County posts outstanding warrants online

With responsibility for more than 2,200 active warrants, the Flathead County Sheriff's Office is trying a new way to track down area residents wanted by the law.

Officials are launching a new page on the county's Web site - http://flathead.mt.gov/sheriff - that identifies people with outstanding warrants, making the suspects' names and last known location available to the public in an effort to generate information on their whereabouts.

Everyone, from those wanted for failing to appear on misdemeanor traffic offenses to those accused of violent felonies, will be listed, according to Flathead County Undersheriff Pete Wingert.

"It gets important information to the public," Wingert said. "Someone knows these individuals and can help us find them."

While deputies actively pursue people wanted for serious crimes, authorities don't have the manpower or room in the jail to search out and arrest those with nonviolent misdemeanor warrants.

Instead, most people wanted for such offenses get arrested during traffic stops or other unrelated contact with law enforcement - often resulting in an inconvenient stay in jail or additional fees for towing, vehicle storage and the like.

And despite warnings, people don't always take care of their warrants if deputies decide not to make an arrest. People discovered with misdemeanor warrants for violent crimes and felony warrants are generally taken into custody.

"[The Web site] is a benefit to the public. People can take care of their warrants on their own terms instead of ours," Wingert said. "When your name appears next to a warrant you would want to get it out of there as soon as possible, I would imagine."

Wingert said he hopes the Web site, which in its disclaimer has information on how and where people should turn themselves in to authorities, will reduce the number of outstanding warrants by informing people they are wanted by the law and then allowing them to handle the situation in a timely and convenient manner.

"If we can reduce the number of warrants and get people in front of a judge for an amenable solution, than that solves the whole problem. And that's the goal," Wingert said. "If we start seeing the number of warrants drop, we'll know it's effective. If not, we'll go another route."

But the Web site, which is organized by name, also should help authorities track down people accused of serious, violent crimes.

Unlike misdemeanants, those wanted on felony charges will have their pictures posted, as well as age, last known location and known aliases.

And underneath information on the alleged crime, the date the warrant was issued and bond amount is an e-mail link to submit anonymous tips.

"[Tips] are going to be mapped to our patrol division, supervisors and warrants clerk. They'll be able to use that information to hopefully make an arrest attempt on that individual," Wingert said. "And deputies in their cars have Internet access, so they can look up warrants if they run into somebody on the street."

Deputies on the street identifying a possible fugitive usually call in to dispatchers to have the person's name run through a national database for wanted people.

While investigators initially may spend extra time sorting out credible tips, the hope is that a significant reduction in outstanding warrants will save resources in the long run, Wingert said.

Anyone with information on a wanted person also can notify CrimeStoppers at (406) 752-TIPS rather than e-mailing the Sheriff's Office.

The Web site - which will be updated at least twice a day and possibly in real time - will be open to use by anyone, including employers, landlords, or even people checking out the suitability of a significant other.

At the end of October, the county had 2,249 active warrants, including 684 for felony offenses. Included in that tally are cases originating with the Sheriff's Office and Montana Highway Patrol, but not misdemeanor or felony crimes worked by the county's three city police departments.

According to Wingert, the oldest warrant currently on the books is for a South Dakota man wanted for probation violations following a conviction for passing bad checks. It was issued in 1978 and carries a $1,000 bond.

The list of warrants can be found under the Sheriff's Office section of the Flathead County Web site, http://flathead.mt.gov.

Also on the site are monthly crime statistics, a list of the Flathead's most wanted fugitives, a link to the state's violent and sexual offender registry, and the jail's inmate roster.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com