakulla County, it will show up during encounters with law enforcement in Tallahassee and the surrounding area. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers association manages the CCIS and eWarrants systems that connect all 67 county clerk offices, including Wakulla County.

Note: For the most reliable bench warrant information in Wakulla County, contact the clerk directly at (850) 926-0905 rather than depending only on online databases.

Wakulla County Sheriff and Warrants

The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office serves bench warrants in the county. They are at 15 Oak Street in Crawfordville, Florida 32327. You can reach them at (850) 745-7100. Under Florida Statute 901.04, any sheriff in the state can serve a bench warrant. A warrant from Wakulla County can be executed in any other Florida county at any time on any day. There is no restriction on when an officer can act on an active bench warrant.

If you think you have a bench warrant in Wakulla County, the sheriff's office recommends turning yourself in. You can do this at the Wakulla County Jail. Voluntary surrender leads to better outcomes than being arrested during a routine traffic stop or other law enforcement encounter. Because Wakulla County is part of the 2nd Judicial Circuit with Leon County, many people with Wakulla County bench warrants get picked up by Tallahassee-area law enforcement. Calling the sheriff's non-emergency line first helps you understand what steps to take before you show up.

Wakulla County Bench Warrant Penalties

Missing a court date in Wakulla County results in new charges. Under Florida Statute 843.15, failure to appear on a felony charge is a third-degree felony. That carries up to five years in prison. Failure to appear on a misdemeanor is a first-degree misdemeanor with up to one year in jail. These new charges are added on top of the original case. The bench warrant is separate from whatever brought you to court in Wakulla County.

Florida bench warrants do not have an expiration date. This is different from search warrants, which must be executed within 10 days under Florida Statute 933.05. A bench warrant from years ago in Wakulla County is still active and enforceable today. It stays in the FCIC and NCIC databases until it is resolved. The warrant will come up during a traffic stop, at the airport, or during any encounter with law enforcement anywhere in Florida. Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or state attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring someone before the court for sentencing or adjudication in Wakulla County.

Resolving Bench Warrants in Wakulla County

If you have a bench warrant in Wakulla County, get legal advice before doing anything else. A criminal defense attorney can look at your case and plan the best approach. They may file a motion to quash the warrant. This works best for old cases or minor charges. Going to court voluntarily is almost always a better outcome than being arrested without warning at work, at home, or on the road.

To resolve a Wakulla County bench warrant:

• Hire an attorney to file a motion to quash or recall the warrant
• Turn yourself in at the Wakulla County Jail
• Contact the sheriff at (850) 745-7100
• Call the clerk at (850) 926-0905 for case status

Watch out for scam calls. Law enforcement in Wakulla 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 a person does not appear after proper notice. All bench warrant records in Wakulla County are public under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, the Sunshine Law. Anyone can request to see them without being part of the case.

Cities in Wakulla County

Wakulla County has a few small communities. All bench warrants in the county are handled through the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court. No cities in Wakulla County have a population over 75,000.

Places in Wakulla County include Crawfordville, St. Marks, Sopchoppy, and Panacea. Bench warrants for residents of these areas are handled at the Wakulla County courthouse in Crawfordville.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Wakulla 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.