Most people imagine being arrested is like they see in the movies – – handcuffs, restraints, etc. However, an officer need not even handcuff you to make a valid arrest. An arrest occurs when your liberty and freedom are significantly restrained by the officer’s authority to detain you. While officers may make some arrests without an arrest warrant, it is preferred that the officer get a warrant before making the arrest. Exceptions include if the suspect would flee while the officer is getting the arrest warrant or if the public may be harmed by waiting. If you want to search for outstanding warrants in Washington County, you should begin with the Sheriff’s Office.
Outstanding warrants are handled by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office which serves arrest warrants for the county. Once an arrest warrant is issued, it is transferred to the Sheriff’s Office for process and service. Therefore, to search for active warrants, you should go to the Sheriff’s Office at 420 South Johnstone Avenue, Bartlesville, OK 74003. The Sheriff’s Department can also assist you with criminal background checks since the office maintains all arrest records for the county.
Also located in the county courthouse with the Sheriff’s Office is the Court Clerk for the Washington County District Court. This would be the place for you to search for criminal court records and arrest warrants issued by the court. These court cases can help you with your warrant search. The office is also located on South Johnstone Avenue in Bartlesville, OK. While the staff is not permitted to offer legal advice on any court cases or arrest warrants, they are permitted to explain how to search for cases and assist you with obtaining copies of court documents.
How do you contact Washington County officials to inquire about active warrants and recent arrests? (2021-current)
- Call the Washington Jail at (918) 332-4011 when seeking details on arrests and inmates.
- Contact the Sheriff’s Office at (918) 332-4000 when seeking answers to general questions.
- Contact the agency at (918) 338-4001 when seeking arrest records and police reports.
- Contact the courthouse at (918) 337-2885 when you need to know about arrest warrants.
- Call the District Attorney’s Office at (918) 337-2860 when you need victim’s assistance.
- Contact the Clerk of Court’s Office at (918) 337-2870 when you want to know how to seek judicial records.
Washington County, OK crime statistics
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received 1347 criminal complaints in 2017, which included 1,259 non-person crimes and 88 violent crimes.
The non-person crimes category included 828 larceny thefts, 309 burglaries, and 111 motor vehicle thefts. The violent crimes category included 70 aggravated assaults, Washington 177 rapes and 10 robberies.
Older crime statistics
Even though there were nearly 15,400 crimes reported in Washington County from 1999 through 2008, the overall crime rate dropped. Roughly 8% of the crimes committed during this time were violent in nature, including 5 murders, 153 rapes, and 983 assaults. However, the most common type of crime committed in Washington County was theft-related. There were over 10,000 thefts reported and almost 3,000 burglaries reported between 1999 and 2008.