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 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Macomb, Illinois, in McDonough County, has about 15,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Macomb comes from a judge of the Circuit Court of McDonough 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: Macomb public records, McDonough County warrants, Macomb arrest records, Macomb inmate search, Macomb criminal records, Macomb court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Macomb
In Illinois an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Macomb that means the Circuit Court of McDonough County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic and juvenile case.
When a defendant misses a court date the judge issues a bench warrant, and either kind of warrant lives in the court file of the case, kept by the Circuit Clerk.
For McDonough County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at illinoiscourts.gov/courts-directory/33/McDonough-County-Courthouse/... (page title: McDonough County Circuit Court | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts), phone (309) 837-4891, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Illinois has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in Macomb
The McDonough County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Macomb (filed by the FBI as Macomb Police Department) serve warrants in and around Macomb.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in McDonough County: Western Illinois University (campus police); it serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in McDonough County is good anywhere in Illinois, 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 McDonough County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,241 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Macomb arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Macomb 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 McDonough County Sheriff's Office, held about 38 people on an average day in 2024 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at ilsheriff.org/county/mcdonough, phone (217) 753-2372. The Macomb inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Macomb on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Macomb
Whether a warrant is out from Macomb shows in two places:
- The court file of the case, through the Circuit Clerk at (309) 837-4891, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- The State's Attorney, phone (309)837-2309, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the McDonough County pages SearchSystems verified (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 Macomb
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Macomb starts with the Circuit Clerk at (309) 837-4891: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at mcg.mcdonough.il.us/statesattorney.html, phone (309)837-2309.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Macomb?
Not from the McDonough County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court file is the record of a warrant: ask the Circuit Clerk at (309) 837-4891.
Who serves warrants in Macomb?
The agency that reports for Macomb inside the city and the McDonough County Sheriff's Office outside it, or whichever agency finds the person; an Illinois warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Macomb held?
At the county jail, run by the McDonough County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Macomb 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 Circuit Clerk at (309) 837-4891.
Is this the official Macomb 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.