Run a Free Nueces County Warrant Search (Look Up Status)

Conduct a Nueces County warrant search right away by utilizing relevant databases and other resources that are freely accessible to the public.

An active warrant lookup can be a valuable tool to increase community safety and ensure peace of mind. The most important part of the public record search process is knowing exactly where to look and which sources to seek out.

This article provides complete, step-by-step instructions on how to find out if you or someone else has an active warrant in Nueces County, Texas, in a secure and efficient manner.

Performing A Nueces County Warrant Search (An Overview)

A warrant is a written order, signed by a magistrate or other person in authority. It can be enforced by a police officer or a designated person, to arrest a person, or search a property specifically mentioned therein.

A Nueces County warrant can be issued for a lot of reasons, for example, when someone fails to make scheduled payments (e.g., child support), ignores a traffic ticket or misses a court hearing date. The common types of warrants and underlying offenses have been detailed in a later section of this article.

As per the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (Art. 15.26.), warrants and supporting affidavits, in general, are public records.¹ However, the statue also mandates that a warrant becomes public information when it is executed. Everyone has the right to inspect copies of the warrants at the relevant clerk of court’s office.

If the content of a warrant has been expunged or sealed through a nondisclosure order (including juvenile records), it will not be available to the public.² Several local criminal justice agencies as well as the Texas Department of Public Safety may release information about active warrants, to alert the public and/or to seek help to find the wanted persons.

Some local agencies may provide information when requested in person, depending on the phase of investigation and the type of warrant. Even so, they rarely disclose information by phone or by mail because there is a substantial risk that the accused can flee.

To begin a search online or otherwise, users must have at least the first and last name of the individual, along with their current or last known location (e.g., city, town). Checking whether there are any active warrants in advance can prevent the embarrassment of an unexpected arrest.

How To See if You or Someone Else Has an Outstanding Warrant in Nueces County Texas

To find if you or another person has a Nueces County warrant, the obvious place to visit is the local law enforcement or county courthouse. To find district and county court warrants in Nueces County, anyone can register for free to use the re:SearchTX Public Case Search tool.

Cases may be searched by location (set to Nueces County – District Court or County Court), case number, person’s name. The Case Type can be selected as “Capias/Writ” to find whether any capias or bench warrant has been issued in someone’s name.

Users are not required to add a payment account to search for cases that might have stemmed from warrants. For detailed information on how to register and search, check the FAQ page and User Guidelines.

However, while it has a capias or writ of attachment section, there is no option to search for active arrest or search warrants in the database. If a name cannot be found on the county and district court case record search, people may directly reach out to the clerk’s office to ensure they have no outstanding warrants.

Both the County Clerk and District Clerk may be reached at the same building:

Nueces County Courthouse
901 Leopard Street
City of Corpus Christi, Texas 78401

Phone: 361-888-0580 (County Clerk), 361-888-0450 (District Clerk)

Information about active/outstanding warrants can also be obtained at the city level through the local courts’ online resources. The City of Corpus Christi Municipal Court has an online Traffic/Criminal Warrant Search portal where users can search a case by name, date of birth and driver’s license number.

Alternatively, cases may be searched by citation number/case docket number as well. The City of Ingleside (which has small portions in Nueces County) Municipal Court offers an online search tool for the public to anonymously look up active warrants/capias pro fine listings for free.⁴

For more information reach out the court at below address:

Ingleside Municipal Court
2867 Avenue J
Ingleside, Texas 78362

Phone: 361.775.1188
Email: [email protected]

The City of Robstown Municipal Court accepts online payments for violations through its Court Case Search (Violations) portal.⁵ Anyone can search a case by name, citation number, driver’s license or vehicle information. However, it does not display any information on outstanding warrants.

Moreover, Nueces County Commissioners Court maintains a Top 10 Most Wanted List which contains mugshots along with other details such as date of birth, hair and eye color, height etc.

The Nueces County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for serving warrants, i.e., pursuing and arresting offenders in the county.

The clerks of the Crime Data Section routinely exchange public warrant information with state and national databases such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC).^{7, 8} However, these databases are not open to the public. There is no online warrant search option available on the county sheriff’s official website either.

Fortunately, there are several other options for looking up warrants. Residents may visit the sheriff’s office to submit an inquiry in person.

Nueces County Sheriff’s Department
901 Leopard St.
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401

Another recommended option is to contact the Warrants/Civil Process Division by calling 887-2239 or sending a fax to 887-2351. Although an in-person request is a free option, it puts the requesters at risk of being arrested on the spot, in case they actually have an active arrest warrant.

Similarly, other local law enforcement agencies in Nueces County (e.g., Driscoll Police Department, Corpus Christi Police Department, Aransas Pass Police Department or Robstown Police Department) do not post active warrant lists on their websites. The departments may be reached at their respective addresses as provided in the contact info pages linked above.

How To Carry Out a Statewide Warrant Search in Texas

To search certain types of warrants (writs or capias) across various counties in Texas, the re:SearchTX portal can be used only by signing up with an email. The online search process has been detailed in the previous section.

