Lake of the Woods County Arrest Records

Lake of the Woods County arrest records are handled by the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office in Baudette, Minnesota. The sheriff maintains the county detention center, a dedicated records division, and handles official records requests for this small northern county. This page covers how to access the jail roster, request arrest records, and use the county and state resources available for Lake of the Woods County.

Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office

The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office is at 206 8th Ave SE, Suite 300, in Baudette, Minnesota. With a population of around 3,800, Lake of the Woods County is the smallest county by population in Minnesota. It sits in the far northern part of the state, bordering Manitoba, Canada, and the Lake of the Woods itself. Despite its small size, the sheriff's office maintains a dedicated records division and a separate detention center with structured procedures for records access.

The detention center phone number is 218-634-1143. For warrant verification, court administration can be reached at 218-634-1451 during business hours. After hours, the detention center line handles warrant checks as well. VINE victim notification service is available at 1-877-664-8463, with a TTY line at 1-866-847-1298. Jail contact Sandy Peterson is at sandy_p@co.lotw.mn.us. The county website is at lotwcounty.gov.

The screenshot below is from the Lake of the Woods County website at lotwcounty.gov, which links to the sheriff's office, detention center, records division, and other county services.

The county website at lotwcounty.gov connects you to the sheriff's office, detention center page, and records division for Lake of the Woods County.

Lake of the Woods County Detention Center

The Lake of the Woods County Detention Center handles all jail bookings for the county. Detailed information about the facility, including inmate visitation, bail and bond procedures, and the Huber Work Release Program, is available at lotwcounty.gov/sheriffs-office/detention-center-jail. The detention center phone is 218-634-1143.

In-person visits must be scheduled in advance. Approved visit times are Sunday and Monday from 1 PM to 4 PM, and Tuesday and Thursday from 7 PM to 9 PM. All visits require scheduling through the Reliance Telephone system at reliancetelephone.com or by calling 218-634-1143. Bail can be posted at court administration during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM) or at the sheriff's office after hours, on weekends, and on holidays. Payment must be exact cash only, no checks or cards accepted. Out-of-county bail for someone in custody in Lake of the Woods County is accepted 24 hours a day.

The Huber Work Release Program has daily fees: $25 per day for Lake of the Woods County sentenced inmates and $45 per day for out-of-county residents serving time in the county.

The screenshot below is from the Lake of the Woods County Detention Center page at lotwcounty.gov/sheriffs-office/detention-center-jail, which covers jail operations, visitation, and bail procedures.

The detention center page covers inmate visitation, bail procedures, the Huber program, and VINE victim notification services for Lake of the Woods County.

Records Division and Arrest Record Requests

The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office has a dedicated Records Division that handles requests for crime reports, arrest records, traffic accident reports, and citations. The division is located at 206 8th Ave SE, Suite 300, Baudette, MN 56623. Records requests can be submitted in person at the lobby, by email at LE.Records@co.lotw.mn.us, or by mail to the same address.

A Public Data Request Form (PDF) is required for most records requests and is available through the Records Division. When submitting a request, include the full name of the person, the approximate date of the incident or arrest, and any known case or report number. This helps staff locate the record faster. Payment is accepted by cash, check, or money order only. No credit or debit cards are accepted. Money orders must be made payable to the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office.

Under Minn. Stat. § 13.82, basic arrest data in Minnesota is public. The name, arrest date, charges, and arresting agency are generally available. Records may be withheld when the investigation is ongoing, when releasing the information could jeopardize the safety of a person, when investigative techniques might be disclosed, or when the report originated from another agency such as the Minnesota State Patrol or Medical Examiner. In those cases, you would need to contact the originating agency directly.

Crime reports in Lake of the Woods County are classified as confidential, private, or public depending on the content and circumstances. The records division will review your request and tell you what is available under state law.

The screenshot below shows the Records Division page at lotwcounty.gov/sheriffs-office/records, which explains how to submit a records request and what types of records are available.

The Records Division page at lotwcounty.gov outlines the process for requesting crime reports, arrest records, and other law enforcement documents from Lake of the Woods County.

Note: Warrant verification during business hours goes through court administration at 218-634-1451. After hours and on weekends, call the detention center at 218-634-1143 for warrant checks.

Minnesota Statewide Resources

Several Minnesota state systems hold arrest and criminal history data that go beyond what is available locally. These tools cover all 87 counties and are free to use.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) public criminal history search covers arrests, charges, and case outcomes from across Minnesota. You search by name and get results that include charge details and dispositions. The BCA is free and draws from court and law enforcement records statewide. It often returns results faster than a direct county records request for background information searches.

Minnesota Court Records Online at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us is the free public court case system for Minnesota. Lake of the Woods County cases fall under the 9th Judicial District. Search by name or case number to find charges, hearing dates, and case outcomes. VINELink at vinelink.com provides custody alerts and tracks inmates at the Lake of the Woods County Detention Center. The Minnesota Department of Corrections offender locator at coms.doc.state.mn.us covers people in state prison or on supervised release throughout Minnesota.

Cities in Lake of the Woods County

Lake of the Woods County includes Baudette as the county seat along with a few small communities in this remote northern county. All arrests in the county are processed through the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office.

Communities in Lake of the Woods County include Baudette, Spooner, Williams, and a small number of other unincorporated communities. None meet the population threshold for a dedicated city arrest records page. All arrests in Lake of the Woods County route through the sheriff's system and detention center in Baudette.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Lake of the Woods County. Each maintains its own jail and arrest records system.