Roanoke County Bench Warrants

Roanoke County bench warrants are court orders that tell police to bring a named person before a judge. This page covers Roanoke County, which is a separate place from the City of Roanoke and has its own police department and courts. Most bench warrants get issued after a missed court date. To search for a case or check on an open capias, the Roanoke County Police Department and the Circuit Court Clerk in Salem are your main stops. The county police also post an Outstanding Warrant List you can search by last name.

Roanoke County Bench Warrants Basics

Note up front: Roanoke County is not the same as the City of Roanoke. The county surrounds the city and has its own Police Department, Circuit Court, and General District Court. The county seat is in Salem, which is also its own independent city with its own courts. A bench warrant is a signed order from a judge that tells police to arrest a person and bring them to court. Judges in Roanoke County sign these orders when a defendant fails to show up for a hearing, ignores a subpoena, or breaks a term of release. The formal name in Virginia is a capias, as set out in Va. Code § 19.2-128.

If the missed date was tied to a misdemeanor, failure to appear is a Class 1 misdemeanor. If it was tied to a felony, it becomes a Class 6 felony. Roanoke County bench warrants do not expire on their own. They stay open until the person is picked up or the judge recalls them. A warrant from years ago can still be live today.

Note: Virginia's failure to appear rule is strict, and Roanoke County judges rarely let a missed date slide without a new warrant.

Roanoke County Police Outstanding Warrant List

Unlike most rural counties, Roanoke County has a Police Department rather than a Sheriff as its main law enforcement arm. The Roanoke County Police Department publishes an Outstanding Warrant List on its website. The list is updated periodically and is available in Adobe PDF format. You can search the list by last name to find people with active warrants in Roanoke County. The department works to locate and apprehend people with outstanding warrants.

You can view the county site at roanokecountyva.gov for the latest warrant list and phone numbers. If you see your own name on the list, call a Virginia defense lawyer before you take any other step. Many people in Roanoke County meet with a lawyer first, then turn themselves in so bond can be set the same day.

The Sheriff's Office in Roanoke County handles court security and civil process rather than general law enforcement. The Police Department runs patrol, investigations, and warrant service. Records requests for warrant info can be sent to either office.

Roanoke County Warrant List Image

The Roanoke County Police Department is the main place to check on a Roanoke County bench warrant. You can view the county site at roanokecountyva.gov for the Outstanding Warrant List and department info.

The county site links to the Police Department, Circuit Court Clerk, and other offices that handle warrant records in Roanoke County.

Roanoke County Circuit Court Records

The Roanoke County Circuit Court is the court of record for felony cases and civil litigation. When a judge issues a capias, the Clerk logs it in the case file. You can visit the courthouse in Salem to view most case records during work hours. Felony warrant files are public unless a judge sealed part of the record. Appeals from lower courts are heard here.

For cases in the General District Court, the same judge can sign a bench warrant for a missed traffic date or missed misdemeanor hearing. Both courts use the Virginia Courts Case Information system. The free tool shows party name, charge, next hearing, and case status.

You can search Virginia court cases at vacourts.gov/caseinfo/home and pick Roanoke County from the court list. Be sure to pick the county and not the City of Roanoke or the City of Salem. The Virginia Judicial System Self-Help portal at selfhelp.vacourts.gov walks you through how to find a case by name or case number.

Under Va. Code § 19.2-76, the officer making the arrest must endorse the date of service on the warrant and return it to the court. That date matters for bond and the speedy trial clock.

Online Warrant Lookup Tools

Roanoke County is one of the few Virginia localities with its own published Outstanding Warrant List, so you can check names from home. For the full statewide picture, use the state case search site. It covers General District Courts and Circuit Courts across Virginia. You can search by name, case number, or hearing date. The Virginia Department of Corrections also runs a Most Wanted list at vadoc.virginia.gov for parole absconders.

The Virginia State Police runs formal criminal history checks by mail under Va. Code § 19.2-389. You use form SP-167. The fee is $15 for a name check. The form must be notarized. This is the most thorough way to find out if a person has any open capias across Virginia, not just in Roanoke County.

For an overview of the full state system, the Virginia State Records page at explains how bench warrants are issued and served.

FOIA and Public Records in Roanoke County

Warrant records in Roanoke County are public under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, found at Va. Code § 2.2-3700 and following. The law says a public body must answer a FOIA request within five working days. If that is not workable, the office gets seven more days to reply.

Send your FOIA request to the Roanoke County Police Department or to the Circuit Court Clerk, depending on which records you need. Put it in writing. List the records you want. Include a way for them to reach you. Small fees may apply for copies.

Some records will not be released. Juvenile warrants are not public. Warrants tied to active investigations can be held back. Items that would give up a confidential source are also kept out of public view.

Note: Destroyed warrant files fall under Va. Code § 19.2-76.1, which lets the Circuit Court order destruction of unexecuted warrants after three years in some cases.

What to Do If You Have a Warrant

If you think you have a Roanoke County bench warrant, act fast. A warrant does not go away on its own. Every traffic stop is a risk. The safest first step is to call a Virginia defense lawyer and talk through your case.

Many people can get the warrant recalled by filing a motion to put the case back on the docket. The judge may ask for the reason for the missed date. If the reason was solid, the court can drop the failure to appear charge. You can find a local attorney through the Virginia State Bar referral service or through local legal aid.

You can also turn yourself in at the Roanoke County Police Department. A magistrate will set bond. Under Va. Code § 19.2-76, the officer taking you in must bring you before a judicial officer right away.

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