Mower County Arrest Records

An arrest becomes necessary in Mower County when someone is reported for an offense or witnessed committing a crime. A peace officer may seize the suspect immediately without a warrant if the individual is caught red-handed or if their continued freedom will endanger public safety. Otherwise, the arrest will be secured following the release of a warrant.

Arrestees are typically transported and detained at the Mower County Jail, which houses pre-trial and sentenced adult male and female inmates. After an arrest, the arresting agency collects the suspect's personal information and uses it to create an arrest record.

Arrest records contain the unique facts of a person's criminal involvement, including the reason for the arrest and the offender's whereabouts. These documents often become part of the Mower County court records when a case is brought to the court system for further legal proceedings.

Are Arrest Records Public in Mower County?

Yes. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Mower County arrest records are available to any interested party, except if a record is confidential by law, court rule, or court order.

For example, Section 13.82 of the Data Practices Act restricts the following records from public perusal:

• Criminal investigative records collected or compiled by law enforcement to prepare a case against a suspect
• Identity of child abuse victims
• Crime victim and witness information
• Financial information (e.g., bank account and credit numbers) and personally identifying numbers (e.g., driver's license and social security numbers)
• Juvenile arrest records
• Sealed or expunged records

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Minn. Stat. 13.82, Subd. 2 lists the following as components of a public arrest record:

• The name, sex, last known address, and birth date of an arrestee
• The time, date, and location of the arrest incident
• Circumstances of an arrest, including any resistance encountered by the agency and whether any weapons were used by the agency or suspect at the time of an arrest
• The criminal charge or warrant that formed the basis for the arrest
• The agency that conducted the arrest
• The arrested person's whereabouts, including whether they are being held in custody by the arresting agency
• The date, time, and reason for an arrested person's release from custody or incarceration
• The manner in which the arresting agency received intel that led to an arrest, including the names of informants unless their identities are protected
• Incident report or response number

Mower County Arrest Statistics

Law enforcement agencies in Mower County submit their arrest statistics to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). Each year, the BCA, a department under the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, publishes comprehensive crime reports, which are publicly available through its Crime Data Explorer.

The following arrest statistics were noted for Mower County in 2024:

• Total arrests: 1,535 arrests
• Crimes Against Society: 460 arrests
• Crimes Against Property: 186 arrests
• Crimes Against Persons: 172 arrests
• All Other Crimes: 716

The most common arrests in Mower County were for the following offenses:

• Driving under the Influence: 244 arrests
• Assault offenses (simple assault, intimidation, and aggravated assault): 158 arrests
• Larceny offenses (shoplifting, theft from a motor vehicle, theft from a building, and other larceny crimes): 106 arrests

Find Mower County Arrest Records

Finding Mower County arrest records often involves contacting the law enforcement agency that performed the arrest. Aside from local agencies, state agencies can also apprehend lawbreakers. Nonetheless, these agencies typically take arrestees to the county jail facility.

One resource to explore when looking up persons arrested and confined in Mower County jail is the local sheriff's Inmates-in-Custody Roster. Users can find information on adult offenders in custody, including their names, booking numbers, ages, ID numbers, booking dates and times, release dates and times, custody statuses, arresting agencies, and charges. The Mower County Sheriff's Office updates the roster daily.

Other police departments within the county, like the Austin Police Department, may also be contacted for arrest inquiries, provided they performed the arrest.

Meanwhile, state and federal agents maintain separate records of detainees in custody. For example, the Minnesota DOC's Incarcerated Inmate Search provides information on offenders cited/arrested and incarcerated or released from state penitentiaries. On the other hand, federal inmates supervised by the Federal Bureau of Prisons can be tracked through the Federal Inmate Locator. The required search criterion is an incarcerated individual's name or unique identification number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Mower County

Several third-party public records databases (owned by private parties) disseminate publicly available information sourced from government agencies, including law enforcement. Interested members of the public can access these databases for arrest information and other public records. The search parameters are typically an arrestee's name or case number. However, while limited information may be available for free, users may be charged fees for extensive records.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests remain on a person's criminal history indefinitely and may be accessible to the public during background checks. However, a defendant may seek record expungement from the court that heard or adjudicated their case, provided they are legally eligible.

Expunge Mower County Arrest Records

An expungement is a legal provision that removes an offender's biodata and records of criminal involvement from government databases. Minnesota law acknowledges both expungement and sealing of arrest records. However, these processes do not destroy or delete arrest records from such databases. If offered record expungement or sealing in Mower, individuals can claim that their arrest incident or charge never happened.

Minn. Stat. 299C.11 provides conditions for expunging arrest records in Mower County, usually where the defendant was arrested, but the prosecution team never filed any charges, or a grand jury declined a request for indictment.

To start the expungement process under Minn. Stat. 299C.11, defendants should submit a written petition to all arresting agencies that have their records. This may include the local sheriff's office, police department, county or city attorney, and the BCA. Applicants are advised to keep a copy of each letter sent to law enforcement agencies and send their requests by "Certified Mail-Return Receipt Requested" so they know when the agencies receive the letters. It should be noted that a felony or gross misdemeanor conviction entered ten years before an arrest disqualifies a person from filing under Minn. Stat. 299C.11

Individuals who were arrested, charged in court, convicted, or put through a diversion program may be eligible to submit a motion for expungement to the ruling court under Chapter 609A and Minn. Stat. 260B.198, subd.6. For more information about this expungement process, one can visit the Minnesota Judicial Branch's website.

Mower County Arrest Warrants

Mower County arrest warrants are official directives given to peace officers to arrest an individual. Generally, arrest warrants are issued when law enforcement officers provide reasonable grounds to a court establishing someone's involvement in a crime.

In Mower County, arrest warrants carry the issuing district court judge's signature, the defendant's name (or description), and the offense charged in the complaint. These writs direct a defendant's immediate appearance in court without delay (not more than 36 hours after the arrest).

Do Mower County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. A Mower County arrest warrant remains valid until proper execution, i.e., a defendant's arrest or voluntary surrender. Still, a court can recall a warrant, in which case law enforcement will no longer pursue an arrest.