In South Carolina, Magistrate Court judges issue of arrest warrants based on written complaints from individuals and law enforcement officers.Each complaint must be accompanied by a sworn affidavit stating the facts as to why the officer or individual believes the suspect committed the crime.After reviewing the facts, if the judge finds that it is reasonable to believe that the suspect committed the crime he will issue an arrest warrant.A warrant does not determine guilt but gives officers the authority to arrest and detain an individual until he can be brought before a judge.To perform a warrant search in Dorchester County, you should research arrest records in the Magistrate’s Court and in the Sheriff’s office.
Dorchester County arrest records and warrants
The Magistrate Court is also known as the Summary Court in South Carolina.To begin searching for active warrants, you can search by name through the Dorchester County Public Index. This online index gives the status of civil and criminal cases filed within the county.To search for Magistrate Court cases, choose “Summary Court” and to search for cases that have been transferred to the Circuit Court chose “Circuit Court” to begin.Once you have found an outstanding warrant or criminal case, you can contact the Magistrate Court that issued the warrant for more information or copies.To obtain copies for files that have been transferred to the Circuit Court, contact the Clerk of Court for Dorchester County.
Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office
Another source for searching outstanding warrants is the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office Most Wanted list.This list provides information about outstanding warrants within the county.You may also contact the Sheriff’s Office for information on criminal history reports and copies of arrest records.
Crime statistics for Dorchester County, SC
Between 1999 and 2008, Dorchester County had the second lowest crime rate when compared to nine other similar counties in South Carolina.However, within that time crime rose in the county by about 93% overall.The largest increase in crime rates during this time came in 2006 when crime rates more than tripled from the previous year.
