PITTSBURGH, PA - In an effort to reduce the backlog in failure to appear bench warrants, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and Allegheny County Pre-Trial Services are offering an amnesty program for the next two weeks.  The program will offer wanted individuals the opportunity to appear at the Allegheny County Criminal Courthouse and clear their warrant, as well as schedule a new court date for their active case. The attached list has over 450 wanted individuals, most are misdemeanor offenses (IE bad checks, DUI), for warrants where they failed to appear at the preliminary hearing or formal arraignment. All of the defendants’ warrants were active as of Monday, January 14, 2019.

In such cases, defendants are typically charged via summons through the mail.  However, defendants sometimes provide an incorrect address, have moved to a new address or provide an address where they do not receive mail.  If defendants do not appear at their initial scheduled hearing, a warrant is issued for their arrest and in most cases a new court date is schedule at the Allegheny County Criminal Court level.

The misconception with many defendants who receive a new court date is that they no longer have an active warrant because they have a subpoena for the latest court date.  The amnesty program will allow defendants to avoid the embarrassment of arrest and potential jail time, which typically takes four days before a court appearance. Additionally, the amnesty program will save the Allegheny County Jail around $135,000.00 in inmate housing costs.  The savings do not include fugitive pursuit by law enforcement agencies, such as the Sheriff’s Office, or court costs.

If you view your name on the attached list, please contact the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office at 412-350-4709 from 8:00AM to 10:00PM beginning this evening through Friday, February 1st.  In addition to appearing in front of the courts, there will be a representative of the Public Defender’s Office to answer any questions.  Although, if your name does not appear on the list, it should not be assumed you are not a wanted individual. If you believe you have an active warrant, your inquiry must be done in-person at the Sheriff’s Office in the Allegheny County Criminal Courthouse.