How Arrest Warrants Work in Plaquemines Parish
Every Plaquemines Parish arrest warrant starts with a sworn accusation, and a judge then weighs probable cause. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 203 sets the required form. The paper must carry the State's name, the date, and the parish. It also names the person or gives a statutory description, states the offense, and commands an arrest and booking. The magistrate's signature and title go at the bottom. In an authorized noncapital case, the magistrate may fix bail on the warrant itself. A case can reach that point several ways. Investigators may build a file and ask the district attorney to seek a warrant from the 25th Judicial District Court, or a grand jury may return an indictment. A ward court can also issue process within its limited jurisdiction. Whatever the route, only the court on the caption can confirm what happened afterward.
Plaquemines Parish Judges Who Sign Arrest Warrants
The 25th Judicial District Court sits in two divisions. Division A is Judge Kevin D. Conner, who also oversees adult drug court. Division B is Judge Michael D. Clement, who oversees juvenile court in Plaquemines Parish. They alternate duty months, so match the caption to the judge before you call.
Division A
Judge Kevin D. Conner
Adult Drug Court
504-934-6715
Division B
Judge Michael D. Clement
Juvenile Court
504-934-6730
The Division A page and the Division B page describe each docket.
Duty months alternate, so the date on the paper decides the division.
Read the division listed on the warrant first, then call that judge's line with the case number in hand for any Plaquemines Parish warrant question.
Arrest Warrants: What They Contain
The form is short, but every field works for you in Plaquemines Parish. Some fields name the office to call. Others show what the court has already decided.
| Caption | The warrant is issued in the name of the State of Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Date and parish | When and where the magistrate signed the paper |
| Person identified | A name, or a statutory description when the name is unknown |
| Offense charged | The charge as filed, which can be amended later |
| Command | A direction to arrest and book the person |
| Bail | An amount, when a magistrate is authorized to fix one |
| Signature and title | The magistrate or judge who issued the warrant |
A copy reflects the day it was signed. It will not say whether a Plaquemines Parish warrant was later executed, recalled, or quashed.
What a Plaquemines Warrant Copy Costs
The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office publishes a fee schedule, marked effective March 2026, for records its Criminal Records Division releases. The clerk of court charges separately for searches, copies, and certification. Get an estimate before paying.
| Item | Published Amount |
|---|---|
| Arrest warrant record | $25 from the Sheriff's Office |
| Arrest report or detailed incident report | $25 each |
| Citation record | $15 |
| Local criminal record | $50 |
| Expedited handling | $50, at agency discretion |
| Clerk criminal-history search | $20, plus copies and certification |
Put requests in writing. The Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office asks that they go to the division or the portal rather than to an individual deputy.
Note: A records fee buys a copy, never a change in the warrant's status.
How Warrants Get Served in Plaquemines Parish
The sheriff and his deputies execute process for the district court. Constables serve process for the ward courts. Plaquemines Parish stretches along a long river corridor, so the sheriff splits it into three patrol districts. The First District runs from the north parish through Belle Chasse south to Myrtle Grove. The Second District runs from Lake Hermitage Road south to Venice. The Third District covers the whole east bank.
- First District office: 102 Keating Drive, Belle Chasse
- Second District, Marine, and Detective Bureau: 123 Civic Drive, Port Sulphur
- Third District office: 1045 Hwy. 39, Braithwaite
- Non-emergency dispatch: 504-564-2525
A warrant travels with its case, not its neighborhood. A Plaquemines Parish warrant can be served in another parish. One from another parish, or a federal court, works here too.
Plaquemines Parish Arrest Warrant Case Examples
Sheriff and district attorney releases from Plaquemines Parish show the normal chain. Investigators and prosecutors build a case. A judge then authorizes process through the 25th Judicial District Court, and deputies execute the arrest and search warrants. A July 2026 armed robbery release described arrest warrants obtained in one parish and a search warrant executed in another. An August 2026 Port Sulphur release described a drug investigation with arrest and search warrants obtained through the district court. Two details stand out. One case can yield both kinds. An arrest warrant and a search warrant remain different documents. A warrant from one parish can also surface during an unrelated arrest elsewhere in Plaquemines Parish.
