Many people confuse bench warrants with arrest warrants. However, bench warrants and arrest warrants are issued for different reasons, but both warrants result in an arrest. A bench warrant is issued by a judge when a person fails to appear in court as ordered. It can also be issued for failure to pay a fine as ordered. An arrest warrant is issued for a specific crime after a judge has determined that probable cause exists to believe the suspect committed the crime. While an arrest warrant is not a determination of guilt, it does result in the suspect being apprehended and detained until a hearing is held. If you suspect that you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you can perform a warrant search to confirm your suspicions.
The first step in performing your warrant search is to contact the courts that serve Montezuma County. You must contact two courts to search for criminal cases in Montezuma County: the District Court and the County Court. The District Court is located at 109 West Main, Room 210 in Cortez, CO 81321. The County Court is located at 601 N. Mildred Road in Cortez, CO 81321. The Clerk for each court can direct you on how to search court records and explain the process for searching for active warrants.
The Sheriff’s Office for Montezuma County is the best place to search for outstanding warrants. You should contact the records division to request copies of arrest records and criminal history backgrounds. The office is located at 730 E. Driscoll Street in Cortez, CO 81321.
How do access arrest records and details on warrants from Montezuma County over the phone? (Valid in 2021)
- Recent arrests related details: (970) 564-4971.
- General questions about criminal matters: (970) 564-8452.
- Arrest records and incident/accident reports: (970) 564-4965.
- Warrant search: (970) 564-4978.
- Criminal case-related questions: (970) 564-4967
- Information on Victim/Witness assistance: (970) 565-3788.
- Questions about judicial records access: (970) 565-1111.
Montezuma County, CO crime data
Between 2018 and 2019, Montezuma County’s crime rate increased by about 137%, from an annual average of 104 incidents to nearly 250 cases. In 2019, around 200 complaints were submitted against property offenses, while the rest were against violent crimes.
More than 120 reports were filed against larceny-thefts, and over 54 complaints were filed against burglary. Around 30 cases of aggravated assault were among the 50 complaints lodged against violent crimes.
From 2001 through 2008, there were over 4,500 crimes reported in Montezuma County. Of those crimes, almost nine percent were violent, including nine murders and seventeen rapes. During the 10 years between 1999 and 2008, crimes increased in Montezuma County by almost thirty percent. The rate of violent crimes rose by more than eighty-five percent for the same period.