Benton County Booking Reports
Benton County Booking Reports are public records maintained by the Benton County Sheriff's Office in Foley, Minnesota. The Sheriff's website hosts a searchable current inmate list with multiple filter options, making it one of the more detailed county booking portals in Minnesota. This page covers how to use the Benton County inmate search, what data each booking record contains, and where to find related records at the state level.
Benton County Booking Reports
Benton County Current Inmate List
The Benton County Sheriff's Office provides a searchable current inmate list at co.benton.mn.us/226/Current-Inmate-List. This is more than a simple PDF roster. The portal lets you filter results in several ways, making it easier to find a specific person without scrolling through the entire list.
Search options include inmate number, name, age range, booking date range, and release date range. The fields returned for each booking record include booking date, gender, age, home address, charge, charge status, case number, offense date, arrest date, and court name. That level of detail is not common in most county jail portals. It lets you confirm not just whether someone is in custody but also the specific offense and case reference number.
The portal works best in Chrome, Edge, or Safari. If you have trouble loading the page in another browser, try one of those three. The list is updated regularly and reflects the current population at the Benton County jail.
Sheriff's Office Contact Information
| Address | 581 Highway 23, Foley, MN 56329 |
|---|---|
| Sheriff Phone | 320-968-7201 |
| Jail Phone | 320-968-8180 |
| County Admin | 320-968-5001 |
| County Clerk | Sarah Stone |
| County Population | 41,300 |
| County Area | 413 sq mi |
| Sheriff Website | co.benton.mn.us |
For questions about a specific booking record or to request records not available through the online portal, call the jail at 320-968-8180 or the Sheriff's main line at 320-968-7201. For written requests, mail them to the Sheriff's Office at 581 Highway 23, Foley, MN 56329.
Booking Data Fields Explained
The Benton County inmate list returns more data than most county rosters. Understanding each field helps you use the portal effectively.
The booking date shows when the person was first brought into custody on the current stint. The offense date is when the alleged crime occurred, which may be days or weeks before the booking date. The arrest date is when law enforcement took the person into custody. These three dates are sometimes the same but often differ.
The charge field shows the specific violation. Charge status indicates whether the charge is pending, resolved, or in some other state. The case number links to the court file. The court name tells you which court is handling the case. Address information is the home address on file, not a jail address.
All of these fields are public under Minn. Stat. ยง 13.82. The Sheriff cannot withhold them from a public records request. However, medical data and juvenile information are not public and will not appear in the online portal or in records released on request.
Note: The portal does not show case outcomes. For dispositions, guilty pleas, or sentencing information, you need to check the court record directly.
Court Records for Benton County Cases
Benton County falls within the Seventh Judicial District. Court records, including case filings, hearing dates, and case status, are available through Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO). The system is free to search and covers all district courts in Minnesota.
If you have the case number from the booking record, MCRO makes it easy to look up the specific file. You can search by name if you do not have the case number. The system shows what documents have been filed, when hearings are scheduled, and the current status of the case.
Certified court documents and full case files require a fee and must be requested from the Benton County Court Administrator. The court administrator's office is located at the Benton County Courthouse in Foley, separate from the Sheriff's Office. Processing times depend on the volume of requests at the time.
Statewide Minnesota Resources
The Benton County inmate list covers the local jail. For records from other counties or state-level supervision, several Minnesota tools are available.
The BCA Criminal History Search aggregates records from law enforcement agencies statewide. A BCA search returns records from Benton County and all 86 other Minnesota counties. The BCA charges a fee for some types of searches.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections maintains a separate offender locator for people in state custody. If a Benton County case resulted in a state prison sentence, that person will appear in the DOC system rather than the county jail roster. Both are searchable by name and are free to use.
For continuous monitoring of custody status, VINE sends automated alerts when a registered person's status changes. The service is free and covers county jails and state prisons in Minnesota. Call 1-877-664-8463 or register online.
The Minnesota Jail Roster aggregator compiles public data from county jails statewide, including Benton County. It can be useful as a quick reference but may not reflect the most current data. Always verify status with the Sheriff directly for time-sensitive matters.
Minnesota Data Practices Act and Benton County Records
Arrest and booking data in Minnesota is classified as public under Section 13.82 of the Minnesota Statutes. That classification means the Benton County Sheriff must provide basic booking information to anyone who requests it. No reason is required. The public fields include the subject's name, charges, booking and arrest dates, and the arresting unit.
Data that is private or protected, such as medical records and juvenile information, will be withheld. The agency must tell you which specific law applies when it withholds data. If you believe a withholding is not justified, the Minnesota Department of Administration's Data Practices Office handles complaints and can issue advisory opinions.
Section 13.87 governs criminal history data held by criminal justice agencies. It covers how agencies like the Benton County Sheriff store, manage, and share that data. Both statutes apply when the Sheriff's Office handles booking records and public data requests.
Nearby Counties
Benton County is in central Minnesota. It borders Stearns, Sherburne, Mille Lacs, Morrison, and Isanti counties. Each maintains its own booking records and jail operations.