Pennington County Booking Reports Search
Pennington County Booking Reports are public records created each time someone is arrested and processed into custody at the Pennington County Jail in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. This page covers how to find current booking records, how the jail operates, and what statewide tools are available when a county-level search is not enough. Pennington County sits in the Red River Valley region of northwestern Minnesota, and its jail handles bookings for the surrounding rural area.
Pennington County Booking Reports
Pennington County Sheriff's Office
The Pennington County Sheriff's Office is located at 102 1st St W in Thief River Falls. The sheriff handles patrol, civil process, and oversees the county jail. All booking records for Pennington County originate at this office. If you need to confirm someone's current custody status or request a formal copy of a booking record, the sheriff's office is the right starting point.
| Website | penningtonsheriff.org |
|---|---|
| Address | 102 1st St W, Thief River Falls, MN 56701 |
| Sheriff Phone | 218-681-6161 |
| Jail Phone | 218-416-7097 |
| Inmate Voicemail | 218-416-1120 |
| Jail Administrator | Dave Casanova, 218-416-7095 |
| Judicial District | 9th |
The sheriff's website at penningtonsheriff.org provides department contact information, news, and links to county resources. For immediate custody questions, call the jail directly at 218-416-7097. Inmates can receive voicemail messages through the dedicated line at 218-416-1120. The jail administrator, Dave Casanova, can be reached at 218-416-7095 for facility-level inquiries.
The sheriff's office covers all of Pennington County and coordinates with neighboring Red Lake, Polk, Marshall, and Beltrami county agencies on matters that cross county lines. If you are not sure whether a booking occurred in Pennington County, the sheriff's staff can usually confirm or point you to the right jurisdiction.
Pennington County Jail
The Pennington County Jail uses an indirect supervision model and holds up to 92 inmates across seven housing units. The facility processes bookings for adults arrested in Pennington County. Jail staff create a booking report for each person taken into custody. That report becomes a public record under Minnesota Statute 13.82, which classifies arrest data as public.
The jail page at penningtonsheriff.org covers facility rules, visitation, inmate services, and how to contact someone in custody. With 92 beds across seven units, the facility has enough capacity to house most Pennington County detainees locally rather than transferring them to neighboring jails. That makes the county jail the single best source for current Pennington County booking data.
Note: Booking reports reflect arrest events and do not indicate guilt; charges may be reduced, dismissed, or result in acquittal as a case moves through the court system.
What Pennington County Booking Reports Contain
Each booking report created at the Pennington County Jail includes the arrested person's full name, date of birth, and physical description. The report also shows the arrest date and time, the arresting agency, and the specific charges. Bail or bond information is added once a judge sets it.
Minnesota Statute 13.82 requires law enforcement agencies to make this data public. The public portion includes the name, date of birth, time of arrest, the offense, and the bail amount. Agencies cannot withhold this basic arrest data. They may withhold additional information when it falls under an active investigation exception, but the core booking record is open.
These records are not the same as court records. A booking report shows that an arrest occurred. Court records, held by the 9th Judicial District, show what happened after arrest: charges filed, hearings scheduled, pleas entered, and final case outcomes. You may need both to get a full picture of a criminal matter.
How to Request Booking Records
To request a Pennington County booking report, contact the sheriff's office at 218-681-6161 or in writing at 102 1st St W, Thief River Falls, MN 56701. A phone call can confirm current custody status quickly. For older records or formal documentation, a written request under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act is the proper approach.
Your written request should state the person's full name, the approximate date of arrest if you know it, and your contact information. You do not need to give a reason for requesting public records. The agency must provide public arrest data. They can charge a reasonable fee for copies, but the basic data itself is public.
If the office denies your request and you believe the denial is wrong, the Information Policy Analysis Division at the Minnesota Department of Administration handles data practices disputes. They can advise on your options. Most disagreements are resolved at the agency level without formal proceedings.
Minnesota Court Records Online
Criminal cases from Pennington County arrests are handled by the 9th Judicial District. Court records are separate from booking reports and are maintained by the district court administrator, not the sheriff. To look up case records, use Minnesota Court Records Online. Basic case lookups are free. You can search by name or case number and see charge descriptions, hearing dates, and case status.
For certified copies or full case files, contact the Pennington County court administrator's office in Thief River Falls. Court files are useful when you need to know what happened after an arrest: whether charges were filed, what plea was entered, and what sentence if any was imposed. Booking records tell you the arrest happened. Court records tell you the rest of the story.
Minnesota BCA Criminal History Search
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension maintains statewide arrest and criminal history data. The BCA collects records from all 87 Minnesota counties, including Pennington. The database covers arrests, charges filed, and case dispositions across the state.
You can run a BCA search at Minnesota BCA Criminal History Search. A fee applies for public record searches. The BCA is more comprehensive than a single county roster because it pulls from every jurisdiction in the state. It is especially useful for researching past history across multiple counties, not just current custody in Pennington County.
Note: There may be a short lag between a Pennington County booking and when that data appears in the BCA system, so contact the sheriff directly for the most current information.
Minnesota DOC Offender Locator
If someone arrested in Pennington County was later convicted and sentenced to a state prison term, they move out of the county jail and into the Minnesota Department of Corrections system. At that point, the county jail will no longer show them in custody. Use the Minnesota DOC Offender Locator to search for state prison inmates and people on supervised release.
The DOC tool is free and searches by name or DOC number. It shows the current facility, sentence length, and supervised release status. County jail records and DOC records are entirely separate systems. If a county jail search comes up empty, checking the DOC tool is the logical next step.
VINE Custody Alerts for Pennington County
VINE provides free custody notifications for all Minnesota county jails and state correctional facilities. If you need to know when someone's custody status changes at the Pennington County Jail or any facility they may transfer to, VINE handles that. Register at VINELink or call 1-877-MN-4-VINE (1-877-664-8463). You can receive alerts by phone, text, or email. The service runs around the clock and is free to use.
Nearby Counties
Pennington County borders several counties in northwestern Minnesota. Use these links to search booking records in neighboring jurisdictions.