Like in most other areas of Louisiana, it is the magistrate’s office of St. John Baptist County that issues active arrest warrants. These are detention orders released in criminal complaints; they bear the state of Louisiana’s seal and have the signature of the sitting magistrate of a tribunal with criminal jurisdiction on them.
Arrest warrants are exclusively issued when the police petition the court for it. In other words, while the judiciary has complete authority to deliberate over the information presented by the police and issue such an order or refuse the request, the court never issues an arrest warrant on its own.
However, this condition does not apply to other legal instruments like bench warrants, summons, etc., which are used by criminal courts and tribunals that hear civil cases. The common thread for all detention orders is that all of these are sent to the police for execution at the end of the day, except for summons.
So, when searching for information on arrest records, you should get in touch with the local law enforcement agency. In St John Baptist County, start at the sheriff’s office, located at 1801 W Airline Hwy, LaPlace, Louisiana 70068. Alternatively, you could also look for information on outstanding warrants at the magistrate’s court, which works out of 2393 Hwy 18, Edgard, LA 70049.
St. John Baptist County sheriff’s website also has a lot of information, including a page dedicated to the area’s most wanted at http://stjohnsheriff.org/crime-arrests/most-wanted/; one that provides details on the state-run Victim Notification Program and also a link to the sex offender registry at http://www.sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=54510.
Finally, approach the clerk of the court’s department, which works out of the same location as the magistrate’s office. They maintain a record of all trial proceedings known as the court dockets.
Regardless of the state department that you approach for this information, you will have to find a formal request for a warrant search. You will also need to have a photo ID on hand to prove that you are not an absconding suspect trying to access state-held data.
Who can help you with an over-the-phone warrant search and arrests inquiry in St John Baptist Parish? (2021- Update)
- For information on arrests and inmates, call Corrections at (985) 359-8627.
- For general inquiries, get in touch with the Sheriff’s Office at (985) 652-9513.
- For arrest records, police reports, and accident reports, get in touch with the Records Division at (985) 652-9513 ext. 8873.
- For investigation-related questions, call (985) 359-8769 (for victims only).
- For information on arrest warrants, call the Warrants and Process Server Division at (985) 359-8799.
- For victim’s assistance, call the District Attorney’s Office at (985) 652-9757.
- For information on filing a request for a criminal background search, call the Office of the Clerk of Court at (985) 497-3331.
Crime statistics of St. John the Baptist Parish
With 965 complaints, property offenses accounted for the majority of the nearly 1060 crimes reported in St. John the Baptist Parish in 2019. In this category, there were approximately 175 burglaries and over 750 larceny thefts. There were 81 reports of aggravated assault and 2 reports of rape in the category of violent crimes.
Older crime statistics
Through the 5 years from 2004 to 29008, there was an average increase of almost 30% in the rates of violent and property crimes of St John Baptist County. This rise has translated into annual crime figures of 1600 plus cases, of which 5% were instances of violent crime.