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 4, 2026.
Washington County, Illinois, has about 14,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Washington County comes from a judge of the Circuit Court of Washington 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, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Washington County public records, Washington County arrest records, Washington County inmate search, Washington County criminal records, Washington County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Washington County
In Illinois an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Washington County that means the Circuit Court of Washington County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic 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 Circuit Clerk keeps that file.
For Washington County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at washingtonco.illinois.gov/circuit-clerk (page title: Circuit Clerk | Washington County, Illinois), phone (618) 327-4800, Mon-Fri 8:00am - 4:00pm, 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 Washington County
The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Nashville, Okawville and Irvington serve warrants in Washington County.
The Wamac Police Department and the Centralia Police Department are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Washington County, so their arrests are not broken out for Washington County here.
The agency that serves a warrant from Washington County is whichever one finds the person; an Illinois warrant is valid across Illinois.
Together, the four agencies in Washington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,420 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Washington County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Washington County 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 Washington County Sheriff's Office, held about 12 people on an average day in 2023 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at news.washeriff.net/divisions/bookings. The Washington County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Washington County on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Washington County
Whether a warrant is out from Washington County shows in three places:
- The court file of the case, through the Circuit Clerk at (618) 327-4800, since a warrant is recorded in the case it was issued in.
- The State's Attorney, phone (618) 327-4800, which can say whether charges were filed; a warrant on a complaint follows the filing.
- The custody page of the Washington County Sheriff's Office at news.washeriff.net/divisions/bookings, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Not one of the Washington 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 Washington County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Washington County starts with the Circuit Clerk at (618) 327-4800: 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 washingtonco.illinois.gov/states-attorney, phone (618) 327-4800.
More Official Wanted and Warrant Pages for Washington County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Washington County and Illinois. These wanted and warrant pages from its Washington County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Wanted Fugitives (idoc.illinois.gov)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Washington County?
Not from the Washington 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 (618) 327-4800.
Who serves warrants in Washington County?
The Washington County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Illinois warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Washington County held?
At the county jail, run by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Washington County 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 (618) 327-4800.
Is this the official Washington County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.