Run a Free McHenry County Warrant Search (Wanted Lookup)

Begin your McHenry County warrant search without hassle by utilizing databases and sources that you can access without any charges.

Illinois allows everyone to access public records (including certain warrant records) both at state and county levels, promoting transparency, fairness and informed decision-making.

This concise resource provides thorough guidance on checking if you or someone else has an outstanding warrant in McHenry County, Illinois. Such a search can help prevent any unexpected surprises that may arise from not being aware of or ignoring a warrant.

A Review of Tracking Down McHenry County Warrants for Free

Warrants are an important component of the criminal justice system. It protects people from being unlawfully arrested under the U.S. Constitution Fourth Amendment.¹ However, having an open warrant means the subject can be captured, taken into police custody and brought to court at any time.

Criminal offenses are not the only reason why McHenry County warrants are issued. A variety of situations may lead to a warrant being issued for someone’s arrest, e.g., missing court dates or forgetting to pay your traffic ticket on time.

Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (UCIA), anyone can access the state’s public criminal history record information. Even so, it covers only records of convictions and does not include active or unexecuted warrants.

The concerned authorities (e.g., state, county and municipal courts) or arresting agencies may provide some active warrant details, but the disclosure is made in a way that aids their pending investigation, not interferes with it. For example, when arrest warrants are executed, the arrest records and reports may become public.²

Many active warrants can be found through a quick public record search online. Anyone can view the state and county’s most wanted lists (e.g., those released by the Illinois State Police) for free. To find a specific warrant record, the requesting party must have at least the subject’s full name, any aliases, last known or current place of residence.

However, there is no single local, state or national database that provides a complete listing of all active warrants in McHenry County, Illinois. This resource can help people find appropriate county custodians/agencies who may have the record they want.

Execute a McHenry County Warrant Search

Warrants are issued by the court and the action (e.g., arrest, search) is carried out by the local sheriff or police. So, a convenient way to search for public warrant information is by reviewing McHenry County court records.

The McHenry County Clerk of the Circuit Court provides an Online Court Case Search Tool on its website.³ Anyone can use this portal for free to find a case record by party name, case number or ticket number.

The search results mostly contain different types of closed cases e.g., traffic violations, DUI (driving under the influence), criminal misdemeanor etc.

If you find a case of your interest, click the “Open Case Record” button to find a detailed summary of the case. This includes lists of court events, documents, parties, sentences/charges, judgements etc.

The public case access database shows whether the case involved a prior summons or warrant. However, it does not display any information on outstanding warrants.

The Circuit Court Clerk has made its records available through another website — i2File. It’s an electronic case filing platform, which allows users to search for certain McHenry County warrant records.

Anyone can register with an email ID, click “Search Cases” from the left sidebar menu. Go to “Advanced Search”, select McHenry County as location.

Type the name of the person they are trying to find. The Case Type dropdown menu has several options to filter the results including “Fugitive from Justice”, “Extradition”, and “Search Warrant”.

Note that i2File is an e-file service provider, not an online warrant search tool.⁴ So, the users can get only a limited amount of information on this portal.

The McHenry County Government’s website does not have a warrant database search tool. Still, residents can get information on arrest and search warrants recently executed in the county through their news page. To find out whether an active warrant exists, they may have to visit the McHenry County Courthouse.

McHenry County Courthouse 
Circuit Clerk
Rm. 136 & 353, 2200 N. Seminary Ave.
Woodstock, Illinois 60098

Phone: 815-334-4190

To check local warrants issued for violating a city, town or village ordinance, contact the local adjudication court. For example, when someone breaks local traffic rules in the City of Crystal Lake, their case may be heard at the city’s Administrative Adjudication Court.

Here are some of the other locations where adjudication proceedings take place:

• City of Woodstock Administrative Adjudication Court
• Village of Cary Administrative Hearings Department
• Village of Algonquin Adjudication Office
• Spring Grove Office of Adjudication

Note that the local adjudication offices handle civil proceedings, not criminal matters. Even so, they may issue summons, ticket or violation notices. Respondents who receive them must obey the court order immediately so that it does not turn into a warrant.

Another way to look up active warrants is to check with the local law enforcement agencies. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with Crime Stoppers, often shares lists of most wanted criminals on social media, press releases etc. Their official website has a Most Wanted Persons page, but currently it has no content.⁵

To ensure there are no pending warrants or charges against you or someone you may know, contact the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office in person or over phone.

McHenry County Sheriff’s Office
2200 North Seminary Ave.
Woodstock, IL 60098

Phone: 815-338-2144

The agency may not disclose any information on active warrants over the phone out of concern that the suspect might flee.

