In the state of Wyoming, a peace officer has the authority to arrest a person when the officer has a valid warrant for the person’s arrest, or the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that there is an active warrant out for the arrest of the person in a different state or jurisdiction.
A police officer can arrest a person in Wyoming if:
- The person has an active arrest warrant
- The person is in the act of a crime
- There is enough probable cause to merit an arrest
In the event of an active warrant in Wyoming, or any other state, the law enforcement officer involved can arrest the subject without warning and book them into jail at any time, and at any place, that they come into contact with the suspect.
If you believe that you or somebody that you know has an active arrest warrant, we recommend that you do a Wyoming warrant search to know for sure so that you can take action on your own terms.
Active Warrants in the State of Wyoming
When a person has an active or outstanding warrant in the state of Wyoming they are subject to the terms of the warrant. If it is a search warrant, officers have been instructed to search the subject or the property of the subject. If it is an arrest warrant or a bench warrant officers have been ordered to place the subject of the warrant under arrest.
Once a warrant has been officially signed and put into effect it will stay active, or ”outstanding” until it has been executed. The only other way for a warrant to be cleared is if a judge signs it off for whatever reason.
When an individual has an active bench warrant or arrest warrant, if they are aware of it, they can contact a defense attorney who will be able to assist them in the process of getting the issue cleared up.
An attorney can help by:
- Contacting the court and negotiating terms
- Finding all of the information pertaining to the warrant
- Get the warrant cleared up without an embarrassing arrest
A person that has an outstanding arrest or bench warrant should obey all of the laws and submit to the police without a fight to ensure their own safety.
What are the Main Types of Warrants in Wyoming?
There are literally hundreds of different types of warrants that the court system uses throughout the United States, but the main top three are:
- Arrest warrants
- Search warrants
- Bench warrants
Warrants are basically certified and signed documents that officially mandate action to be taken. In the event of a search warrant, the police have permission to search a suspect, in the event of a bench warrant or an arrest warrant an officer can legally handcuff the subject and take them to jail.
Warrant Records Search
Arrest Warrants in Wyoming
An arrest warrant is usually issued by a judge when the district attorney requests it after filing charges against the person named in the warrant. Having an outstanding arrest warrant in Wyoming means that the person named on the warrant will go to jail when the police apprehend them.
Some of the most common reasons that a person will have an arrest warrant issued against them are:
- An eyewitness reported the crime to the police
- The suspect’s vehicle or other property was seen at a crime scene
- An investigator found evidence linking the suspect to a crime
When a person has an active arrest warrant against them the police can aggressively search for them and hunt them down in order to make the arrest. Depending on the severity of the offense, police may call in different agencies to assist with the search.
In many cases, such as an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor, the police will not actively search for the subject but will be able to arrest them if they come into contact with an officer who checks their identification through the Wyoming warrant database.
Search Warrants in Wyoming
When an individual has an active search warrant against them, the odds are that they will never know it exists until the search happens. In an attempt to protect the integrity of a case, the search warrant is not considered public information until after it is executed.
In most cases, the only time a search warrant is put into action is when the person named on the warrant is being investigated for criminal activity and there is enough probable cause for a judge to grant a search of the person or their property.
Instances that usually will merit the issuance of a search warrant are:
- Probable cause of possession of stolen goods
- Probable cause of the possession of illegal guns or other weapons
- Probable cause of material that depicts lewd acts with children
- The probability that the subject is endangering the community
When an officer conducts a search because of a search warrant they have to be careful to execute the search in accordance with federal laws and the direction of the warrant.
For example, if a piece of evidence is located and seized from a location that is not stated in the warrant, it can be deemed illegal and suppressed from the courtroom.
If a search produces incriminating evidence and the subject is in the vicinity there is a good chance that the person will be arrested and charged for whatever crime they are being accused of.
Bench Warrants in Wyoming
When a person has a bench warrant issued it is because the judge found them to be noncompliant with a court order. The most common reasons why a judge will issue a bench warrant are situations such as:
- Person failed to show up for a court date
- Person failed to pay a fine on time
- Person failed to carry out a commitment ordered by the court
A bench warrant is signed into activity by a judge from the bench of the courtroom. When a bench warrant is put into place, it is because of an already active court proceeding that is not yet closed.
The bench warrant carries the same kind of weight as an arrest warrant in the way that when an officer becomes aware that a person has an outstanding bench warrant they can immediately place the subject in handcuffs and put them in the back of the patrol car to be hauled off to jail.
In the event that a person has an outstanding warrant, there is nothing they can do to clear it up to other than face the judge. It is not up to the arresting officers to determine whether or not the suspect is guilty of the crime.
As soon as the wheels are set into motion for the suspect to be seen in the courtroom, the case will not rest until the person named in the warrant shows up in court.
Why Do Warrant Searches?
The law enforcement agencies will not warn you or alert you in the event that you have an arrest warrant. All they want to do is see you in court, and it does not matter how you get there. What this means is that you can have a warrant out for your arrest and not even know. When you conduct a warrant search you can see for yourself, before you get arrested, whether or not you have anything to worry about. This way you can hire an attorney, or do whatever you’ve got to do to prepare for your visit to the courtroom.
***Regardless of which state you live in it is always wise to contact an attorney for any questions that you may have when it comes to warrant laws or any other legal concerns. The content found on this website is only for informational purposes and is not to be mistaken for legal advice.