In Wells County, arrest warrants are issued when the police file an affidavit in court for such decrees. Although an active warrant is legally described as a judicial order, the court cannot give such a directive without input from the sheriff’s office.
This is understandable because one of the primary requirements for active warrants in Wells County is the establishment of probable cause. To ensure that there is enough evidence against the person in question to accuse him of a criminal act, the sitting magistrate needs case related facts, and the police furnish these in their writ.
It is imperative to understand that while the proof does not have to be conclusive at this stage, a warrant will not be issued based only on the investigating officers’ assumptions. In simple words, there has to be some merit to the complaint filed by the cops for the issue of a warrant.
A proper pre-warrant trial is held before a warrant is handed to the police; this involves deputies from the sheriff’s office, the county clerk’s department, and the office of the magistrate. The court clerk records all details presented in the tribunal and keeps this information in the court dockets for Wells County.
This is how all three justice agencies get their hands on information about active and outstanding warrants. Hence, when you need to get a warrant search done in Wells, you can approach any of these three departments.
Along with information on active warrants against the subject, you will also be offered details on all arrest records against this person. The contact details of these offices are listed below.
- County sheriff’s: 1615 W Western Ave, Bluffton, Indiana 46714
- Judiciary: 102 Market St, Bluffton, IN 46714
- County clerks: Same as above
How do you obtain details pertaining to Wells County warrants and arrests? (Revised in 2021)
- You will get details on recent arrests from the Wells County Sheriff’s Department- 260-824-3426.
- You can find information on arrests and warrants handled by Bluffton PD by calling 260-824-3320.
- You can request a warrant search and arrest records through Ossian PD by calling 260-622-7519.
- You can do a warrant search through the Superior Court- 260-824-3287
- You can get judicial records from the Office of the Clerk of Court- 260-824-6485.
- You can get victim’s assistance from the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Office- 260-824-4102.
Crime statistics of Wells County
There was a significant reduction in the number of criminal case filing in Wells County between 2019 and 2020. Over 1100 criminal matters were heard by the trial courts in the area in 2019. However, in the following year, this figure dipped by almost 20% to reach an annual average of around 800 cases.
The criminal incidents that led to the filing of these cases included 211 miscellaneous crimes, 352 misdemeanor crimes and 265 felony crimes.
Older crime rates
Of the approximately 300 criminal complaints filed in Wells County, IN every year, no more than seven are against violent criminal acts. This can be calculated to just about 5% of the total crime rate, which is significantly lower than some other state areas. Another thing to consider about Wells’s crime rates is that the number of violent incidents has fallen by almost 350%; however, reported crime showed an uptrend with an increase of 50%.