Other local law enforcement agencies do not have an active warrant lookup feature on their websites. Examples include the City of McHenry Police Department, or the Crystal Lake Police Department, Woodstock Police Department and Cary Police Department.

Interested persons may visit their nearest department to check for active arrest warrants. The addresses and contact information can be found on their respective web pages (linked above).

Those wishing to view active warrants without going to court/police station, may utilize third-party search sites. Third-party providers collect public records from a variety of sources, including social media and news. It increases the chance that users will quickly find the information they are searching for.

An online warrant search can be conducted for personal reasons. You can run a personal background check or check on a new roommate, neighbor or a dating partner. On the other hand, a Statewide Criminal History Background Check is more suitable for professional purposes (e.g., employment, real estate, business).⁶

Determine if Someone Has a Warrant Anywhere in Illinois (Statewide Lookup)

Several Illinois state agencies have made their most wanted lists open to the public. The objective is to make citizens aware about dangerous fugitives wanted on multiple warrants.

The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) keeps a Most Wanted Fugitives List.⁷

It contains a list of offenders, mugshots, warrant information, reasons why they are being sought, date of birth, weight, height, sex, hair and eye color etc.

The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation has a Most Wanted List as well.⁸ It includes the name of each person, mugshots, their offense(s), date of warrant, height, weight and other details.

Note that these lists include only specific offenders, not all warrants across the state.

The Illinois State CrimeStoppers program consists of several local law enforcement agencies. Visit the respective pages to find local CrimeStoppers’ lists of wanted suspects.

The Illinois court system has a unified online portal named re:SearchIL, which contains statewide court case records. However, only certain authorized parties can access the portal.

Instead, residents may visit their nearest courthouse to run a warrant check on themselves. To find your local court, use the Illinois Courts’ Finder Tool.⁹

A Look at Warrant Types & Their Meanings

Not all offenses have the same severity and consequences, so all warrants are not created the same. Here are some of the most common warrants that may appear in an McHenry County public record search.

Arrest Warrants: A “warrant of arrest” is ordered by a court directing the police/sheriff to arrest a person suspected of a crime. An Illinois warrant arrest is different from a “summons” or “notice to appear”, as explained in the 725 ILCS 5/Art. 107 of Code of Criminal Procedure.

There are some other variants of the arrest warrant e.g., those issued due to probation and parole violations or a fugitive from justice charge. Criminal arrest warrants are usually related to felony, misdemeanor and high-level offenses.

Search Warrants: This legal authorization permits the police or sheriff to search a specific place, seize a person to get the evidence of a possible crime.

Traffic Warrants: In Illinois, minor traffic offenses can be resolved by paying fines. It usually does not require the issuance of any traffic warrants. Depending on the severity of the traffic violations, authorities may decide whether to suspend or revoke the driver’s license and other privileges of the offenders.¹⁰

Civil Capias Writ/Body Attachment: A defendant who fails to follow court orders may face a civil capias and get arrested. Neglecting to pay child support or failing to appear at a court hearing may result in a capias warrant.

As per the McHenry County Circuit Clerk’s Case Statistics, there were 1,041 criminal felony cases and 1,482 criminal misdemeanor cases filed in the county in 2020.¹¹ While the number of civil law violations was only 73, a whopping 27,048 cases stemmed from traffic offenses.

For additional information, refer to the Case Categories with Applicable Actions and Secretary of State’s 2024 Offense Code Index.¹²

How To Handle an Active Warrant in McHenry County Illinois

Citizens who have any reliable information on a wanted criminal/suspect, can help stop crimes and help solve cases. There is a secure option to submit a tip anonymously by calling McHenry County Crime Stoppers tip line at +1-800-762-STOP (7867) or sending a mail to [email protected].¹³

If you or someone you are familiar with has a McHenry County warrant, it’s imperative to remain calm and respond to it as soon as possible. However distressing the situation may seem, there are several ways to handle it. Warrants can be quashed or cleared by the issuing court when the underlying matter is settled.

Defendants have the option to seek legal counsel and explore free resources through Illinois Court Help. In case you missed a court date or forgot to pay a court-issued fine, contact the court involved and request a hearing date. All court locations and contact information have been provided earlier in this article.

Remote appearance options are available for certain cases (e.g., petty traffic offenses). Also, residents who have received a traffic ticket can make payment online so that the minor violations do not go into warrant status.¹⁴

Individuals with an active arrest warrant can turn themselves in to avoid being arrested in public. The defendant may notify a friend or relative, and request them work with a bail bondsman.

Performing a McHenry County warrant search may seem overwhelming at first, because there is no centralized index or database that holds all information in one place; but rest assured that this article empowers citizens to carry out these searches more quickly and effortlessly.