Grab a phone or laptop and follow along:

1. Tap or click the roster PDF.
2. Give the file a moment to open fully.
3. Bring up the find box. Laptops use Ctrl+F, or Command+F on Apple computers. Phone browsers hide "Find in page" in their menu.
4. Start with the last name alone. If it fails, test a nickname, a maiden name or a different spelling.
5. Jot down anything printed next to the name.
6. Ring Master Control at 651-560-1004. The jail's own web page names this line for charges, bail and court dates.

To hear right away when the person gets out, register with VINE (see the alerts answer below).

A blank result can happen for many reasons:

• Booking has not wrapped up. Fingerprints, photos and forms take time, and the list may trail behind.
• Officers handed out a citation. Rule 6.01 of Minnesota's criminal rules points officers toward a citation, not a booking, for many misdemeanors. Officers still book a person when they fear for someone's safety or doubt the person will show up in court.
• Court already freed them. Many people walk out after their first appearance.
• The arrest crossed a county line. Check the nearby jails listed in the next answer.
• The person is a minor. A minor who isn't sent home most often goes to a juvenile center.

People held by city officers from Wabasha, Lake City or Plainview usually end up in this same county jail. So dial 651-560-1004 and ask plainly: was the person booked, let go, or taken to another place?

Inside this county there is one adult jail, and it has two roles:

• The county jail, Suite #2, 848 17th St E, Wabasha, MN 55981, 651-560-1004. People arrested and not released wait here for court, and people with local sentences serve them here.
• Work release runs inside that same jail. A person qualifies only with a judge's work release sentence, a job that checks out and the jail's approval. The Work Release and Programs Coordinator takes questions at 651-560-1008.

An arrest made elsewhere leads to the jail where it happened. Nearby options:

• Goodhue County Adult Detention Center, 430 West 6th Street, Red Wing, MN 55066, 651-267-2804
• Olmsted County Adult Detention Center, 101 4th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904, 507-328-6790
• Winona County Detention Center, 203 West Third Street, Winona, MN 55987. The Winona Sheriff's Department answers at 507-457-6368.

The roster itself shows what the jail chooses to list. Beyond that, booking photos count as public under Minnesota's data practices law (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 26). Police can delay handing one out while it might harm an open investigation. Basic arrest facts are public too: the offense, custody status and release (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 2).

Send mugshots requests to the agency behind the arrest:

• Deputies, or officers from the city of Wabasha: the shared 24-hour line, 651-565-3361
• Lake City officers: 651-345-3344
• Plainview officers: 507-534-2441

Pictures taken by ICE need a records request on its FOIA page. Other federal booking pictures generally aren't released. The U.S. Marshals Service can choose to release one, as it sometimes does when hunting a fugitive.

VINE covers county jails across Minnesota under the Department of Public Safety, and the jail's site links to it.

• Type the person's name into VINELink. It shows custody status and the place holding them.
• Add your phone number or email so VINE contacts you about a release or a move.
• No internet? Register by calling 877-664-8463.

Treat VINE as a backup. When the timing really counts, phone Master Control at 651-560-1004 too. People in state prison are tracked by a different notice system, Minnesota Haven, from the Department of Corrections.

For anyone still held, release is usually a question for a District Court judge in Wabasha, who answers it at the first hearing. Someone jailed without a warrant has a 36-hour deadline to see that judge. In that count, ignore the arrest date, Sundays and legal holidays (Minn. R. Crim. P. 4.02, subd. 5). Separately, a judge has 48 hours, every day included, to rule on probable cause (Rule 4.03).

