Information on Michigan Bench Warrant

A bench warrant is one that is issued if one fails to follow the order of the court of law.  If the court issues a bench warrant against an individual, then he or she can be arrested by the law enforcement agencies at any point of time.  The individual is literally made to appear in front of the judge who has issued the bench warrant against his or her name. Bench warrants are issued on instances of contempt of court or for not following its orders.  The penalties imposed for the contempt of court can land you up in big trouble.  Like all other states, Michigan bench warrants are issued by the judges of the court and put into effect by the law enforcement authorities.

Michigan Bench Warrant Issuance:

A Michigan bench warrant can be issued against an individual who fails to turn up before the judge at the time of a show cause hearing.  It may also come with an order of paying a bond amount. Inability to pay the amount may end up with the defaulter serving a prison term. Information regarding bench warrants is updated on to the MiCSES or the statewide support computer system.  MiCSES furnishes updated information on the LEIN or the Law Enforcement Information Network at regular intervals in order to keep the law enforcement officials informed about the bench warrants.

Bench warrant is a kind of arrest warrant but it does not always work the other way round. An individual may be booked for possessing drugs or even for drunk driving. This makes it evident that the individual would have to appear before the judge on the date mentioned in the court notice. If the individual fails to do so, a bench warrant is issued against that individual. The bench warrant serves as an official judicial order directing the court to arrest an individual.

The state of Michigan is divided into different judicial districts. Each of these judicial districts has a district court of their own. For example, the 24th District Court http://www.24thdiscourt.org/index.htm  has a separate warrant division that is responsible for the issuance of warrants. The 24th Judicial District court may issue a warrant in case an individual receives a citation from the law enforcement authorities and fails to conform to the orders. The warrant is valid throughout the state and the individual can be picked up by any official from the law enforcement department. For more information on warrants for this region, you can contact the Warrant Division of the 24th Judicial District at 313 928 0535 or 229 from 8.30 in the morning to 4.30 in the evening during all weekends.  You can also mail them to 24th District Court, 6515 Roosevelt Road, Allen Park, Michigan  48101.

Michigan Bench Warrant Form

You can view the Michigan bench warrant form at the following link http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/courtforms/general/mc229.pdf . The original form is to be retained by the police while a copy is submitted in the court. The form needs to bear the full name of the individual against whom it is been issued along with the specific reasons for issuing a bench warrant.  It may be issued upon not being able to appear before the court of law, for violating a probation clause or for contempt of court.

A Michigan bench warrant can also be issued if one fails to comply with the decision on a civil infraction case. In cases of Remote Hearings on Support and Parenting Time Bench Warrants, the 6th judicial circuit issues the order in compliance to Michigan Court Rule 3.221.  This order facilitates better communication between the various judicial circuits and the friend of the court for furnishing evidence in  the court by which the bench warrant was issued and the circuit from which the individual is arrested. This is enabled by communication over phone, facsimile and e-mails. The MiCSES is also used to transfer information. Information exchange has also been enabled through audio-visual communication.