News Item
Fourth Judicial District to host Juvenile Warrant Forgiveness Day and Community Fair
Posted: Thursday, September 12, 2019
On-site community service opportunities will be available.
Hennepin County District Court is partnering with community and court partners to host the first-ever Juvenile Warrant Forgiveness Day and Community Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, at the office building located at 1256 Penn Avenue in North Minneapolis, formerly known as the "Thor Building."
During the event, individuals with outstanding warrants will have the opportunity to resolve non-felony juvenile warrants. Public defenders will be available to represent the individuals attending the event and judges will be available to conduct hearings to resolve the case or schedule new court dates. In addition to local judges and court staff, representatives from the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office, Hennepin County Attorney's Office, and Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation will be on site during the event to assist with resolving warrants.
There will be community service projects on-site for individuals to fulfill any court-ordered service requirements. Spanish, Somali, and Hmong interpreters will be available to provide language services. In addition, a community resource fair featuring more than 20 participating organizations will offer attendees an opportunity to access information about a wide variety of community-based services and resources related to health care, education, housing, mental health, chemical dependency, recreation, nutrition, and more.
“This is a great opportunity for parents and youth to resolve outstanding juvenile warrants and access information about vital human services in a welcoming and enjoyable family environment,” said Judge Mark Kappelhoff, a Juvenile Court judge who is leading the event planning committee. “We are grateful to partner with so many dedicated community-based and government organizations to make this a special event for everyone in our community.”
This is the first warrant forgiveness day for juveniles in Hennepin County. The focus is on non-felony cases. There are about 700 individuals with one or more outstanding warrants in Hennepin County.
To learn more about this event or to find out if you have an outstanding juvenile warrant, call Hennepin County District Court at (612) 348-3174. For more information, visit
www.mncourts.gov/Find-Courts/Hennepin/Warrant-Forgiveness-Day
For members of the public who are interested in outstanding warrants on adult cases, you may contact the new Hennepin County District Court Warrant Hotline at (612) 543-9768. The Warrant Hotline is designed to give adult defendants and their attorneys one number to call to get information about warrants. In some cases, people are able to schedule a new hearing within ten days. The warrant will stay active, but the person will be allowed to appear on an out-of-custody basis for the new hearing without having to go to jail to clear the warrant.
NOTE TO MEDIA: In order to protect the privacy of participating juveniles, members of the media will not be invited to the event. If you would like to interview a judge or other justice partner about Juvenile Warrant Resolution Day and Community Resource Fair before September 21, please contact Spenser Bickett at (612) 348-5022 or spenser.bickett@courts.state.mn.us.