Outstanding warrants from West Virginia are pending orders for detention that could not be served for one or the other reason. In essence, there is no difference between a detention decree that has been freshly issued and arrest warrants that have languished in the police databases for years. Time does not impact the powers of such orders in any sense.
West Virginia active warrants are issued in conformance with state laws and federal statutes and as such, it is mandatory for the magistrate to establish probable cause before granting an arrest warrant to the police. To make this determination, the judiciary has to rely on the information furnished by the police. The department of the sheriff files a written notification with the bench.
This affidavit is closely studied to ensure that the evidence collected can stand legal scrutiny in the latter stages of the trial. Although there is no need to prove guilt at this point, cops do have to show that based on the proof alone one can make the assumption that a criminal act did occur and that it involved the accused. The evidence required for this can be hearsay in part and whole and it will usually be presented by the prosecuting attorney.
The execution of WV outstanding warrants
In order to serve these detention decrees, cops are given special powers including the authority to access any property or part of the county in which the arrest warrant is issued. In fact, police officers may even cross the county lines to apprehend an accused. Unlike subpoenas and summons, active warrants from WV can only be served by officers of the law.
They are allowed to use any means of force required to take the suspect into custody. This includes forcibly entering a property owned by the accused, arresting him from a public place including roads, handcuffing the offender and the use of pepper sprays, stun guns, etc. Often, arrest warrants issued locally get served outside the issuing county and law enforcement agencies from other parts of the state and the country are summoned to help out in the capture of the accused.
How can you find information on WV outstanding warrants?
Although crime history data has been made accessible to the general public under the FOIA of the state, you can only access such details with a consent form from the subject. Morpho Trust centers are now being used under contract from State Police for the dissemination of crime history records.
To schedule an appointment for the inquiry, you can go to their website at https://www.identogo.com/ or you can call them on 855-766-7746. Another way to use state sources of information on criminal records is to simply walk in to the nearest police precinct or the magistrate’s court. They will also provide information on WV arrest records and outstanding warrants for a fee. If you are also interested in civil court dockets along with criminal information, you should connect with the office of the county clerk.
There is also another online option to look for details on WV outstanding warrants. Some counties furnish information on their most wanted criminals online. These lists are usually put up on the websites of the sheriffs’ departments. Some areas of WV where this facility is provide are:
- DEA: https://www.dea.gov/fugitives/wdo/wdo_div_list.shtml
- Huntington City, Cabell County: http://www.hpdwv.com/most_wanted.php
- Hampshire County: http://www.hampshirecountysheriffwv.com/wanted.html
- Charleston City, Kanawha County: http://www.charlestonwvpolice.org/most-wanted.html
- Monongalia County: http://www.monsheriff.com/wanted.html
- Randolph County: http://www.rcsowv.org/
- Writ County: http://wirtcountysheriff.com/