How to Check for a Warrant in Benton County
Two offices hold the key to a Benton County warrant check. The Sheriff's Office posts an active warrant listing anyone can open. The state court system runs a case search that reveals the file behind a charge. Scan the listing for a name first. Then use the case search to find which court holds the matter. Keep a full legal name and a date of birth handy.
- Open the Sheriff's Office active warrant listing and note the last run date at the top.
- Read down the table for the name you are checking and compare the date of birth.
- Search the same name in the Minnesota court case search, filtered to Benton County.
- Look for an active warrant flag, then read the Register of Actions for the issuing court.
- Call Benton County Court Administration with the case number to ask what step applies now.
- If the citation names another county, follow that county, since St. Cloud area cases can be filed in three counties.
Note: The sheriff's listing is a plain table rather than a search tool, so a browser find in Benton County does not count as an official warrant lookup.
Inside the Benton County Sheriff Warrant Listing
The Sheriff's Office publishes the only warrant-specific list in Benton County. It opens with a last run date and time, the moment the table was refreshed. Seven columns run across the top. There is no keyword box, no filter, no sort control, and no page count.
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Warrant Number | The identifier attached to the record. |
| Name | The person named on the warrant. |
| Date of Birth | The date that separates people who share a name. |
| Date of Warrant | The date the warrant was issued or entered. |
| Bond/Bail Amount | The published amount, not a payment instruction. |
| Offense Level | The severity level printed with the entry. |
| Description | A short line about the underlying offense. |
The table leaves out the complaint, the affidavit, the issuing judge, and the next court date. For any of that, you need the court file in Benton County.
Types of Warrants in Benton County
Minnesota runs one District Court system, so the Foley courthouse handles criminal, traffic, family, probate, and juvenile matters filed in Benton County. City police and the County Attorney bring cases, but neither holds a court of its own. Do not search for the word capias. Minnesota sources never use it, so nothing local will match. The terms that appear here are warrant, bench warrant, failure to appear, and sign-and-release warrant.
| Warrant Type | How It Arises | Who Issues It |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest warrant | A complaint establishes probable cause and custody is needed. | A District Court judge |
| Bench warrant | A required appearance is missed or an obligation goes unmet. | The judge on the case |
| Sign-and-release warrant | Minnesota sets a new appearance date instead of bail. | The court under Minn. Stat. 629.415 |
| Release-condition warrant | A release condition is violated. | The District Court judge |
| Search warrant | An affidavit describes a place or property to search. | A judge under Minn. Stat. 626.08 |
A search warrant is not an arrest lookup in Benton County, and a jail booking is a separate record altogether.
Why a Missed Court Date Becomes a Bench Warrant
Most warrant trouble in Benton County starts with a missed date. Rule 3.01 of the Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure governs what happens then. When a defendant fails to appear on a summons, a warrant must issue.
Warrant flow: Missed court date, bench warrant issued, served or recalled, case resumes.
Traffic cases travel the same road, since state citation material warns that failure to appear may bring a bench warrant. A bench warrant belongs to the case that was missed. The court that set that case controls the recall, not the Sheriff's Office. Note: In Benton County, only the issuing court can recall or quash the warrant.
What a Benton County Warrant Record Shows
A public warrant record in Benton County is thin by design. It shows just enough to tell you whether a name appears and which office to call next.
| Warrant Number | An identifier printed beside the entry. The public page does not explain how it is built. |
|---|---|
| Subject Name | The published name, matched against a date of birth. |
| Charge or Offense | A short description plus the offense level. |
| Issuing Court | Not printed. The case search or Court Administration supplies it. |
| Bond or Bail Amount | A figure published with the warrant, not a bill. |
| Status | The listing is labeled active, and the last run date shows how old that is. |
Benton County publishes no status glossary, so read "active" as a label on the listing itself, not on the underlying file.
The MCRO Active Warrant Flag and What It Does Not Prove
Minnesota Court Records Online, or MCRO, is the statewide public search for District Court records. It takes a name, a case number, a citation number, or an attorney name. Results can be narrowed to Benton County and to criminal cases. A hit may show an active warrant flag beside a party. The Judicial Branch cautions that the flag may or may not apply to the case on screen. So open the case detail. Read the Register of Actions there. Only then treat the flag as a fact about that file, and compare what you find against the county listing. The Minnesota Court Records Online case search opens on its public landing page before any name is entered.
Those fields are what a reader checks against the county listing. Note: MCRO records are unofficial, and certified copies of a court file come from Benton County Court Administration in Foley.
