Search Clearwater County Booking Reports
Clearwater County Booking Reports are public records created each time someone is arrested and processed into the county jail in Bagley. This page covers how to contact the Clearwater County Sheriff's Office, what booking records contain, how state law governs access to that data, and where to find related court and criminal records.
Clearwater County Booking Reports
Clearwater County Sheriff's Office
The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office in Bagley handles all bookings and inmate records for the county. The Sheriff's Office is located on the second floor of the Clearwater County Courthouse at 213 Main Avenue N., Department 202. That address applies to both the Sheriff's Office and the jail facility. The main phone line is 218-694-6226.
Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For records requests, it's best to call during those hours. The fax number is 218-694-6964. The Sheriff's website at co.clearwater.mn.us/departments/sheriff/ has additional contact details and may list current inmate information.
Clearwater County is a rural county in northwest Minnesota. The jail sits in the same building as other county offices, which is common for smaller counties in the state. All bookings go through this single facility.
Note: The Clearwater County Sheriff's Office and jail are both located on the second floor of the county courthouse at 213 Main Avenue N., Bagley, MN 56621.
Contact Details
Use the information below to reach the Clearwater County Sheriff's Office for inmate inquiries or records requests.
| Agency | Clearwater County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 213 Main Avenue N., Dept. 202, Bagley, MN 56621 |
| Phone | 218-694-6226 |
| Fax | 218-694-6964 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| Sheriff Website | co.clearwater.mn.us/departments/sheriff/ |
| Judicial District | 9th Judicial District |
The phone line at 218-694-6226 is the most direct way to get information about a specific person in custody. For written records requests, mail or fax to the address and number above. Responses to records requests are generally processed within a few business days.
What Clearwater County Booking Records Contain
Each booking report created at the Clearwater County jail includes a core set of fields. These are the same data points you'll find at any county jail in Minnesota.
Full name and date of birth identify the person. Booking date shows when they were processed in. The charges field reflects what they were arrested for. Keep in mind those charges can change as the case moves through the courts. A prosecutor may add or drop counts, and plea agreements often result in different final charges than what appears at booking.
Custody status shows whether the person is still held or has been released. Bond or bail information, if applicable, shows the financial conditions for release. A no-bail hold means a court must approve release. None of this data implies guilt. It reflects the status of the arrest and custody process at a given moment, not the outcome of any legal proceedings.
Note: Booking records reflect the status of a person's custody at the time of the search, not the final outcome of criminal proceedings.
Minnesota Law: Arrest Data Is Public
State law sets the rules for who can see arrest records and what must be released. Minnesota Statutes section 13.82 makes arrest data public government data. Law enforcement agencies, including the Clearwater County Sheriff's Office, must make basic booking information available without requiring a reason or showing any special standing.
The data that must be disclosed under this statute includes the person's name, the date of arrest, the agency that made the arrest, the charges, and the person's current custody status. These fields are the core of any booking report. They can't be withheld for standard adult arrests.
Exceptions exist for juvenile records, sealed cases, and data that would compromise an active investigation. These are limited carve-outs, not the general rule. For most requests involving adult arrests in Clearwater County, the Sheriff's Office must provide the data. For a full criminal history rather than just current custody, the BCA Criminal History search covers statewide conviction records.
Court Records and Statewide Tools
Clearwater County cases are heard in the 9th Judicial District. Court records for those cases, including filings, hearing schedules, and case outcomes, are available through Minnesota Court Records Online. If you have a case number from a booking report, you can plug it directly into the court system to track what happened after the arrest.
VINE offers free custody status alerts for anyone held in a Clearwater County facility. Register at vinelink.com or by calling 1-877-MN-4-VINE. Notifications go out by phone, email, or text whenever a person's custody status changes. This is useful if you need to stay informed about someone's release without calling the jail repeatedly.
People transferred to state prison after a conviction show up in the MN DOC Offender Locator. That database only covers state correctional facilities, not county jails. If a person is no longer showing in the county roster, check the DOC locator to see if they were moved to a state facility.
Nearby Counties
Clearwater County borders several other counties in the northwest part of the state. Each has its own sheriff's office and handles bookings independently.