Criminal Records in Todd County

Todd County criminal records are managed by the 7th Judicial District Court in Long Prairie, the county seat of this central Minnesota county. The county covers a mix of small towns and rural areas between St. Cloud and Brainerd. Criminal case records here include misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and felonies filed in district court. You can search them through the state's free online portal, request documents at the courthouse in Long Prairie, or use the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for a full conviction history check anywhere in Minnesota.

Todd County Sheriff and Criminal Records

The Todd County Sheriff's Office is the main law enforcement agency serving the county outside of city limits. The Sheriff's Office is located at 215 1st Avenue South in Long Prairie. They handle patrol, jail operations, and criminal investigations across the county's rural townships and small cities. You can reach the Sheriff's Office at (320) 732-7800.

Arrest data in Todd County is public under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. This statute requires the Sheriff's Office and all other law enforcement agencies in the county to release basic arrest information when requested. That includes the date and time of arrest, the charges, the name of the person arrested, and where they are being held. Active criminal investigations are confidential while they remain open. Once a case closes or a decision not to prosecute is made, the related investigative data generally becomes public.

The Todd County jail holds people who are awaiting trial or serving short sentences. Current custody information may be available by calling the Sheriff's Office directly. For broader statewide inmate tracking, the Minnesota Department of Corrections maintains a public offender locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us that shows people in state custody or under state supervision.

Note: The Todd County Sheriff's Office does not maintain a public online jail roster. Call (320) 732-7800 to ask about current custody status for individuals held locally.

How to Search Todd County Criminal Records

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us is the free statewide tool for finding Todd County criminal cases. You search by name or case number, and the system returns matching district court records from the 7th Judicial District. Case details include party names, charges, hearing history, and current status. Documents filed after July 1, 2015 are available at no charge. Older cases require an in-person request at the courthouse.

The Minnesota Court Records Online portal replaced the older MPA Remote system. It covers all major and minor criminal case types from Todd County District Court. You don't need an account for basic name searches, though creating one lets you save searches and get case update notifications. Records are unofficial copies. If you need a certified copy for legal purposes, contact the Todd County Court Administrator directly.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension runs a public criminal history search at chs.state.mn.us for $8 per search. This system searches statewide conviction data going back 15 years from the date a sentence was discharged, as defined by Minn. Stat. § 13.87. It covers felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor convictions. Arrest records and juvenile records are not part of the public search result. The BCA's main website at bca.dps.mn.gov explains the full scope of what the search returns.

The state image below shows the BCA criminal history portal, which is one of the key tools for checking criminal records tied to Todd County residents.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at bca.dps.mn.gov runs the statewide criminal history database that covers Todd County convictions and those across the state.

Court Records in Todd County

The Todd County District Court handles all criminal cases filed in the county. It operates as part of the 7th Judicial District, which also serves Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Douglas, Grant, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin counties. The Court Administrator's office in Long Prairie maintains all case files for Todd County.

The courthouse is at 221 1st Avenue South in Long Prairie. Walk-in requests are handled during regular business hours. You can search for records by name or case number at public terminals in the courthouse. Certified copies cost more than plain document copies. For questions about fees and hours, call the Court Administrator at (320) 732-4469.

Criminal History Checks in Todd County

When you need a formal criminal history check for a Todd County resident or someone who lived in the county, the BCA is the authoritative source. The public search at chs.state.mn.us costs $8 and pulls conviction records from across the state. It is not limited to Todd County alone. If someone has a conviction anywhere in Minnesota, this search will return it. The result includes the offense, court disposition, sentence, and supervising agency.

Under Minn. Stat. § 13.87, conviction data is public for 15 years after the sentence is discharged. After that window closes, the record drops off the public BCA search. Arrest records, even without a conviction, are not part of the public search. The BCA also maintains the state's criminal justice data communications network under Minn. Stat. § 299C.46, which connects law enforcement agencies including the Todd County Sheriff's Office to state and federal databases for authorized purposes.

For court records specifically, MCRO at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us remains the free option and covers case-level detail not found in BCA results alone. The two tools together give you the most complete picture of a person's criminal record in Todd County.

Expungement in Todd County

People with criminal records in Todd County may qualify to have those records sealed through expungement. Petitions go through the 7th Judicial District Court in Long Prairie. Minnesota law provides two paths: automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015 and petition-based expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.03.

Automatic expungement, added in 2023, means the BCA identifies eligible records and seals them without you having to file anything. This applies to dismissed charges, cases resolved in your favor, and certain convictions after waiting periods of two to five years depending on the offense level. Petty misdemeanors have a two-year wait, most misdemeanors two years, gross misdemeanors three years, and certain felonies four to five years from sentence discharge.

If automatic expungement doesn't apply, you can file a petition with the Todd County District Court. The petition must include your full name and aliases, date of birth, addresses since the offense, a complete criminal history, and evidence of rehabilitation. All affected agencies must be served, including the BCA, the Todd County Sheriff's Office, and any other agency holding records from the case. A judge then decides whether the benefit to you outweighs public safety concerns, based on the standard in § 609A.03. Expungement seals the record from public view but does not destroy it from law enforcement databases.

Note: Legal aid resources for central Minnesota may be available through LawHelpMN.org for people who need help filing an expungement petition in Todd County.

Predatory Offender Registry

Minnesota maintains a statewide predatory offender registry under Minn. Stat. § 243.166. People convicted of certain offenses including criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, and related crimes must register with law enforcement and keep their information current. Todd County residents required to register do so with the Todd County Sheriff's Office or their corrections agent.

Risk levels are assigned under Minn. Stat. § 244.052 by an end-of-confinement review committee before a person is released. Level I offenders are low risk. Level II offenders carry moderate risk, and agencies may notify schools or other organizations likely to encounter them. Level III offenders are considered high risk, and their information is posted publicly online by the Minnesota Department of Corrections at coms.doc.state.mn.us.

Registered offenders must report address changes within five days, verify their information in person annually during their birth month, and provide vehicle, employment, and phone information. Failure to register is a felony under state law and can result in up to five years in prison. Registration typically lasts 10 years, with lifetime registration for certain serious offenses.

Cities in Todd County

No major cities in Todd County meet our population threshold for dedicated pages. Long Prairie is the county seat and largest city in the county. All criminal cases from cities and townships in Todd County go through the 7th Judicial District Court in Long Prairie.

Nearby Counties

Todd County borders several other central Minnesota counties. Cases filed near county lines may fall under a neighboring jurisdiction.