Montana Warrant Search: How to View Montana Warrants

In Montana, several constitutional laws protect residents against illegal restrictions and seizures of property. 

But, when an individual is suspected of breaking the law, law enforcement officers bearing warrants are permitted to carry out any of those actions.

Typically, law enforcement officers do not notify the subject of a warrant that such an injunction has been issued against them. 

In fact, several people only find out about active or outstanding warrants against them at the point of their arrests.

Montana courts and law enforcement agencies are less inclined to deal favorably with people who have had pending warrants on their records for a long. 

If you suspect that a warrant may have been issued against you in Montana, it’s advisable to find out for sure, so that you can take appropriate action.

Montana Warrants

A warrant is an official document issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in Montana authorizing law enforcement officials to take measures to compel an offender to appear before it or search their property for evidence of a crime. 

Warrants are important judicial instruments in that they help Montana courts and law enforcement bring offenders to book and maintain law and order.

Under certain conditions, courts in Montana may issue summons instead of warrants. 

To obtain a warrant in Montana, affiants must put forth a sworn affidavit to the court. 

The affidavit should contain information about the subject, details of the offense, and probable cause why the subject may reasonably be suspected of committing the offense. 

Judicial officers in Montana only proceed with the issuance of warrants once probable cause has been established.

As soon as the judge signs the warrant, it is sent to the sheriff’s office, where it then gets dispatched to deputies with jurisdiction over the area. 

The FBI's central criminal database distributes information about outstanding warrants to all police officers across the country if this order is not carried out within a reasonable amount of time following its issuance. 

During this stage, not only can the warrant be executed outside the county of issuance, but also outside of the state as well.

Types of Warrants in Montana

As part of the state's legal system, warrants serve a variety of functions. 

Police can use warrants to inspect premises for signs of illegal activity (search warrants), to detain suspects and lawbreakers (arrest warrants), or to ensure those who violate court orders appear in court (bench warrants).

Montana Arrest Warrants

A person suspected of committing a crime may be detained by peace officers in Montana under the authority of an arrest warrant and brought before a judge to answer for their crime. 

Usually, judicial officials who are not personally involved in the case or investigation are the ones who issue arrest orders. 

In Montana, a court must first establish probable cause to believe that a crime was committed and that the person named on the warrant committed it before issuing an arrest warrant.

Law enforcement officers in Montana may arrest an offender without an arrest warrant if they witnessed the crime being committed.

Montana Search Warrants

In Montana, search warrants allow law enforcement officials to search a place or piece of property that they suspect of being the scene of criminal activity and perhaps take some things as evidence. 

Law enforcement personnel can get a valid search warrant by presenting an affidavit to an impartial court to demonstrate that specific facts raise a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed and that there is evidence of a crime at a particular location.

A judge will issue a search warrant after determining that there is probable cause to do so. 

The warrant will specify the suspect, location, the subject's property, and the time of the search in question.

Montana Bench Warrants

People who have defied court orders by either failing to appear in court when summoned or by failing to pay court-ordered fines are issued bench warrants. 

Bench warrants can be issued by judges in Montana without the intervention of law enforcement, and they are perpetual.

How To Find Montana Warrants

You can access Montana warrant information by checking with the following agencies:

Montana Warrant Search: Montana Department of Justice

Montana Residents can perform criminal background checks through the Montana Department of Justice’s Criminal Records and Identification Unit. 

Requests for personal or third-party criminal history cost between $10 to $30 each, and background checks by this agency are fingerprint and name-based. 

You may receive fairly detailed personal or third-party criminal records through this unit.

Montana Warrant Search: Local Law Enforcement Agencies

Various county law enforcement agencies publish a list of wanted offenders along with their warrant information on their respective websites. 

Some even offer warrant search tools, with which interested people may locate offenders via a name-based search.

Montana Warrant Search: County Courts

In the same vein, county courts in Montana maintain records of warrants issued in them. 

You can often find warrant search tools or offender lists on the websites of county courts with an online presence in Montana.