Asked 3/19/2016 – Houston, TX

My car was vandalized in January and the man who did it had a warrant issued for criminal mischief. On the Harris County District Clerk website I searched for his record almost daily until the warrant was listed, the first couple days it showed as “active” then about a week later it showed the warrant as “inactive”. I would like to know Why a warrant for a criminal mischief felony became inactive and what it mean?, Is there anything I can do to make sure this charge is carried through so something is actually done? With this being his 8th felony I saw listed on his criminal history I sure hope this wouldn’t be brushed off easily. He did over $2,500 in damage and I was the one stuck paying the $500 insurance deductible for his actions.

Answer

No one can say for sure what caused the change in warrant status in your case. It may be a clerical error. It might have been a clerical error to list the warrant as active in the beginning. A warrant is essentially an order from a Judge or Magistrate, commanding law enforcement to take a person into custody. Law enforcement prepares the warrant and a supporting affidavit is attached that outlines the facts justifying the issuance of such warrant. The Judge reviews the affidavit and signs the warrant. The warrant is only active when the judge signs it, not when it is prepared, so it could be the warrant has issued (been prepared) but not active (signed by a Judge). You can call the court clerk or the police investigator who took your report to determine the exact status of the matter.