Dukes County Warrant Records Search

Dukes County warrant records cover Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Cape Cod. The county seat is Edgartown, where both the Superior Court and District Court are located. Searching for warrant-related records in Dukes County can be done online through the state court system or by contacting the local sheriff's office and courts directly. Because this is an island county, in-person visits require a ferry ride or flight. This page explains every way to search for Dukes County warrant records, from free online tools to direct contact with the sheriff and court clerks in Edgartown.

Dukes County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Robert W. Ogden runs the Dukes County Sheriff's Office from 149 Main Street in Edgartown. The phone number is (508) 627-5173 and the fax is (508) 627-8496. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Kayla Pachico serves as the Records Access Officer.

The Dukes County Sheriff's website is shown above. Deputies serve warrants across all the towns on Martha's Vineyard. Because the county is an island, warrant service has unique challenges. People can leave by ferry or plane, and summer visitors push the population much higher than the year-round count. Under M.G.L. Chapter 276, warrants do not expire in Massachusetts. A warrant from a Dukes County court stays active until resolved, even if the person leaves the island.

The sheriff's office has a clear process for records requests. You can email records@dcsoma.org or visit the office on Main Street.

How to Search Dukes County Warrants

The Dukes County Sheriff's public records page lays out how to request records from the office. You can ask in person, by mail, by email, or by phone. Basic information is free to inspect. Paper copies cost about $1 per page, and return postage for mailed copies is $1 per document.

The public records page shown above gives step-by-step details for each request method. This is useful if you want records held by the sheriff's office specifically.

For court case searches, use MassCourts. This free system covers both the Dukes Superior Court and the Edgartown District Court. Search by name or case number. Docket entries may show bench warrant notes when someone missed a hearing. The system does not list all active warrants, but it gives you case-level data that can point you in the right direction.

The iCORI system is another option. It costs $25 per search and pulls criminal record data from the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services. It can show if someone has an open case in Dukes County.

Note: Because Dukes County is an island, plan ahead if you need to visit the courthouse or sheriff's office in person. Ferry service from Woods Hole runs year-round, and air service is also available.

Cape and Islands DA and Dukes Warrants

The Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office handles all criminal prosecutions in Dukes County. DA Robert Galibois leads the office. The Dukes County branch is at 81 Main Street in Edgartown, and the phone number is (508) 627-7780. This DA's office also covers Barnstable and Nantucket counties.

The Cape and Islands DA website is shown above. Prosecutors work with local police and the sheriff to build criminal cases on Martha's Vineyard. When law enforcement wants an arrest warrant in Dukes County, a prosecutor reviews the evidence and files a complaint with the court. The judge decides whether probable cause exists under M.G.L. c. 276. For more serious matters, the DA may present the case to a grand jury at Dukes Superior Court.

Dukes County Courts and Warrant Records

Two courts serve Dukes County. Both are in Edgartown at 81 Main Street. The Superior Court handles serious felonies and the District Court covers misdemeanors, lower felonies, and arraignments.

Both courts share a building and phone number. The clerk's office can look up cases and tell you if a warrant is active. If you visit in person, bring a valid ID. A bench warrant in Dukes County gets issued when someone fails to appear for a hearing. An arrest warrant comes from a criminal complaint with probable cause. Both types stay active until the court resolves them.

The Edgartown District Court handles most of the criminal cases on the island. Arraignments, bail hearings, and misdemeanor trials all happen here. The Superior Court sits less frequently because the case volume on Martha's Vineyard is lower than mainland counties. Visiting judges sometimes come to the island to handle Superior Court matters. If you need to clear a bench warrant in Dukes County, a lawyer can help you set up a voluntary surrender at the right court so you can deal with the case on your own terms.

The Court Docket Search Guide on Mass.gov explains how to search for case data online. The Trial Court Law Libraries can also help with questions about accessing court records in Dukes County.

Communities in Dukes County

Dukes County covers all of Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. No communities in Dukes County meet the population threshold for their own page on this site.

The main towns on the island are Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury (Vineyard Haven), West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. The town of Gosnold covers the Elizabeth Islands. All criminal and warrant cases in these communities go through the courts in Edgartown.

Nearby Counties

Dukes County is an island county reached by ferry from Cape Cod or by air. The closest mainland county is Barnstable. Nantucket County is the other island county in Massachusetts.