Who Issues and Serves Benton County Warrants
A judge issues each warrant in Benton County. A law enforcement agency serves it. The Sheriff's Office is the countywide agency, charged with investigating felonies, making arrests, securing the courts, and executing legal process.
Benton County Sheriff's Office
581 Highway 23
Foley, MN 56329
320-968-7201
The Benton County Sheriff's Office page also posts the mailing address, fax number, and public email routes.
That page lays out the law enforcement, jail, court security, and civil process roles behind Benton County's warrant work.
One County, Several City Police Agencies
Benton County includes, or partly includes, Foley, Gilman, Rice, Royalton, St. Cloud, Sartell, and Sauk Rapids. The larger cities run their own police departments. Those officers make arrests and write citations. None of them keeps a separate court or a separate warrant database.
- Foley Police handles city code matters and routes unanswered public safety calls to the Sheriff.
- Rice, Sartell, and Sauk Rapids police publish agency contacts and records request routes, but no warrant search.
- St. Cloud police direct missed court questions to the county court administration named on the notice.
That matters most around St. Cloud. A citation there can route an appearance to Benton, Stearns, or Sherburne County.
What to Do If You Have a Benton County Warrant
The first move on a Benton County warrant is a phone call to the court that holds the file, then a talk with a lawyer. Judicial Branch guidance says to contact the Sheriff where the warrant may have issued, or the court where the person was charged. The lawful paths are few. Voluntary surrender is one. Posting bail or bond counts where the court allows it. A motion to recall or quash the warrant is the third.
Important: Judicial Branch guidance warns that a person may be taken into custody after appearing in person when an arrest warrant exists, so ask the court or a lawyer about the safest lawful step first.
No website recalls a warrant. The Benton County warrant search steps cover what to confirm first.
Bail, Bond, and Sign-and-Release Terms
Warrant paperwork leans on a small vocabulary. A few of these Benton County terms get used as if they were interchangeable.
- Bench warrant
- A judge's warrant for a missed appearance or an unmet court obligation.
- Arrest warrant
- A warrant that authorizes custody after probable cause is established.
- Sign-and-release warrant
- A Minnesota process under Minn. Stat. 629.415 that sets a new appearance date instead of bail.
- Failure to appear
- Missing a scheduled court setting.
- Recall or quash
- A court order withdrawing a warrant, available only from the issuing court.
- Bond forfeiture
- Loss of posted bail after a violation or a missed appearance.
Note: A bond amount appears in the listing, but the Benton County jail posts no walk-in bond window, so confirm payment with the issuing court.
Public Access to Benton County Warrant Records
Minnesota law presumes government data are open. The Government Data Practices Act governs inspection and copies. Court records also follow the Rules of Public Access, while active-investigation data can stay confidential, and juvenile delinquency records are closed by statute, so some Benton County warrant material is restricted.
Key Rules:
Minn. Stat. 13.03: public data are open to inspection free of charge, and copies cost actual cost.
Minnesota Rules of Public Access: court records are public with limits, and remote access is narrower than counter access.
Minn. Stat. 260B.171: juvenile delinquency records are restricted and are not a public warrant source.
The Benton County courthouse sits on the Highway 23 corridor in Foley, near the Sheriff's Office.
That page carries the address, the administrator, counter hours, and the court's jurisdiction.
Benton County Warrant Counts and Caseload Context
The Benton County Sheriff's 2025 annual report tallies arrest warrants received that year. That count is not the number still open.
Older Benton County annual reports carry monthly tables best read as dated snapshots. Note: A static listing can lag a served or recalled warrant by hours or days, so the last run date matters more than the row count.
Requesting Benton County Records Under Chapter 13
Benton County publishes one data policy for the public and a second for data subjects. That second one covers people asking about themselves. A public request should name the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, say whether inspection or copies are wanted, and describe the data clearly.
- Requests may be made in person, by mail, by fax, or by email.
- Inspection is free, and low volume paper copies are listed at 25 cents one-sided or 50 cents two-sided up to 100 pages.
- A data subject request requires identity verification and generally draws a response within ten business days.
- The county is not required to create a new compilation or answer a general question as a data response.
Warrant Records by City in Benton County
In any Benton County city, start a local warrant check with the police agency. Police write the citation, but the District Court named on the notice issues the warrant.
St. Cloud Warrant Records
68,881 full-city population · Police information desk, three courthouse routes
Sartell Warrant Records
19,351 full-city population · Public safety campus, records request route
Sauk Rapids Warrant Records
13,862 full-city population · Police records contact, District Court route
Foley Warrant Records
2,711 full-city population · County seat on Highway 23
Rice Warrant Records
1,975 full-city population · City police contact with Sheriff dispatch