Tippecanoe County courts are offering a clean slate to those with misdemeanor and low-level criminal cases. More than 7,000 warrants will be eligible for elimination on June 30 during the county’s Warrant Recall Day.
Most warrants and writs issued from Superior Courts 4, 5, and 6 will be eligible for the one-day-only program, as well as civil writs from Superior Court 3. Warrants issued for failures to appear for initial hearings, guilty pleas, and case management can all be cleared, but cases regarding probation and community corrections violations will not be recalled.
Superior Court 4 Judge Laura Zeman says she was inspired to suggest the idea because of the success of a program ten years ago that recalled warrants issued for bad checks. She says she recently saw the need for a broader program.
"We have a lot of new judges on the bench; we have a new sheriff in town, so we’ve got a fresh start here in the courthouse," Zeman says. "We’re anxious to give a lot of people fresh starts too, here in their cases."
Anyone hoping to recall their warrant should check in at the Magistrate Court on the first floor of the courthouse with a government-issued photo ID. Warrant Recall Day will last from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sheriff Barry Richard says law enforcement will actively search for those who still have outstanding warrants after June 30.
