Douglas County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Check Douglas County Inmate Search first. If a new booking has not appeared, try again within the hour. The jail desk, 320-762-2139, can confirm the bail or bond amount.

The jail takes payments around the clock. After the weekday daytime window, walk through the main entrance into the vestibule, find the door next to the kiosk, press the button on the silver intercom panel, and wait for a correctional officer.

Bail is cash only. During business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, pay at the front lobby. A bond is different: the county says to use a bail company licensed in Minnesota. The company collects the details and walks you through. Ask 320-762-2139 for the amount before you bring money.

Sheriff Troy Wolbersen's office is at 216 Seventh Avenue West, 320-762-8151. The jail is a few blocks away on 3rd Avenue West. The Douglas County Courthouse is at 305 Eighth Avenue West and is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court office answers at 320-304-6050.

A person arrested without a warrant must see a judge within 36 hours, not counting the day of arrest, Sundays or legal holidays. A judge must also find probable cause within 48 hours, weekends included.

The judge then chooses among release on a promise to appear, an unsecured bond, conditions, or money bail. Minnesota Rule 6.02 asks the judge to use the least restrictive choice that still brings the person back to court.

Minnesota has no statewide bail schedule, and the Judicial Council tells courts not to lean on preset schedules. So the amount comes from the judge. For a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor, state law caps cash bail at double the highest cash fine, or four times it for some driving offenses.

Get the real figure from Douglas County Inmate Search or from the jail at 320-762-2139.

The agent must hold a Minnesota insurance license for bail bonds and be approved by the State Court Administrator. Under chapter 60M the premium is the surety's filed rate, no less than $100, and no discounts or kickbacks. For a bond over $10,000 the agent may collect as little as 30 percent before posting.

No agent may recruit inside the jail or deposit money on an inmate account.

The court accepts "other security" under Rule 6.02, but you should ask first where property must lie. Ask the Douglas County court office at 320-304-6050 whether land outside Douglas County, or outside Minnesota, can be used. A bondsman may not take a quitclaim deed as collateral.

A defendant who cannot pay may ask the judge for a public defender, or file the online application from the Minnesota Judicial Branch. The court assigns the lawyer. The Alexandria court office, 320-304-6050, can direct you to the local public defender office.

Ask the arresting agency whether it took the person to the county jail or is holding them at the station. Get the report number. Then look for the booking on the county search. If no booking appears after a few hours, call the jail desk at 320-762-2139.

The jail has two juvenile holding cells in the booking area. A youth who committed a crime may be held there up to 24 hours, not counting weekends and holidays, kept apart from adults. After that, the county transports the youth to the Moorhead juvenile detention center. The West Central Regional Juvenile Center in Moorhead is at 729 11th Street North, 218-299-5150.

A hold from probation, another county or another state can keep someone in jail even after bail is paid. Ask the jail desk whether any hold sits on the record before you spend money.

The court can issue a warrant and begin forfeiture on the bond. The clerk must notify the surety quickly, and a bond unpaid 90 days after the order is treated as delinquent. Call the lawyer and the bondsman that day.

Anyone asking for gift cards, crypto or a payment to a phone app is not the jail. Hang up and dial 320-762-2139 or 320-762-8151 from a number you trust.

Gather proof the judge will want: where the person lives, who they live with, where they work, and how long they have been in the area. Those are part of the 13 factors in Rule 6.02. Give the papers to the lawyer. Money put on a jail account for phone calls or store items is not bail and does not free anyone.

Yes. A judge must review release conditions when any party asks. A lawyer usually files the request. Ask the court at 320-304-6050 which judge has the case and whether a hearing date is open.