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 on September 23, 2026.
Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, has about 3,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office. 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 Lake of the Woods 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: Lake of the Woods County public records, Minnesota arrest records, Minnesota inmate search and Minnesota criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Lake of the Woods County
The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Lake of the Woods County. It reported 80 arrests for 2020, its latest complete year.
How Many Arrests The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office Reports
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.
- Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office: 80 for 2020 and 114 for 2019.
The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office's 80 arrests in 2020 were down 30 percent from 114 in 2019.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Lake of the Woods County Are Held
The county jail is where a person arrested in Lake of the Woods County and kept in custody ends up, whichever agency made the arrest, though a city department may hold someone in its own cells first and a person cited and released at the scene is never booked. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and once the person is released or sentenced the record continues in the court file.
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 1 people, down from about 6 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 7 beds, and it ran at 14 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 Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us/sheriffs-office/detention-center-jail (page title: Detention Center/Jail | Lake of the Woods County), phone 877-664-8463, Monday: 1pm - 4pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Lake of the Woods County
An arrest in Lake of the Woods County can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Lake of the Woods County District Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us/court-administrator, phone 800-657-3611); the County Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us/attorney).
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 Lake of the Woods 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 Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at 877-664-8463.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the County Attorney handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Lake of the Woods County District Court, through the court records page at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us, phone 800-657-3611.
- Your own statewide record: a request to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Cities in Lake of the Woods County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists no city in Lake of the Woods County with an arrest reporting agency of its own; the counts above are the county agencies'.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the county jail and the case goes to the Lake of the Woods County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Lake of the Woods County each year?
The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office reported 80 arrests to the FBI for 2020, its latest full year.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Lake of the Woods County?
Ask the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office at 877-664-8463; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us.
Where are people arrested in Lake of the Woods County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Lake of the Woods 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 Lake of the Woods County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Lake of the Woods 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 Lake of the Woods 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.