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. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, has about 3,800 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). In Minnesota the public criminal record is the court file, kept by the court administrator; the statewide criminal history kept by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is open to anyone who asks. This guide says where each record of a criminal case from Lake of the Woods County is kept and how it is seen.
This guide covers the court file, the statewide record, local arrest records, the prosecutor, sex offender registry, records requests and common questions.
Related guides: Lake of the Woods County public records, Lake of the Woods County arrest records, Lake of the Woods County warrants, Lake of the Woods County inmate search, Lake of the Woods County court records, Minnesota arrest records and Minnesota inmate search.
Criminal Cases in the Lake of the Woods County District Court
In Minnesota the public criminal record is the court file. Criminal cases from Lake of the Woods County are heard by the Lake of the Woods County District Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, and the file of each case is kept by the court administrator.
For Lake of the Woods County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us/court-administrator (page title: Court Administrator | Lake of the Woods County), phone 800-657-3611, 1451 Pamala Shaw 206 8th Ave SE, Suite #250 Baudette, MN 56623, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
The Minnesota Criminal History and Your Own Copy
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. The result is the repository record, what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
To see your own record, the route is a request to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The state page SearchSystems verified for it is at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/bca-divisions/criminal-justice-information....
Arrest Records Kept Locally in Lake of the Woods County
The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office keeps the arrest records in Lake of the Woods County: the report and the booking record of each arrest stay with the agency that made it, separate from the court file and from the state repository.
The Lake of the Woods County Sheriff's Office reported 80 arrests to the FBI for 2020; how each case ended is in the court file, not in the arresting agency's.
The agencies and their counts, year by year, are in Lake of the Woods County arrest records.
The County Attorney for Lake of the Woods County
Charges in Lake of the Woods County are filed by the County Attorney, which reviews the arrests of every agency in the county and brings the cases in the Lake of the Woods County District Court.
The office's page SearchSystems verified is at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us/attorney (page title: Attorney | Lake of the Woods County), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
The Sex Offender Registry for Lake of the Woods County
Registered sex offenders living in Lake of the Woods County are listed on the Minnesota Predatory Offender Registry, run by the Minnesota Department of Corrections at mn.gov. Only Level 3 offenders are listed online.
Registration itself is done in person with the local agency where the registrant lives: the sheriff's office, or the city police in a city with its own department.
Asking an Agency in Lake of the Woods County for a Record
An arrest report, a booking record or a local criminal history letter comes from the agency that holds it, not from the court.
Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act a county office must answer a request promptly, within a reasonable time, and it may charge copying, and staff time for requests over 100 pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are criminal 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.
Can I search Lake of the Woods County criminal cases online?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.lake-of-the-woods.mn.us (page title: Court Administrator | Lake of the Woods County). Statewide, Minnesota Court Records Online is the Minnesota Judicial Branch's free statewide case search.
How do I get my own Minnesota criminal history?
Through a request to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Who prosecutes crimes in Lake of the Woods County?
The County Attorney, which files its cases in the Lake of the Woods County District Court.
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.