Search Brown County Criminal Records

Brown County criminal records come from the District Court and the Sheriff's Office in New Ulm, the county seat of this south-central Minnesota county with about 25,900 residents. Criminal records here include court case filings, a daily-updated warrant list, a PDF jail roster, and arrest data from the Sheriff's Office. You can search court cases for free through Minnesota Court Records Online, run an $8 BCA conviction check for statewide results, or contact the Sheriff's Office for the current warrant list. This page walks through each option for Brown County criminal records.

Brown County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Jason Seidl leads the Brown County Sheriff's Office at 15 S. Washington St., New Ulm, MN 56073. The main phone is 507-233-6700. You can also reach the Sheriff by email at sheriff@co.brown.mn.us. The County Administrator, Charles Enter, is at 14 S State St., New Ulm, MN 56073, phone 507-233-6600. The Sheriff's Office maintains an outstanding warrant list that updates every day. That list shows full name, warrant number, issue date, and any relevant comments. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, arrest data from the Sheriff's Office is public government data and includes charges, time of arrest, and custody status.

The Brown County Jail was built in 1994 and holds 56 male and female offenders at 15 South Washington St., PO Box 877, New Ulm, MN 56073. The jail administrator is Mike Mathliowetz, phone 507-233-6767, fax 507-233-6733. The facility has 14 correctional officers. Visitation requires a prior application. Visits are 15 minutes and allowed one to two times per week. The jail roster is published in PDF format, listed alphabetically by last name. It includes full name, age, booking date and time, bail amount, arresting agency, charges, status, and projected release date.

The Brown County Sheriff's Office page at co.brown.mn.us/169/Sheriffs-Office provides the daily warrant list, jail roster access, and other public safety resources for Brown County.

The Brown County main site at co.brown.mn.us links to all county departments, including the Sheriff's Office, court administration, and public records resources in New Ulm.

How to Find Brown County Criminal Records

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us is the free tool for Brown County court case searches. Enter a name or case number to pull up district court records. You'll see charges, hearing dates, and case outcomes. Cases filed after July 1, 2015 are viewable and downloadable at no cost. Court-authored documents from July 2005 through June 2015 are also searchable. For older records, contact the Brown County Courthouse directly. Brown County is part of the 5th Judicial District.

For certified copies or records outside MCRO's scope, go to the Brown County Courthouse in New Ulm during business hours. Use mncourts.gov/Find-Courts for current hours and contact details. Certified copies cost more than plain document copies and take extra processing time. MPA Remote at mncourts.gov is the older case index system, but MCRO is the better option for document-level access.

The BCA conviction search at bca.dps.mn.gov costs $8 and returns statewide conviction data for the past 15 years under Minn. Stat. § 13.87. Brown County convictions within that window will appear. For people currently serving state sentences from Brown County cases, check the DOC Offender Locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer.

Brown County District Court Records

Brown County District Court processes all criminal cases in the county. It is part of the 5th Judicial District. Case files are accessible online through MCRO for cases filed after July 2015. The register of actions shows the full timeline of a case: when charges were filed, when hearings occurred, and how the matter resolved. You can view and download documents as PDFs at no charge. No account is required for basic name searches.

For restricted case types or older records, contact the Court Administrator directly. Restricted types include juvenile delinquency, domestic abuse, harassment orders, and anything expunged or sealed. These are not accessible through any remote system. Brown County Courthouse staff handle certified copy requests during regular business hours. Processing time depends on whether the files are active or archived.

Note: Documents downloaded from MCRO are unofficial. They cannot replace certified copies for legal proceedings requiring court authentication.

Minnesota Criminal Background Checks

The BCA's Criminal History Search at bca.dps.mn.gov is the main tool for a Minnesota-wide conviction check that includes Brown County records. The fee is $8. The BCA office is at 1430 Maryland Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55106, phone 651-793-2400. The search covers felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions for the 15 years after sentence discharge under Minn. Stat. § 13.87. The BCA operates as the central repository under Minn. Stat. § 299C.46.

The BCA public search does not include arrests without convictions, juvenile records, federal records, out-of-state convictions, records older than 15 years from sentence discharge, or anything that has been expunged or sealed. Subjects may contest data accuracy under Minn. Stat. § 13.04 if they believe the BCA holds wrong information about them. The BCA is required to provide a free in-person inspection of your own public conviction data upon request.

Expungement in Brown County

Brown County residents can seek to seal criminal records through the 5th Judicial District Court in New Ulm. Automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015 covers cases that ended without a conviction. The BCA processes those records automatically without requiring a petition. For convictions, the petition route under Minn. Stat. § 609A.03 requires notifying the Brown County Sheriff's Office, the BCA, and any other agency that holds related records. Each agency can respond or object before the judge makes a ruling.

If the court grants expungement, the record is sealed from public databases. It stays accessible to law enforcement and prosecutors. It is not deleted from the BCA repository. Waiting periods before filing vary by offense level. LawHelpMN at lawhelpmn.org provides free guides on the process for Brown County residents. Predatory offender registration under Minn. Stat. § 243.166 continues independently of any expungement order.

Predatory Offender Registry

Predatory offenders in Brown County register through the Sheriff's Office under Minn. Stat. § 243.166. They must provide their address, vehicle information, phone numbers, and employment or school location. Annual in-person verification is required during the birth month. Address changes must be reported within five days. Failure to comply is a felony. Community notification levels are set under Minn. Stat. § 244.052. Level III registrants in Brown County are publicly searchable through the DPS at dps.mn.gov. Level II offenders trigger notifications to schools and local facilities. Level I stays within law enforcement only.

Cities in Brown County

No major cities in Brown County meet our population threshold for dedicated pages. Criminal records for all Brown County residents are handled through the District Court in New Ulm.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Brown County. Cases near county lines may be filed in a neighboring jurisdiction.