Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Centerville, Iowa, in Appanoose County, has about 5,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Centerville comes from a judge of the Iowa District Court for Appanoose County, is served by whichever agency finds the person, and is recorded in the court file of the case it was issued in. This guide says who issues and serves warrants here, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one and how one is cleared.
This guide covers who issues warrants, who serves warrants, after a warrant arrest, checking for a warrant, clearing a warrant and common questions.
Related guides: Centerville public records, Appanoose County warrants, Centerville arrest records, Centerville inmate search, Centerville criminal records, Centerville court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Centerville
In Iowa an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Centerville that means the Iowa District Court for Appanoose County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
A bench warrant follows a missed court date in any of those courts. Whichever kind it is, the warrant is part of the file of the case it was issued in, and the Clerk of the District Court keeps that file.
For Appanoose County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/SelectFrame (page title: Iowa Courts Online Search | Select Action), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Centerville
The Appanoose County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Centerville (filed by the FBI as Centerville Police Department) serve warrants in and around Centerville.
A warrant issued in Appanoose County is good anywhere in Iowa, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
Together, the two agencies in Appanoose County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 173 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Centerville arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Centerville Is Held
A person arrested on a warrant and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office, held about 10 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at appanoosecounty.iowa.gov/departments/sheriff, phone 641-437-7100. The Centerville inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Centerville on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Centerville
The places to check for a warrant from Centerville:
- The court file of the case, through the Clerk of the District Court, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- Iowa Courts Online, the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
- The County Attorney, phone (641) 437-7178, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Appanoose County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the court's and the prosecutor's) is a list of open warrants, so a check means asking the court or the prosecutor about a case by name.
Clearing a Warrant from Centerville
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Centerville that means appearing before the Iowa District Court for Appanoose County, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the District Court.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at appanoosecounty.iowa.gov/departments/attorney, phone (641) 437-7178.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Centerville?
Not from the Appanoose County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. Iowa Courts Online is the Iowa Judicial Branch's free statewide case search, and a case whose register of actions shows a warrant is the record of it. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Clerk of the District Court.
Who serves warrants in Centerville?
The agency that reports for Centerville inside the city and the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an Iowa warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Centerville held?
At the county jail, run by the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Centerville cleared?
By appearing before the court that issued it; the judge recalls the warrant in court. The case is put back on the calendar through the Clerk of the District Court.
Is this the official Centerville website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.