How to Check for a Warrant in Murray County
There is no published warrant list here, so a warrant check runs through three offices. Minnesota Court Records Online lets anyone pull public district-court cases by name, case number, or citation number. Court Administration can read the events inside a file for you. The Sheriff's Office is the one to ask about service and custody. Bring a full legal name, a date of birth, and any case or citation number you have. A number works better than a name, since two Murray County residents can share one.
- Search MCRO Case Search by citation number, then by name, with Murray as the location.
- Read the case events, not just the result row, looking for a warrant order or a recall.
- Call Murray County Court Administration at (507) 873-7001 about the file.
- Call the Sheriff's Office at 507-836-6168 about service and custody.
- Ask a city police department for the citation number if a city officer wrote it.
- Ask an attorney before appearing in person, since a visit can end in custody.
Why Murray County Publishes No Warrant Roster
The Murray County sheriff's official page gives contact details, weekday hours, and links for data requests, but it posts no active-warrant search, no warrant roster, and no most-wanted gallery. State law fills in part of the reason. Under Minn. Stat. § 299C.115, counties must feed their warrant data into the criminal-justice network, and Minnesota Government Access itself warns that it does not identify every active warrant for a person. So a Murray County warrant lookup still comes down to the court file, the sheriff's desk, and a narrow records request. One caution belongs here. A booking roster is not a warrant index, and the Lyon County custody list is not a Murray County warrant list.
Types of Warrants in Murray County
Minnesota uses fewer warrant names than states that lean on capias language. Murray County follows the state's simpler set, so knowing which type you have tells you which office to call.
| Warrant Type | How It Arises | Who Issues It |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest warrant | Probable cause from a complaint or sworn testimony | District-court judge, Minn. R. Crim. P. 3.01 |
| Bench or FTA warrant | A missed court date or a violated condition | A district-court judge |
| Sign-and-release warrant | An undeliverable mailed summons | A judge, as notice only |
| Search warrant | A sworn application showing cause to search | A judge, Minn. R. Crim. P. 37 |
| Federal warrant | A federal charge in Minnesota | A federal judge |
A bench warrant in Murray County follows a missed court obligation. A sign-and-release warrant under Minn. Stat. § 629.415 is neither bail nor an arrest order.
The Courthouse and Sheriff Buildings on Broadway
Court and law enforcement sit in two buildings at the south end of Broadway in Slayton. The Murray County courthouse at 2500 28th Street houses the district court and Court Administration. The Sheriff's Office next door at 2558 29th Street handles service and custody questions, and both offices keep weekday hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The county's own site lays out its departments, and the Murray County home page shows how they fit together.
The navigation shows how few steps separate the sheriff contact page from Court Administration.
Murray County Court Administration
2500 28th Street
Slayton, MN 56172
(507) 873-7001
Counter payments at Murray County court stop at 2:30 p.m. on the last working day of each month. That cutoff touches money only, not warrant service. Call ahead and ask for the current warrant or custody route.
What a Murray County Warrant Record Shows
The sheriff posts no public roster, so the fields below come from the state warrant forms and the MCRO case schema. They show the shape of a Murray County warrant record. Not every field appears in public view.
| Court file number | The district-court case identifier. Murray County files use court code 51, as in 51-CR-26-0000, a pattern rather than a real file. |
|---|---|
| Charge | The offense and category from the complaint or citation. |
| Warrant event | The order, its date, and the reason, such as a failure to appear. |
| Bond or release | An amount and type only when a court order sets one. |
| Status | Issued, served, recalled, released, or quashed, as the record words it. |
MCRO Is a Case Search, Not a Warrant Check
Three offices answer three different questions. MCRO returns public case records, Court Administration reads the file itself, and the Sheriff's Office holds service and custody data. The MCRO terms spell out the limits. A pending case with no conviction may not return in a name search, though a case number can still find it. A terminal inside the courthouse in Murray County reaches more than remote access does.
Who Issues and Serves Murray County Warrants
A district-court judge issues every criminal arrest warrant in Murray County. Minnesota Rule 3.01 lets a judge sign one once a complaint or sworn testimony establishes probable cause, and the rule favors a summons unless a listed exception applies. Serving the paper falls to law enforcement. The sheriff's page lists the office, its hours, and its data-request links for anyone checking what the county keeps on file.
The Murray County sheriff's page names Sheriff Heath Landsman and lists the non-emergency line for service and custody questions.
Murray County Sheriff's Office
2558 29th Street, PO Box 57
Slayton, MN 56172
507-836-6168
The Murray County office publishes no warrant unit name, service line, or roster. Staff can describe what the office keeps, though only the court can recall a warrant, and 911 stays reserved for emergencies.
