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 25, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Mattoon, Illinois, in Coles County, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Mattoon comes from a judge of the Circuit Court of Coles 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: Mattoon public records, Coles County warrants, Mattoon arrest records, Mattoon inmate search, Mattoon police reports, Mattoon property records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Mattoon
In Illinois an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Mattoon that means the Circuit Court of Coles 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.
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 Mattoon
The Coles County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Mattoon (filed by the FBI as Mattoon Police Department) serve warrants in and around Mattoon.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Coles County: Eastern Illinois University and Lake Land College (campus police); each serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Coles 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 three agencies in Coles County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 928 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Mattoon arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Mattoon 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 Coles County Sheriff's Office, held about 62 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at colesco.illinois.gov/sheriff/corrections, phone (217) 348-7332. The Mattoon inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Mattoon on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Mattoon
The place to check for a warrant from Mattoon is the State's Attorney, phone (217) 348-0561, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
Not one of the Coles County pages SearchSystems verified (the sheriff's, the prosecutor's and the records request page) 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 Mattoon
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Mattoon that means appearing before the Circuit Court of Coles County, with the case put back on the calendar through the Circuit Clerk.
A lawyer can often arrange the appearance in advance. The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at colesco.illinois.gov, phone (217) 348-0561.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Mattoon?
Not from the Coles County pages SearchSystems verified; none of them is a warrant list. The court that issued it keeps the record; ask the Circuit Clerk.
Who serves warrants in Mattoon?
The agency that reports for Mattoon inside the city and the Coles 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 Mattoon held?
At the county jail, run by the Coles County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Mattoon 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.
Is this the official Mattoon 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.