Bench Warrants in Benton County
What makes a Benton County bench warrant different is its trigger. A judge signs one to bring a person back before the court in an existing case. It follows a default, not a new charge. Mississippi Rule of Criminal Procedure 15.2 supports the warrant when a person released on bail or recognizance fails to appear at arraignment or as the bond required, and judges also issue one after a broken release condition, a contempt finding, or an unresolved city obligation. The triggers follow the court map. A missed Circuit setting, a skipped Justice Court date, an unpaid or unanswered city citation, or support contempt in Chancery can each put a different label on a different docket. Jury duty questions belong with the Circuit Clerk. And a caller demanding money by phone is not that clerk.
Benton County Justice Court Bench Warrants
County road traffic and county misdemeanors run through Benton County Justice Court, where two elected posts share a single clerk contact. Call Clerk Felicia Washington at 662-224-6320 and ask first which post holds the case, because the judge who set the date controls the remedy. Then ask what the warrant record shows. The triggers differ. A missed appearance, a default entry, or alias process each points somewhere different. Ask whether the court will accept a new setting, a payment, or a bond. The published mailing address is P.O. Box 152 in Ashland. The court posts no public lookup, no payment form, and no walk-in docket. The phone is the starting point.
How a Benton County Bench Warrant Is Issued
The Benton County sequence is short and worth memorizing: required setting → no appearance or no compliance → judge orders process → clerk dockets it → officer serves or returns it → court recalls, quashes, or resets. Nothing in that chain involves a public web page.
A Benton County bench warrant surfaces differently depending on the court. In Circuit Court, the docket entry becomes visible through Mississippi Electronic Courts, which went live for Benton County on February 10, 2025. Justice and city courts keep it simpler. There the warrant entry stays in that court's own file until the clerk reads it to you.
Three Benton County Municipal Court Channels
Benton County has three incorporated towns, and each runs its own municipal court with a separate clerk contact listed in the state judicial directory. A missed city setting stays with that town. Call the county courthouse about it and you will usually get a referral, not an answer.
| Municipal Court | Mailing Contact | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland Municipal Court | P.O. Box 246, Ashland, MS 38603 | 662-224-6282 |
| Hickory Flat Municipal Court | P.O. Box 479, Hickory Flat, MS 38633 | 662-333-7884 |
| Snow Lake Shores Municipal Court | P.O. Box 400, Ashland, MS 38603 | 662-224-3050 |
A Benton County town office is not the same as a court contact. The Town of Snow Lake Shores site publishes a town office, a meeting schedule, and a police chief listing. None of that reaches a warrant docket.
None of the Benton County town pages posts a warrant lookup or a court payment form. Hickory Flat works the same way. A state health department record verifies the town's physical contact at 225 West Spruce Street.
That address tells you where the town office sits. It does not make the building a warrant counter. Route court questions to the P.O. Box 479 court contact in Benton County.
Bench Warrant vs Arrest Warrant
The two terms get swapped on Benton County phone calls. They are not interchangeable. A bench warrant responds to a default in an existing case. An arrest warrant opens or advances a case after a probable cause finding.
| Point | Bench Warrant | Arrest Warrant |
|---|---|---|
| What triggers it | Missed setting, broken condition, contempt | Probable cause on a charging affidavit |
| State rule anchor | Rule 15.2 | Rules 3.1 and 3.2 |
| Usual starting point | An open case you already had | A new or newly charged matter |
| Who lifts it | The judge who set the date | The court with jurisdiction over the charge |
| Where to call first | The clerk of the court that scheduled it | The clerk of the charging court, then counsel |
Benton County Bench Warrant Terms Defined
Mississippi uses several words for court process. Benton County publishes no local legend. Write down the exact term the clerk says rather than translating it yourself.
- Bench warrant
- Process compelling appearance after a missed setting, a default, or contempt.
- Capias
- A writ commanding officers to take into custody a defendant a grand jury has indicted. State law directs it to issue immediately after indictment.
- Alias capias or alias warrant
- A later process after the original was not executed or after a further default.
- Capias pro fine
- A phrase used elsewhere in Mississippi for fine related default. No Benton County definition was published, so ask before assuming it applies.
- Quashed
- The court set the warrant aside. The underlying case can still be open.
How to Resolve a Benton County Bench Warrant
Benton County posts no local recall form, reinstatement schedule, walk-in docket, or bond amount. Every step begins with a question rather than a form. Take each one with the issuing Benton County clerk.
- Confirm the missed setting, the case number, and the exact warrant label on the docket.
- Ask which remedy the judge accepts: a reset, a payment, a reinstatement bond, a motion to recall or quash, or a personal appearance.
- Ask whether counsel can file or appear instead of the person named.
- Ask whether arriving at the counter is likely to end in custody that day.
- Get a receipt or written order, then ask when the docket and any law enforcement record will reflect the change.
Before you go: Benton County publishes no surrender window or bond counter, so confirm the location, the time, and the custody risk with the court before traveling.
Benton County Court Geography by the Numbers
Scale explains why the Benton County bench warrant map feels complicated for its size. The 2020 Census place table lists three incorporated places. Each one supports a separate court channel.
Those three towns, two Justice Court posts, and one Circuit Court add up fast. That is why a single phone call rarely settles a Benton County warrant question.
Which Benton County Court Issued It
Start from the notice. A Benton County summons or setting notice usually names the court, and that name decides which number to dial. Circuit matters go to the Circuit Clerk at 662-224-6310. County road and misdemeanor matters go to Justice Court at 662-224-6320. A city ticket belongs to the town court that wrote it. Support and contempt matters go to Chancery at 662-224-6300, where the Chancery Clerk page describes the separate records route. One more possibility belongs on the list. A federal case sits with none of those counters. Benton County lies in the Oxford Division of the Northern District of Mississippi.
A federal setting missed in Oxford belongs to the federal clerk and the U.S. Marshals. No Benton County clerk handles it.
Benton County Contempt Process in Chancery
Benton County handles some of its court business a little differently. There is no county court here. Chancery Court in the Eighteenth District picks up the slack, hearing child support, custody, guardianship, domestic matters, and youth court work. A contempt process out of that court is civil in nature. It compels an appearance, but it is not the same thing as a criminal arrest warrant. Call Chancery Clerk Marlene McKenzie at 662-224-6300 for help with a Benton County file. Her mailing address is P.O. Box 218 in Ashland. When you ask about orders, keep youth records in mind, since state law keeps those confidential and a request for them will be refused. Note: if the Chancery matter is actually a criminal warrant, follow the warrant steps on the county overview.