Santa Fe County District Courthouse hosting Safe Surrender event for people with outstanding warrants in New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (KAMR/KCIT) — Those with outstanding bench warrants from any magistrate or district court in New Mexico are being offered a fresh start with an event to safely surrender at the Santa Fe County District Courthouse.

According to officials from the courthouse, the safe surrender event is on April 26 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on April 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the courthouse located at 225 Montezuma Ave.

Officials noted the safe surrender event is meant to provide anyone with outstanding warrants an opportunity to avoid jail and other consequences by appearing before a judge and anyone who seems voluntary at the time of surrender will receive favorable consideration when requesting a new court date, payment plan, or any other option required to comply with the court order.

“Nearly 1,400 warrants were canceled during the three statewide safe surrender events we had

last year,” said Administrative Office of the Courts Director Artie Pepin. “The opportunity to

work on a solution is really what safe surrender events are all about.”

Officials stated warrants were resolved in 707 cases during a safe surrender event last fall in Taos.

Officials also clarified a bench warrant is issued by a judge when a defendant violates requirements imposed by a court, such as appearing at hearings scheduled in a case, and encourages those to call the toll-free customer services hotline at 855-268-7804 or check

online case lookup on the New Mexico Courts website if you are unsure if you have an outstanding bench warrant.

According to officials, this event is in cooperation with the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the Law Offices of the Public Defender.

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