Arrest Warrants, Summonses, and Bench Warrants
Three documents can bring a person before a court in Plaquemines Parish, and they do different jobs. The label decides who you call.
| Document | What It Does | Where It Comes From |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest warrant | Authorizes arrest and booking on a charge | A magistrate or judge |
| Summons | Orders an appearance without an arrest command | The court handling the case |
| Bench warrant | Enforces a missed court obligation | The judge already assigned |
Louisiana article 211.1 gives officers a summons option. In some misdemeanor and traffic failure-to-appear cases, an officer can issue a summons instead of making an arrest. DWI, weapons, and violence cases sit outside that rule in Plaquemines Parish.
Plaquemines Arrest Warrants Versus Search Warrants
An arrest warrant authorizes custody, while a search warrant authorizes a search and seizure. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 162 demands probable cause backed by a credible affidavit. It also requires a particular description of the person or place and of the things to be seized. A stated legal purpose must appear too. Electronic signatures are recognized on both. In Plaquemines Parish, one judge can sign both papers the same day. Neither proves that charges will follow. Neither substitutes for the other. A notice mentioning a search does not mean a Plaquemines Parish arrest warrant exists.
Handling an Arrest Warrant in Your Name
An old arrest warrant does not fade on its own. In Plaquemines Parish it stays in force until the court executes or recalls it. Talk to a lawyer early. Counsel can confirm the warrant's current status with the court and lay out options such as a surrender, a bond, or a motion.
Important: Do not walk into a sheriff's office, the jail, or the courthouse expecting protection from arrest, and do not send money to anyone who promises a recall.
- Write down the issuing court, division or ward, case number, and charge.
- Ask the clerk whether the warrant is still open, executed, or recalled.
- Ask an attorney about a voluntary surrender, a bond, or a motion to recall.
- Keep every document you receive, including receipts and written confirmations.
Plaquemines Parish warrants answer to Louisiana Act 114 of 2026. That law took effect on August 1, 2026. It keeps a warrant in force until execution or recall, and a magistrate's recall requires written notice to the district attorney and law enforcement.
Plaquemines Parish Clerk Records and eSearch Limits
The clerk of court for Plaquemines Parish is Kim Turlich-Vaughan. Her office holds the district court's criminal, traffic, DWI, and wildlife records for the whole parish. You can visit at 301 Main Street, Suite 108, in Belle Chasse. The courthouse itself sits at 18055 Highway 15 in Pointe-a-la-Hache. Call the clerk line at 504-934-6610, and the district attorney, Charles J. Ballay, takes prosecution calls at 504-934-6630. Online case access runs through the clerk's subscription service. A free guest sign-in covers indices for every department. Criminal docket details and document images stay off-limits unless you subscribe. Criminal indices reach back to January 1966, and images run from September 2006 forward. The clerk's own site cautions that online records are not official and that some records are not indexed.
A Plaquemines Parish index hit is only a starting point, and the clerk's office keeps the official record.
Federal Warrants Outside Plaquemines Parish Records
No Plaquemines Parish office can confirm a federal warrant. Federal process belongs to federal authorities alone. Plaquemines sits in the Eastern District of Louisiana, whose courthouse is at 500 Poydras Street in New Orleans. Bring a valid photo identification to enter that building. Federal case files live in PACER, which requires an account. Fugitive matters go to the U.S. Marshals Service. Its Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force includes the Sheriff's Office and the Louisiana State Police. The district task force number is 504-589-6079. The New Orleans task force line is 504-589-6872, and a 24-hour tip line runs at 1-888-869-4589. Note: A clean result in parish records cannot rule out a federal case, and the two systems never merge.