Mower County Public Records / Mower County Arrest Records

Mower County Arrest Records

Are Arrest Records Public in Mower County

Arrest records in Mower County are generally accessible to members of the public under Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA), codified at Minn. Stat. § 13.82, which governs law enforcement data and establishes the framework for public access to criminal justice information. Under this statute, certain arrest data — including the name of the arrested individual, the date and time of arrest, the charges filed, and the arresting agency — are classified as public data and may be inspected by any person upon request.

It is important to distinguish between an arrest record and a conviction record. An arrest record documents that law enforcement took a person into custody; it does not indicate guilt or a finding of criminal liability. A conviction record, by contrast, reflects a formal judicial determination of guilt following a plea or trial. Under current law, arrest records without a resulting conviction may be subject to expungement, whereas conviction records carry separate retention and access rules. Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) maintains statewide criminal history data, and local agencies such as the Mower County Sheriff's Office serve as primary custodians of county-level arrest documentation.

Mower County Sheriff's Office 201 1st Street NE, Austin, MN 55912 (507) 437-9400 Mower County Sheriff's Office

What's in Mower County Arrest Records

Mower County arrest records contain a standardized set of data fields compiled at the time of booking and maintained by the arresting agency. The following categories reflect the typical contents of an arrest record in this jurisdiction.

Arrestee Identifying Information:

Full legal name and any known aliases
Date of birth and age at time of arrest
Gender, race, and physical descriptors (height, weight, eye and hair color)
Last known residential address

Arrest Details:

Date, time, and location of the arrest
Name and badge number of the arresting officer
Arresting agency (e.g., Mower County Sheriff's Office or Austin Police Department)
Circumstances or narrative summary of the arrest

Charge Information:

Specific criminal charges filed, including statute references
Classification of offense (felony, gross misdemeanor, misdemeanor, or petty misdemeanor)
Case or incident report number

Warrant Information (if applicable):

Warrant number and issuing court
Date warrant was issued and jurisdiction

Booking Information:

Booking number assigned by the detention facility
Date and time of booking
Facility where the individual was held

Bond/Bail Information:

Bail amount set by the court
Bond type (cash, surety, or release on recognizance)
Date of release, if applicable

Court Information:

Assigned court case number
Scheduled arraignment or hearing dates
Presiding court (Mower County District Court, Ninth Judicial District)

Custody Status:

Current custody status (held, released, transferred)
Release date and conditions of release

Additional Information May Include:

Fingerprint records and booking photographs (mugshots)
Prior arrest history referenced in the booking file
Notations regarding detainers or holds from other jurisdictions

How To Look Up Arrest Records in Mower County in 2026

Members of the public may obtain Mower County arrest records through several official channels. The process varies depending on the type of record sought and the agency that maintains it.

Contact the Mower County Sheriff's Office directly. Individuals may submit a written public data request to the Sheriff's Office at 201 1st Street NE, Austin, MN 55912. Requests should identify the subject of the record, the approximate date of arrest, and the type of information sought. The office is generally open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Submit a request to the Austin Police Department. For arrests made within the City of Austin, requests may be directed to the Austin Police Department, which is co-located with the Mower County Sheriff's Office at the Mower County Law Enforcement Center.
Request records from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The BCA maintains statewide criminal history records and processes formal background check requests. Requests may be submitted online or by mail to the BCA at 1430 Maryland Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55106.
File a formal Government Data Practices Act request. Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 13.03, any person may submit a written request to a government entity for access to public data. The agency must respond within a reasonable time and may charge a fee for copies.
Access court records through the Mower County District Court. Criminal case filings, including charges arising from arrests, are maintained by the court clerk and may be inspected in person.

Mower County District Court 201 1st Street NE, Austin, MN 55912 (507) 437-9465 Mower County District Court

How To Find Mower County Arrest Records Online

Several official online platforms currently provide access to Mower County arrest and criminal case information without requiring an in-person visit.

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO): Members of the public may search court case records, including criminal cases originating from arrests in Mower County, through the Minnesota court case search portal. Users may search by name, case number, or date range and filter results by county.
Minnesota BCA Criminal History Search: The BCA offers a public criminal history search tool at chs.state.mn.us, which returns conviction data and certain arrest information for individuals with a Minnesota criminal history.
Mower County Sheriff's Office Website: The Sheriff's Office website at co.mower.mn.us may post current inmate rosters and recent arrest logs, subject to data classification rules under the MGDPA.
Minnesota Predatory Offender Registry: For sex offender-related arrest and registration data, the Minnesota Department of Corrections offender search provides publicly accessible records.

How To Search Mower County Arrest Records for Free?

Free access to Mower County arrest records is available through multiple official government resources at no cost to the requester.

Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) provides free public access to court case information, including criminal charges and case dispositions, through the statewide case search system. No account or fee is required for basic name searches.
In-person inspection at the Mower County Sheriff's Office is available at no charge. Under Minn. Stat. § 13.03, government entities must allow inspection of public data at no cost; fees may only be charged for copies or electronic transmittal.
In-person inspection at the Mower County District Court Clerk's Office allows members of the public to review criminal case files without charge during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The BCA public criminal history search at chs.state.mn.us provides a limited free search option for conviction records, though certified background checks carry a fee.

