Search Winona County Criminal Records

Winona County criminal records are maintained by the 3rd Judicial District Court in Winona, a historic city on the Mississippi River in the far southeastern corner of Minnesota. The county borders Wisconsin to the east and shares a river boundary marked by dramatic limestone bluffs. Winona is also home to Winona State University, which adds a younger population to the county's demographics. Criminal cases here range from misdemeanor charges to serious felonies and are all filed with district court in Winona. You can search them online at no cost or request copies directly from the courthouse.

Winona County Sheriff and Criminal Records

The Winona County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services for unincorporated areas of the county and operates the county jail. The Sheriff's Office is located at 201 West 3rd Street in Winona. You can reach the Sheriff at (507) 457-6370. The city of Winona has its own police department, but the Sheriff's Office covers the broader county including smaller communities like Lewiston, Rushford, and rural townships.

Arrest data from the Winona County Sheriff's Office and other local agencies is public under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. When an arrest is made in Winona County, the basic facts are public: the time and date, the charges, the person's name and age, the arresting officer's identity, and the custody location. Active criminal investigations are confidential while they remain open. Once a case is closed, the data generally becomes public unless releasing it would compromise a related open investigation or put someone in danger.

The Minnesota DOC offender locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us lets you check whether a person from Winona County is serving a state prison sentence or is on state-supervised release. Local jail holds at the Winona County Jail are separate from the state system.

Note: For current jail roster information in Winona County, contact the Sheriff's Office directly at (507) 457-6370, as the county may not maintain a live public online inmate list.

How to Search Winona County Criminal Records

Minnesota Court Records Online at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us is the free statewide portal for Winona County criminal cases. Search by name or case number to see 3rd Judicial District records. Results include party names, charges, case status, and full hearing history. Documents from cases filed after July 1, 2015 are available at no charge and can be downloaded as PDFs. Older records require an in-person or written request to the Winona courthouse.

For a statewide conviction history, the BCA offers a public search at chs.state.mn.us for $8. This covers all Minnesota counties and returns conviction records for felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors within 15 years of sentence discharge, per Minn. Stat. § 13.87. Arrests that didn't lead to convictions are not included, and juvenile records are private. The BCA's main site at bca.dps.mn.gov has more detail on what the search covers.

The BCA at bca.dps.mn.gov maintains Minnesota's statewide criminal history database, which includes conviction records from Winona County alongside every other county in the state.

Court Records in Winona County

All criminal cases in Winona County go through the 3rd Judicial District, which covers a wide stretch of southeastern Minnesota. The Court Administrator's office in Winona manages all local case files and handles public record requests. The courthouse sits at 171 West 3rd Street in Winona, near the Sheriff's Office. With a university in town, Winona County court sees a mix of case types including drug offenses, assaults, thefts, and vehicle crimes along with more serious charges.

Walk-in requests are accepted during regular business hours. Certified copies are available for a per-page fee. Call the Court Administrator at (507) 457-6340 for current hours and pricing. If you need records from before the MCRO online coverage period, staff can explain what's available and how to request it. The Winona courthouse is also accessible for self-represented parties who need forms or guidance on navigating a case.

Criminal History Checks

The BCA's public criminal history search at chs.state.mn.us covers Winona County convictions as part of its statewide database. The $8 search returns results for felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors within the 15-year public window under Minn. Stat. § 13.87. It runs across all counties, so you don't need a county-specific search. You provide a name and date of birth, and the result shows any public conviction data tied to that person anywhere in Minnesota.

Winona County law enforcement agencies connect to the statewide criminal justice data network under Minn. Stat. § 299C.46. This gives the Sheriff's Office and the Winona Police Department access to warrant databases, protection orders, and criminal history records through secure channels. The public tools show only what the law designates as publicly accessible.

MCRO and the BCA search are complementary tools. MCRO gives you case-level court detail. The BCA gives you statewide conviction confirmation. Neither alone is sufficient for a complete picture, but together they cover the full public record for most Winona County criminal cases.

Expungement in Winona County

If you have a criminal record from Winona County, you may be able to seal it under Minnesota law. The first path is automatic expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.015, added in 2023. The BCA identifies and seals eligible records without any petition required. Qualifying situations include dismissed charges, cases resolved in your favor, and certain convictions after waiting periods measured from sentence discharge. The wait is two years for petty misdemeanors and most misdemeanors, three years for gross misdemeanors, and four to five years for certain felonies.

The second path is a petition filed with the Winona County District Court under Minn. Stat. § 609A.03. You file the petition, pay a filing fee, and serve it on the county attorney and every agency with records from your case. That includes the Winona County Sheriff's Office, the BCA, and potentially the Winona Police Department if city officers were involved. A hearing is scheduled at least 60 days after service. The judge considers 12 statutory factors including the nature of the crime, your conduct since the offense, and any statements from victims. If granted, the record is sealed from public view but not removed from law enforcement databases.

Note: Legal assistance for Winona County residents pursuing expungement may be available through LawHelpMN.org or through legal aid organizations serving southeastern Minnesota.

Predatory Offender Registry

Winona County residents convicted of qualifying offenses must register as predatory offenders under Minn. Stat. § 243.166. Covered offenses include criminal sexual conduct at various severity levels, kidnapping, offenses involving minors, and patterned sex offending. Out-of-state offenders who move to Winona County must also register here. Registrants verify their information in person once each year during their birth month and must report address changes within five days. Registration periods are generally 10 years, with lifetime registration for serious or repeat offenses.

Each registrant's risk level is set by a review committee before release under Minn. Stat. § 244.052. Level I is low risk with disclosure limited to law enforcement. Level II is moderate risk with broader disclosure to schools and organizations. Level III is high risk, and those offenders are listed publicly by the DOC at coms.doc.state.mn.us. The BCA maintains the full registry and may publicly post information on non-compliant registrants who have been out of compliance for 30 or more days.

Cities in Winona County

No major cities in Winona County meet our population threshold for dedicated pages. Winona is the county seat and the largest city, with Winona State University contributing to the local population. All criminal cases from Winona County cities and townships are handled by the 3rd Judicial District Court in Winona.

Nearby Counties

Winona County sits in the far southeast of Minnesota, bordering Wisconsin to the east. Cases filed just outside Winona County may be in a neighboring jurisdiction.