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.
Ray County, Missouri, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Ray County comes from a judge of the Ray County Circuit Court, 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: Ray County public records, Ray County arrest records, Ray County criminal records, Ray County court records, Ray County police reports, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Ray County
In Missouri an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Ray County that means the Ray County Circuit Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with associate circuit judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims. A city with a municipal divisions of its own issues warrants on the tickets and ordinance cases it tries.
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 Ray County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1569 (page title: Ray County Local Rules & Filing Information), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
Who Serves Warrants in Ray County
The Ray County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Richmond, Lawson, Wood Heights, Orrick, Hardin, Crystal Lakes and three more cities serve warrants in Ray County.
The Excelsior Springs Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Ray County, so its arrests are not broken out for Ray County here.
The agency that serves a warrant from Ray County is whichever one finds the person; an Missouri warrant is valid across Missouri.
Together, the six agencies in Ray County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 103 arrests to the FBI that year; arrests on warrants are counted among them, not separately.
Each agency and what it reported is in Ray County arrest records.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Ray 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 Ray County Sheriff's Office, held about 120 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count.
A person arrested in Ray 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 Ray County
The place to check for a warrant from Ray County is Case.net, the Missouri courts' free statewide case search, for a case whose register of actions shows a warrant.
Clearing a Warrant from Ray County
A warrant is recalled by the court that issued it, so clearing one from Ray County starts with the Circuit Clerk: the case goes back on the calendar and the judge recalls the warrant when the person appears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Ray County?
Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search, and a case whose register of actions shows a warrant is the record of it. The court that issued it keeps the record; ask the Circuit Clerk.
Who serves warrants in Ray County?
The Ray County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an Missouri warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Ray County held?
At the county jail, run by the Ray County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Ray 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.
Is this the official Ray 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.