Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office Reactivates Warrant Team

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's office has reactivated their warrant team.

Acting interim Sheriff PD Taylor announced his intention to make the team a priority when he addressed the media during a news conference earlier this month.

The team consists of two full-time deputies and a lieutenant. They drive countless miles every week to try to catch the outstanding offenders while they are at home or at work.

 A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Sheriff's Office says there are currently more than 30,000 people in Oklahoma County with outstanding arrest warrants on file. Everything from people wanted for murder to people wanted for failing to pay their court fines.

This team of professionals goes out armed with intelligence and tips as to where they might find some of the people they are looking for that are believed to be living or staying within county lines.

“We have a large amount of databases also that we can search and look for people as well,” said Deputy Mike Chitwood, who is one of the Warrant Team members.

The warrant team officially hit the streets two weeks ago, and they've already apprehended a handful of fugitives and brought them to the Oklahoma County jail. But they still have a lot more to find.

On Friday, the warrant team focused their search for suspects to two main areas. The northwest and southwest parts of town.

“We’re looking for a person who's wanted for three larceny charges, grand larceny,” said Chitwood. “And so, he's been known to run from the police, and be able to escape. So, we're going to work hard to try to catch this fugitive.”

But as News 9 prepared to leave, the team got information that the fugitive, identified as Raymond Harrison, was not at home. So, they focus their attention on another wanted fugitive named Judson Hendrix, 38, who is wanted on a long list of gun and drug charges.

They hit the road to try to find him, but despite getting a credible tip on where he might be, deputies have no luck.

 At one house, deputies saw the car that belonged to the person they are looking for in the driveway. But despite countless knocks on the door, no one answered. So, the team is forced to go on to the next one.

“It’s really frustrating,” said Chitwood. “But we have other ways of catching them. We wait for them to go to work. We'll catch them. It’s just part of the game they play.”

And these deputies are prepared for any scenario.

“The more serious the crime, a lot of time the harder they try to hide,” said Chitwood. “And it’s a little more challenging. But that's what we do, and we'll find them sooner or later.”

The warrant team did pick up a teenager down in Moore at a Moore school Friday afternoon, who was wanted for sex crimes in Oklahoma County.

The team works Monday through Friday and even some weekends, if they get a tip someone will be at a home at that time. And if you have an outstanding warrant and want to avoid arrest and extra court costs, deputies say you can go to the Oklahoma County jail and turn yourself in. Or contact a lawyer to arrange a walk through.