Search Fillmore County Criminal Records

Fillmore County criminal records are on file at the District Court in Preston, the county seat in southeastern Minnesota's bluff country region. The 3rd Judicial District handles all criminal cases filed here. You can search records online through the free Minnesota Court Records Online system, check the county jail roster, or request documents in person at the courthouse. This page covers each method and explains what the records contain and who can access them.

Fillmore County District Court

The 3rd Judicial District Court in Preston handles criminal cases for all of Fillmore County. The Court Administrator maintains case files, tracks filings, and processes copy requests. You can go in person to look up a case or request certified documents. Bring photo ID when you visit the courthouse.

Fillmore County is a rural county in the Root River valley area of southeastern Minnesota. It borders Wisconsin to the east and shares the 3rd District with Olmsted, Winona, and other nearby counties. All felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor cases filed in Fillmore County are handled at the courthouse in Preston.

How to Access Fillmore County Criminal Records

The free statewide court system at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us is the easiest place to start searching Fillmore County criminal records. You can look up cases by name or case number. Results show party names, charges, hearing dates, and case status. Records filed since July 1, 2015 are available at no charge. Cases before that date may require a direct request to the courthouse in Preston.

The Washington County website screenshot below shows the kind of county-level portal that some southeastern Minnesota counties use to display local records and office information. Fillmore County follows similar procedures through the state court system. It shows who is in custody, what charges they face, and when they were booked. This roster reflects the current jail population, not historical arrest data. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, basic arrest information is a public government data category. Law enforcement in Fillmore County must release it upon request.

County resource pages like this show how local jurisdictions direct the public to criminal record search tools. The state's court system at mncourts.gov is the main access point for Fillmore County case records.

For a full criminal history check, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension handles statewide conviction data. Their public system at chs.state.mn.us costs $8 per search and returns conviction data going back 15 years from sentence discharge under Minn. Stat. § 13.87. The BCA's main website at bca.dps.mn.gov has more information on available products and how to interpret the results.

State-Level Criminal Data Sources

The Minnesota Department of Corrections public viewer at coms.doc.state.mn.us covers people currently in state custody or on supervised release. It does not include local jail data from Fillmore County. If someone is held at the county level, the jail roster is the right tool. If they are serving time in a state facility, the DOC viewer covers it.

Arrest records and court records serve different purposes. An arrest record shows that a person was taken into custody. A court record shows what happened after charges were filed. In Fillmore County, both types can be relevant depending on what you need to know. Some searches return one but not the other. Using multiple sources gives you a more complete picture.

Note: Active investigation data is classified as confidential under state law. Once a case is closed and inactive, it generally becomes public data accessible through normal channels.

The DOC public viewer at coms.doc.state.mn.us covers state-level offender data that complements local Fillmore County criminal court records.

Expungement in Fillmore County

People with criminal records in Fillmore County can seek expungement through the 3rd Judicial District Court in Preston. Expungement seals a record from public access but does not destroy it. Government agencies and law enforcement can still view sealed records in certain situations.

Automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015 applies to some cases where the person was not convicted. For convictions, you must file a petition under Minn. Stat. § 609A and wait for a hearing. The court considers the nature of the offense, time elapsed, and other factors before ruling. Multiple agencies receive notice and can object to the petition before a judge decides.

Predatory offender registration under Minn. Stat. § 243.166 is not affected by expungement. Anyone subject to that registration requirement in Fillmore County must continue to comply regardless of whether other records have been sealed.

Cities in Fillmore County

No major cities in Fillmore County meet our population threshold for dedicated pages. Preston serves as the county seat. All criminal cases filed in the county go through the 3rd Judicial District Court in Preston.

Nearby Counties

Fillmore County shares borders with these southeast Minnesota counties. Check the right court if you are unsure where a case was filed.