There is a free option to check if you have any outstanding tickets or traffic violations reported to the statewide Failure to Appear & Failure to Pay (FTA/FTP) program.¹⁰

Note that the FTA/FTP program cannot provide information on outstanding warrants.¹¹ Instead, the Texas Department of Public Safety advises citizens to get in touch with the relevant court, the issuing city or county directly to check if there are any outstanding warrants (discussed in the previous section).

Some state agencies disseminate their own lists of wanted persons to make the public aware and

• Texas Department of Public Safety’s 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender
• Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives
• Texas Fugitives Still Wanted
• The Office of the Attorney General’s Child Support Evaders List

The Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) provides an online search portal allowing the public to search for a person by name to find their criminal history record information. The DPS Computerized Criminal History System (CCH) can be used by anyone for a relatively small cost.

A statewide background check may be necessary for official purposes and the information can be released to only authorized persons.

The process and fees involved to search the criminal history record database is mentioned in the website. The DPS keeps all records for Texas offenses, including non-convictions, convictions, arrests, and sometimes even juvenile records.

A Look at Warrant Types & Their Meanings

To determine whether a warrant is out for someone’s arrest, it is important to understand the reasons it might be issued. Here are some of the most frequently issued warrants in Nueces County, Texas.

Arrest Warrants: As the name itself suggests, “a warrant of arrest” permits the arrest and detention of a specific person who might be accused of some offense (e.g. a felony offense, misdemeanor or some other violation).

A county or district judge, or a magistrate (and even a mayor of an incorporated city or town) can issue a warrant based on a “probable cause”, supported by an affidavit that describes why the person needs to be arrested.¹²

Bench Warrants: A Texas bench warrant also authorizes the police to take the subject into custody and bring them before the judge. However, bench warrants are not directly related to a serious criminal offense. Rather it is issued against offenders who have disobeyed court orders in some way.

In Texas, Minor Traffic Violations do not typically result in traffic warrants and do not land the violators in jail. However, failing to appear or failure to pay as required by a citation can be considered a criminal offense and a warrant may be issued for the arrest of the accused.

To check statewide outstanding traffic warrants and pending citations, check Public Highway Patrol Ticket/Citation Search portal provided by Texas Department of Public Safety.

Furthermore, serious traffic violations as outlined in Texas Transportation Code will cause the issuance of an arrest warrant.¹³

Capias & Capias Pro Fine Writs: Similar to arrest warrants, these two types of “writs” also result in arrest. However, a capias or capias pro fine is issued specifically when a judgment or sentence has already been imposed.

On the other hand, having an arrest warrant does not mean that the defendant is guilty. An arrest warrant is typically issued before the proceeding begins and the judgment is yet to be delivered.

Citations: Note that in certain cases of misdemeanors, defendants may receive a citation instead of having an arrest warrant against them. For example, under Nueces County District Court’s Cite and Release Program, the citation may constitute a “summons to appear” (i.e., the defendant has been called to court to answer their charges).

Fugitive Warrants & Parole/Probation Warrants: Warrantless arrests are legal in Texas. For example, a fugitive who has escaped from another state to avoid persecution can be arrested with or without a warrant.

When someone violates the terms of their parole, probation, or community supervision, it may lead to a “parole revocation warrant”. Any police officer, supervision officer, or other officer with the authority of arrest may take them into custody with or without a warrant.

Child Support Warrants: If a noncustodial parent regularly fails to pay child support as directed by the court, an arrest warrant can be issued against them.

Search Warrants: Nueces County courts can issue a search warrant commanding a law enforcement officer to search a place or person for evidence of crime. The various grounds on which the search warrants can be issued are listed in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (Chapter 18).

For additional information on crimes, criminal attempts and penalties, please refer to the Texas Penal Code Offenses by Punishment Range Office of the Attorney General.

How To Get Rid of an Outstanding Warrant in Nueces County Texas

If you discover that someone you know in Nueces County has a warrant, you may notify them or share this information with a friend or relative.

Note that any wanted criminal/fugitive should be considered possibly armed and dangerous. If there is a concern that the person can be an imminent threat to public safety, it is advisable to report to relevant authorities.

People having any reliable information about the state’s wanted suspects may call the Texas Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). If you find out there is an outstanding warrant for you in Nueces County, TX, the best way to resolve it is to pay any outstanding court fines, get legal help as soon as feasible and also cooperate with the authorities when required.

Texans seeking legal counsel may refer to the Low-cost/Free Legal Services and Free General Legal Assistance List. Here is a general case flow of cases involving misdemeanor warrants to check what to expect in a typical case.¹⁴

Defendants may personally show up at a local law enforcement agency/courthouse office and turn themselves in order to avoid harsher penalties, stricter prosecution, and to avoid getting caught in the statewide Texas Warrant Roundup that takes place every year.¹⁵

Conducting a Nueces County warrant search is an important part of being aware of public records that pertain to you or another person; following the methods and sources outlined here will make the process simple and hassle-free.