Houston County Arrest Lookup

Houston County busted mugshots are available through the Sheriff's Office and statewide search tools. Caledonia serves as the county seat, tucked into the far southeastern corner of Minnesota where the state borders Iowa and Wisconsin. The county has a smaller jail with limited online roster access, but VINELink and state databases help fill the gap. This page covers each way to look up Houston County busted mugshots and find arrest records from the area.

Houston County Sheriff's Office

The Houston County Sheriff's Office is at 304 S. Marshall St. in Caledonia, MN 55921. Call (507) 725-3379 to reach them. The office handles all arrests, bookings, and jail operations for the county. Staff can confirm if someone is in custody and provide basic booking details over the phone during business hours.

When someone gets arrested in Houston County, jail staff take a mugshot and log the charges into the system. The booking record includes the person's name, date of arrest, charges, arresting agency, and bail info. Most of that data is public under Minnesota law. You can request it by phone, in person, or through a written request to the Sheriff's Office.

The county has been looking at its historic jail building and whether to repurpose or replace the facility. Regardless of any changes to the building itself, the Sheriff's Office continues to process bookings and keep records on file. Those records are accessible through the methods described on this page.

Search Houston County Busted Mugshots

Houston County has limited online roster access compared to bigger counties. The best online option is VINELink. It covers Houston County and lets you search by name. You get custody status, charges, and booking info. Set up alerts if you want to track when someone gets released or transferred. VINELink runs 24 hours a day and sends notices by phone, email, or text.

Below is the Houston County website where you can find Sheriff's Office contact info and county department links.

Visit the Houston County website for Sheriff's Office info and contact numbers.

The site lists county departments and has contact info for the Sheriff.

Calling the jail directly at (507) 725-3379 is the other main option. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody and give you basic booking info. For older records, you may need to submit a written request. Include the full name and date of birth of the person. The more info you provide, the faster they can locate the right file.

Court records are on the Minnesota Court Records Online system. Search for Houston County District Court cases to see charges, hearing dates, and dispositions. No mugshots on the court portal, but it adds the legal context you might need.

Houston County Mugshot Laws

Mugshots from the Houston County jail are public data. Minnesota Statute 13.82, subdivision 26, classifies booking photos as public. That is a state law, not a local rule. Anyone can request a copy without explaining why.

Arrest data is also partly public. The date, time, and place of an arrest are open under the same statute. So are the charges, the person's name, and the arresting agency. Investigative data from open cases stays confidential. Once the case closes or goes inactive, more info becomes available. If you get denied on a request, ask which part of the statute applies.

Under Minnesota Statute 13.87, conviction data stays public for 15 years after the sentence is complete. Arrest data that did not lead to a conviction is generally private. A Houston County mugshot from an arrest that was later dropped may still be at the jail, but a BCA search would not show the arrest.

The VINELink search page covers Houston County and all other Minnesota counties.

Use VINELink to search Houston County inmates and get custody status updates.

Alerts through VINELink work well for tracking custody changes in smaller counties like Houston.

Houston County Busted Mugshots and State Tools

State-level databases add more options. The Minnesota DOC Public Viewer covers people in state prison or on supervised release. It has photos, offense info, and sentence details. This only applies to people under the Department of Corrections, not those held at the county level.

The BCA background check system draws from the central criminal history database. Run a name search for conviction records going back 15 years. The public criminal history search is free for basic lookups. It covers all Minnesota courts but does not include arrest-only data or records from other states.

Since Houston County sits near the Iowa and Wisconsin borders, some people get arrested in one state and have records in another. State databases only cover Minnesota. For Iowa or Wisconsin records, you would need to check those states' systems separately.

Houston County Records and Copies

For formal copies of Houston County booking records, write to the Sheriff's Office at 304 S. Marshall St., Caledonia, MN 55921. Include the person's full name and date of birth. Describe what records you want. Under Minnesota Statute 13.03, copies of public data cost no more than 25 cents per page for black and white.

Expungement can seal some records. Chapter 609A allows certain offenses to be sealed after a waiting period. Petty misdemeanors and misdemeanors may qualify after two clean years. Gross misdemeanors need three. Some felonies need four or five years without new offenses. Once a court seals the record, it drops out of public databases. Convictions requiring predatory offender registration under Statute 243.166 cannot be sealed.

If you are unsure about a Houston County record, contact the 3rd Judicial District court office for guidance on expungement eligibility.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Houston County. If you are not sure where someone was booked, try these nearby jails.