§ 133.340 Authority to order arrest for crime committed in presence of magistrate

If a judge or magistrate personally sees someone commit a crime right in front of them, they don't need to go through the usual process of writing up a formal warrant first. They can just tell someone, either out loud or in writing, to arrest that person on the spot.

Once the arrest happens, the magistrate can handle the case the same way they would if the person had been formally brought in on a warrant. This means the process moves forward normally from that point, even though the arrest started differently.

Basically, this rule lets a magistrate act fast when they witness a crime themselves, instead of waiting on paperwork that would normally come first.