Red Lake County Criminal Records

Red Lake County criminal records are filed with the 9th Judicial District Court in Red Lake Falls, the county seat in northwestern Minnesota. Red Lake County is one of the smallest counties in the state by both land area and population. Despite its size, the district court handles the full range of criminal cases, from minor offenses to felony charges. If you need to find criminal records in Red Lake County, you can search the state's free MCRO portal, check statewide conviction history through the BCA, or request records in person at the Red Lake Falls courthouse. This page explains how each option works.

Red Lake County Sheriff and Criminal Records

The Red Lake County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency in the county. It handles arrests, runs the local jail, and coordinates with state agencies on criminal cases. For such a small county, the Sheriff is involved in a wide range of cases. The Sheriff's Office is in Red Lake Falls and can be reached at (218) 253-2996. County government contact information is at co.red-lake.mn.us.

Minnesota law requires all law enforcement agencies in Red Lake County to release basic arrest data under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. This includes the time and date of arrest, the charges, the identity of the person arrested, and their custody status. The Sheriff, local city police, and the State Patrol all follow this rule. Active investigations are kept confidential until they close, after which the related data generally becomes public. Booking and jail records are part of this broader public data framework.

To check whether someone is currently held at the Red Lake County jail, call the Sheriff's Office directly. For state prison sentences, the DOC offender locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us is the right resource and is available free of charge.

District Court Records in Red Lake County

Red Lake County District Court is part of the 9th Judicial District. The court in Red Lake Falls handles all criminal filings for the county. Given the small size of the county, the Court Administrator handles a manageable but varied caseload. Case files are available for review during business hours. Walk-in requests and written mail requests are both accepted.

For current courthouse hours and contact information, check mncourts.gov/Find-Courts. The Minnesota Courts directory is kept up to date for all district locations. Cases filed after July 1, 2015 are searchable through MCRO online. Older records require contacting the court administrator directly.

Searching Red Lake County Criminal Records

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us covers Red Lake County cases and is free to use. Search by name or case number to pull up 9th District records. The portal shows charges, case status, hearing entries, and docket history. Records from July 1, 2015 onward are available. No account is required for a basic search.

The BCA's public conviction search at chs.state.mn.us costs $8 per search and returns statewide data. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.87, public conviction data spans 15 years from sentence discharge. If someone has a Red Lake County conviction in that window, it will appear. Arrests that did not result in a conviction are not included. The BCA main site at bca.dps.mn.gov explains what the search includes in more detail.

Minnesota's state criminal records systems, accessible through dps.mn.gov, cover all Red Lake County criminal cases regardless of the county's small size.

The Minnesota DOC offender locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us is the third main search tool. It shows people serving state sentences from Red Lake County and is free to search.

Criminal Background Checks

The BCA's CHS system at chs.state.mn.us is the main public option for a conviction check in Red Lake County. The $8 fee covers one name search. Results include felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions within the 15-year public window under Minn. Stat. § 13.87. Expunged records do not appear, and arrests without convictions are private data under Minnesota law.

The criminal justice data communications network under Minn. Stat. § 299C.46 is available to authorized law enforcement agencies. Red Lake County law enforcement uses this network for warrant checks, protection orders, and full criminal history searches. The public does not have access to this network. General searches in Red Lake County rely on the BCA CHS tool and MCRO.

Note: Conviction data is the same whether the case is from Red Lake County or any other Minnesota county. The BCA does not treat rural counties differently from urban ones when reporting public conviction history.

Expungement in Red Lake County

Automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015 applies to many Red Lake County records without requiring a court filing. The BCA reviews eligible records automatically and seals them after the applicable waiting period. Dismissed cases and completed diversions often qualify quickly. Most misdemeanors require a two-year wait from sentence discharge; gross misdemeanors require three years; certain felonies take four to five years before automatic expungement applies.

When a case does not qualify for automatic sealing, a petition under Minn. Stat. § 609A.03 is the alternative. You file in Red Lake County District Court in Red Lake Falls, pay the filing fee, serve the prosecutor and all agencies holding related records, and attend a hearing no earlier than 60 days after service. The judge weighs your rehabilitation, the nature of the offense, and public safety. A granted petition seals the record from public view but does not destroy it. Law enforcement retains access for investigative use.

Predatory Offender Registry

People convicted of qualifying offenses in Red Lake County must register as predatory offenders under Minn. Stat. § 243.166. The law covers convictions for criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, murder involving a minor, and related offenses. Registrants must verify their address each year in person during their birth month and report address changes within five days. Failure to register is a felony with mandatory minimums.

Risk levels are assigned under Minn. Stat. § 244.052. Level III offenders are posted publicly on the DOC website. Level I and Level II offenders are tracked internally by law enforcement but are not publicly listed. Residents of Red Lake County can search for Level III registrants through the DOC at mn.gov/doc.

Cities in Red Lake County

No major cities in Red Lake County meet our population threshold for dedicated pages. Red Lake Falls is the county seat and largest community, but it falls below our qualifying threshold. All criminal cases from Red Lake County communities are processed by the 9th Judicial District Court in Red Lake Falls.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Red Lake County. Cases filed near the county border may be in a neighboring jurisdiction.