How to Conduct an Ohio Warrant Search

The guidelines mentioned in the U.S. Constitution shape the criminal laws in the various states. This is also the case for all search and arrest warrant laws. These laws honor the right of an individual to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures, as laid down by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Amendment specifies these aspects of a warrant: who can issue a warrant, what information shall be included in the warrant, the abilities that the warrant grants to law enforcement officials, when a warrant can be considered valid, and when the police can carry out searches or make arrests without warrants.

Like all other states, in Ohio a search or arrest warrant is issued only against a probable cause. As has been defined by the Constitution, a probable cause is a reasonable belief that a crime had been committed or is being committed and that the suspected individual was or is involved in it. This belief has to be supported by concrete evidence.

Information Available

An Ohio warrant search usually gives you this information–name of the person, his/her last known address, the nature of the crime, the mugshot of the individual, and sometimes past prison records. This information will help you confirm if a warrant has been issued in your name and run a background criminal check on suspicious persons. A background criminal check is especially important before you allow new or little known people to enter your life or property. This will ensure your safety and that of your family members and your possessions.

Accessing Ohio Warrant Records

An Ohio warrant search may be made online, for many cities and counties post such information on the county sheriff’s office official web site. However, warrant records that have been ordered sealed by the court are not accessible to the public.

You can search Ohio warrant records at the websites of the various county criminal courts or at the departments of law enforcement. For instance, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office stores records of active warrants at http://www.faycoso.com/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/warrants.html.

The Attorney General’s Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification (eSORN) database, at http://www.esorn.ag.state.oh.us/Secured/p22_2.aspx?s=MW,  contains a comprehensive list of “fugitives at large” and details of their offenses. This database is aligned to all 88 of Ohio’s county sheriff’s offices and all 32 correctional institutions.

Most of these warrant search sites also provide mugshots of the individuals who have been featured. However, when you are carrying out an Ohio warrant search, remember that the actual physical characteristics of a person may not be similar to what the mugshot represents. These differences may have been brought on deliberately by the person, by changing his hair color and style, the color of the eyes by wearing colored contact lenses, sporting facial hair, or wearing a tattoo. If there has been a considerable passage of time, his/her height and weight may have changed also.

Ohio warrant search information is issued only in the interest of public safety and you should be conservative when you are using it.