Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 28, 2026.
Cass County, Minnesota, has about 31,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Cass County Sheriff's Office and four city agencies. An arrest leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the County Attorney files charges, a case in the Cass County District Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it, with the arrest counts each agency reported.
This guide covers who makes arrests, how many arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Cass County public records, Minnesota arrest records, Minnesota inmate search and Minnesota criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Cass County
The Cass County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Cass County. It reported 201 arrests for 2025.
Arrests inside four of the county's cities are reported to the FBI by an agency of the city's own, listed here with the Census population and what each reported:
- Lake Shore, 1,123 residents: 0 arrests reported for 2025.
- Walker, 982 residents: 6 arrests reported for 2024.
- Pine River, 925 residents: 6 arrests reported for 2024.
- Pillager, 531 residents: 0 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
The Motley Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Cass County, so its arrests are not broken out for Cass County here.
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Cass County
The FBI publishes every agency's monthly arrest counts on the Crime Data Explorer. These are the full-year totals, all offenses, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026; a year with months missing or not reported is left out.
- Cass County Sheriff's Office: 201 for 2025, 207 for 2024, 360 for 2022, 441 for 2021, 456 for 2020 and 464 for 2019; 2023 is missing months.
- Pillager: 0 for 2025, 0 for 2024, 0 for 2023, 2 for 2022, 0 for 2021 and 5 for 2020.
- Lake Shore: 0 for 2025, 0 for 2024, 8 for 2022, 11 for 2021, 13 for 2020 and 23 for 2019; 2023 is missing months.
- Walker: 6 for 2024, 7 for 2023, 11 for 2022, 16 for 2021, 17 for 2020 and 58 for 2019.
- Pine River: 6 for 2024, 7 for 2023, 13 for 2022, 23 for 2021, 46 for 2020 and 26 for 2019.
Together, the three agencies with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 201 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 201 in 2025 against 207 in 2024, down 2.9 percent.
Walker and Pine River reported only part of 2025 (11 months and 11 months) and are left out of the totals.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Cass County Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Cass County is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
On an average day in 2021 the jail held about 48 people, up from about 22 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 48 beds, and it ran at 46 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Cass County Sheriff's Office at casscountymn.gov/1293/Sheriffs-Office (page title: Sheriff's Office | Cass County, MN), phone 218-547-1424, 301 Minnesota Avenue W Walker, MN 56484, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Cass County
For Cass County the place to look is the case index of the Cass County District Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch, phone (651) 793-2400).
Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
Minnesota is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: the public criminal history search online is free and shows 15 years of convictions, through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. That record shows what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Cass County
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the agency must answer promptly, within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time for requests over 100 pages.
- An arrest by the Cass County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 218-547-1424.
- An arrest in Lake Shore, Walker, Pine River or Pillager: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Cass County District Court, through the court records page at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch, phone (651) 793-2400.
- Your own statewide record: a request to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Cities in Cass County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for four of the 14 cities in Cass County: Lake Shore, Walker, Pine River and Pillager. East Gull Lake, Cass Lake, Remer, Hackensack, Backus, Longville, Bena, Chickamaw Beach, Federal Dam and Boy River have no separate reporting agency in the FBI's list.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the county jail and the case goes to the Cass County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Cass County each year?
The Cass County Sheriff's Office reported 201 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and the three agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported 201 between them.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Cass County?
Ask the Cass County Sheriff's Office at 218-547-1424; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at casscountymn.gov/1293/Sheriffs-Office.
Where are people arrested in Cass County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Cass County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Cass County?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension: the public criminal history search online is free and shows 15 years of convictions. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Cass County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Cass County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act the answer is due promptly, within a reasonable time.
Is this the official Cass County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.