Two Independent Police Departments, Seven Contracted Cities
Murray County holds nine incorporated cities and a population just under 8,100. Slayton, the county seat, and Fulda each run their own police department. The Sheriff covers the other seven by contract. The county's official city list names all nine communities and shows where the two police departments sit.
A Slayton or Fulda citation starts with that city's police department, while a citation from a contracted city starts with the Sheriff and then moves to court. Either way, the warrant record stays with the district court in Slayton. Note: No official Murray County source publishes a warrant count, so treat any county total you see elsewhere as unsourced.
What to Do If You Have a Murray County Warrant
Confirm the warrant first, then get legal advice. Minnesota's criminal FAQ tells a person with a warrant to contact the sheriff in the issuing county and warns that appearing at court can lead to custody. Resolution runs through the issuing court, by an attorney-arranged appearance, a motion asking the court to recall the warrant, a voluntary surrender, or bond set by a judge. Murray County publishes no local recall form or walk-in schedule.
Important: Do not test your status with a traffic stop. Call an attorney first, then ask the Sheriff where a person would be taken.
The Murray to Lyon County Custody Route
Murray County does not hold everyone it arrests in Slayton. The sheriff's page explains that the county partners with Lyon County for inmate housing, so someone picked up on a Murray County warrant may be processed in Marshall instead. Lyon County sets its own bail rules for that jail. Weekday bail goes through the Court Administrator's Office there, while after hours the jail lobby handles it. Personal checks are not accepted. A bondsman is allowed when an order permits one. Note: Bond only secures the person's appearance, and it does not dismiss a charge, pay a fine, or resolve the underlying case.
Public Access to Murray County Warrant Records
Minnesota starts from openness. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act in Minn. Stat. ch. 13, government data is public unless a law or court order closes it, and court records also answer to judicial branch access rules. The exceptions matter for a Murray County warrant search, though. Arrest-warrant index data can stay confidential until the person is in custody, served, or in court, and investigative data can be protected too.
Key Rules:
Minn. Stat. § 13.03 lets anyone inspect public data free, and a denial must cite the law.
Minn. Stat. § 13.82 governs law-enforcement data, including a warrant index withheld until custody or service.
Minn. Stat. § 260B.171 keeps juvenile court records confidential, with narrow exceptions.
Public Access Rule 8 allows copying at the custodian and narrows remote access for certain cases.
A denial settles nothing about the case itself, so ask which classification applies and which office holds the record. Note: Court copies and sheriff data are separate, and an uncertified court copy is free under the state fee table.
Murray County Warrant Search Fields
The public search layer for Murray County is MCRO. Murray shows up in the court-location list, so a search can be narrowed to this county. A related warrant search walkthrough covers the form.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | No | Exact spelling or a trailing * wildcard after two characters |
| DOB | Date or range | No | The main tool for separating common names |
| Case Category | Checkbox group | No | Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Mental Health |
| Court Locations | County selector | No | Statewide or a single court location; Murray is listed |
| Case Number | Tab and text | Alternative | Finds records a name search can miss |
| Citation Number | Tab and text | Alternative | Best starting point for a traffic matter |
On the Murray County form, a wildcard and the "Sounds Like" option cannot be combined, and a name search alone may miss a pending case that a case number would find.
Warrant Terms Used in Murray County
Minnesota warrant vocabulary differs from the capias language used in other states.
- Bench warrant
- A court order following a missed appearance or a violated court condition.
- Failure to appear
- Missing a required court event; the trigger behind most bench warrants.
- Sign-and-release warrant
- A notice issued after an undeliverable summons; not bail and not an arrest order.
- Recall
- A court action withdrawing a warrant without dismissing the charge.
- Warrant index
- A law-enforcement entry, separate from the court order, with its own access rule.
In Murray County records, cleared can mean recalled, served, or released. It never means a charge was dismissed or a fine paid.
Warrant Records by City in Murray County
Murray County's five largest cities each have a local route and a county route. A city police department can identify a citation it wrote. The judicial record stays with Murray County District Court in Slayton.
Slayton Warrant Records
2,013 residents · County seat with an independent police department
Fulda Warrant Records
1,371 residents · Independent police department
Chandler Warrant Records
279 residents · Contracted sheriff service
Lake Wilson Warrant Records
254 residents · Contracted sheriff service
Currie Warrant Records
224 residents · Contracted sheriff service
Note: City staff can pull up a citation, yet only the issuing court can confirm an active Murray County warrant.