How To Delete Arrest Records in Mower County

Minnesota law provides two primary legal mechanisms for limiting public access to arrest records: expungement (statutory erasure or sealing of records) and sealing (restricting access without physical destruction). Expungement under Minn. Stat. § 609A.02 allows eligible individuals to petition a court to seal criminal records, including arrest records that did not result in conviction, records where charges were dismissed, and certain conviction records after a waiting period has been satisfied.

Sealing restricts public access to the record but does not destroy it; law enforcement and certain government agencies may retain access for official purposes. Full statutory expungement, by contrast, requires all government agencies — including courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement — to seal their copies of the record.

Eligibility for expungement in Minnesota generally includes:

Arrests that did not result in charges being filed
Cases where charges were dismissed or the individual was acquitted
Certain misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor convictions after a waiting period
Certain felony convictions after a longer waiting period, subject to offense type

Steps to petition for expungement:

Obtain a copy of the criminal record from the BCA and the relevant court to confirm the record's contents.
Complete the Minnesota Judicial Branch expungement petition forms, available at mncourts.gov.
File the petition with the Mower County District Court and pay the applicable filing fee (fee waivers may be available).
Serve copies of the petition on all agencies that hold records related to the arrest, including the BCA, the Sheriff's Office, and the prosecuting attorney's office.
Attend the scheduled court hearing; the judge will determine whether expungement is warranted based on statutory criteria and the interests of public safety.

What Happens After Arrest in Mower County?

The criminal justice process in Mower County follows a defined sequence from the point of arrest through final case disposition.

Arrest and booking: Following an arrest, the individual is transported to the Mower County Jail, where booking procedures are completed, including fingerprinting, photographing, and recording of personal information and charges.
Initial appearance: Within 36 hours of a custodial arrest (or 48 hours if arrested on a warrant), the individual must appear before a judge for an initial appearance, at which bail is set and the charges are formally read.
Arraignment: At arraignment, the defendant enters a formal plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest.
Pretrial proceedings: The court schedules pretrial hearings, during which motions may be filed, evidence reviewed, and plea negotiations conducted between the defense and the Mower County Attorney's Office.
Trial or plea: If no plea agreement is reached, the case proceeds to a bench or jury trial. If the defendant pleads guilty, sentencing may follow immediately or at a later hearing.
Sentencing and disposition: Upon conviction, the court imposes a sentence in accordance with Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines. Acquittal or dismissal results in release and potential eligibility for expungement.

Mower County Attorney's Office 201 1st Street NE, Suite 301, Austin, MN 55912 (507) 437-9465 Mower County Attorney's Office

How Long Are Arrest Records Kept in Mower County?

Retention periods for arrest records in Mower County are governed by Minnesota's records retention schedules established under Minn. Stat. § 138.17, which authorizes the State Archivist to approve retention schedules for government records, and by the Minnesota Historical Society's General Records Retention Schedule for local government agencies.

Under current retention requirements:

Arrest records for cases resulting in conviction are generally retained permanently or for extended periods, as they form part of the official criminal history.
Arrest records for cases not resulting in conviction may be retained for a minimum period (commonly three to seven years depending on offense classification) before becoming eligible for destruction or expungement.
Booking photographs and fingerprint records maintained by the Sheriff's Office are subject to the same retention schedules as the underlying arrest record.
Court records associated with criminal cases are retained pursuant to the Minnesota Judicial Branch's records retention schedule, with felony case files typically retained for longer periods than misdemeanor files.

Different agencies — including the Sheriff's Office, the BCA, the District Court, and the County Attorney's Office — maintain separate copies of arrest-related records and may apply different retention periods to each. Records retention serves the dual purpose of preserving evidence for ongoing legal proceedings and maintaining accountability in the criminal justice system.

How to Find Mugshots in Mower County

What Mugshots Are Mugshots are booking photographs taken by law enforcement at the time an individual is processed into custody. They are part of the official arrest record and document the individual's appearance at the time of booking.

Where Mugshots Are Maintained In Mower County, booking photographs are maintained by the Mower County Sheriff's Office at the Mower County Law Enforcement Center, 201 1st Street NE, Austin, MN 55912. The BCA may also retain copies as part of a subject's statewide criminal history file.

Finding Mugshots Members of the public may request booking photographs by submitting a public data request to the Mower County Sheriff's Office. Requests should include the subject's full name, date of birth, and approximate date of arrest to facilitate retrieval.

Can They Be Found Online The Mower County Sheriff's Office may publish current inmate information, including booking photographs, on its official website as permitted under the MGDPA. Third-party websites may also aggregate and republish mugshots sourced from public records, though the accuracy and currency of such information cannot be verified through official channels.

Obtaining Mugshots Officially Official copies of booking photographs may be obtained in person at the Sheriff's Office during regular business hours or by written request. A nominal fee may be charged for reproductions.

Restrictions on Mugshot Access Under the MGDPA, booking photographs are classified as public data at the time of arrest. However, if a record is subsequently expunged pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 609A.02, government agencies are required to seal the associated booking photograph along with all other arrest data. Private websites are not subject to the same statutory obligations and may require separate legal action to compel removal.

Austin Police Department / Mower County Law Enforcement Center 201 1st Street NE, Austin, MN 55912 (507) 437-9400 Austin Police Department