• Default rule: the judge begins by asking whether a promise to appear, with no money, is enough. Conditions get added only to protect safety or court attendance (Rule 6.02).
• Two figures: each order also names a money bail with no strings attached. Expect the conditional figure to be the lower of the two.
• Paying cash bail: take it to Court Administration, Suite 4, 848 17th Street East, Wabasha, MN 55981, 651-412-8627, in regular business hours. The other choice is the Stellar kiosk in the Criminal Justice Center lobby.
• Refunds: in Minnesota the money is legally the defendant's, whoever handed it over. Any fines or restitution may be subtracted before a refund. For the payer to get the leftover, the defendant must sign court form CRM602 (Minn. Stat. 629.53).
• Bond agents: pick one with a Commerce Department license who appears on the courts' approved bail bond list. Agents charge a premium of no less than $100 (Minn. Stat. 60M.02), and families never get that fee refunded.
• Ankle monitors: when a judge orders monitoring, Probation sets it up at 651-565-2666.

A domestic assault or no-contact order arrest skips the quick ticket. A judge reviews it and weighs the alleged victim's safety (Minn. Stat. 629.72). For more, see our local bail page and the Minnesota bail law overview.

Master Control reads out booking charges at 651-560-1004. After the prosecutor files, the case appears on Minnesota Court Records Online at no cost. Enter the name and choose Wabasha from the county list. A few youth records are kept out of view.

Formal charges are up to the County Attorney's Office. Its staff prosecute all felonies and all juvenile cases, along with most smaller cases that happen outside a city. The office sits at 848 17th Street East, Wabasha, MN 55981, 651-565-3064. Court Administration can help with case papers at 651-412-8627.

Can't pay for a lawyer? A public defender may be assigned. Under Minn. Stat. 611.14, qualifying charges are every felony and gross misdemeanor, plus misdemeanors with jail on the table. The court reads a money form to judge eligibility. If the person already gets need-based public benefits, the court assumes they qualify, per section 611.17.

The Third Judicial District Public Defender takes this county's cases from its Winona Office, 166 West Third Street, Suite 201, Winona, MN 55987, 507-474-6440. The first hearing is the moment to speak up and request one. Families may also pay a private attorney instead.

Visits at the Criminal Justice Center happen face to face, and the order is first come, first served. Check these points before the trip:

• When booked, each inmate lists up to 5 visitors on a form. Visitors must be adults, 18 or over, and only listed names get in. Kids can come with a listed adult.
• Barred from visiting: anyone jailed there within the past 90 days, victims, people under a No Contact Order, and past rule breakers.
• Each visit runs 20 minutes. If nobody is waiting, you may stay for one more 20-minute turn. Three visitors per inmate per day is the cap.
• A morning block, 10:00 a.m. to noon, happens daily. Later blocks shift from day to day, so check the jail page or ring 651-560-1004.
• Sign in at Dispatch in the lobby with a photo ID and a Visitor Contract you filled out and signed at home.
• Cell phones and other things go into a locker. Staff may search you and can call off a visit for security reasons.

New to jail visits? Our visiting tips page can help.

Money sent in goes to the canteen account. The person spends it on food, hygiene items and similar things. Pick one of three methods:

• Kiosk in the lobby: the Stellar machine at the Criminal Justice Center accepts cash or a credit card. It keeps any change, and a fee may be added.
• Internet: the jail works with JailATM, whose help desk is 870-627-5476.
• Post: cashier's checks and money orders are the preferred kinds. Keep cash out of the mail.

For a deposit problem, phone 651-560-1004. See our guide to deposits and our canteen and commissary page.

Phones sit in each housing unit, and the provider for calls and texts is Reliance.

• From inside, the person may place collect calls or buy a $10 card at the jail.
• From outside, you can load a $10, $20, $50 or $100 card on the Reliance card store.
• Handheld units charge $0.25 a minute with web cards, $0.50 a minute with jail cards and $0.09 per text.
• No credit card calls, no 3-way calls and no toll-free numbers.
• Lawyer calls cost nothing. Every other call is recorded.

Jail staff won't deliver messages, so leave yours on the Inmate Message Line, 507-328-0809. On a recorded line, avoid discussing what happened. Our jail calls guide and inmate texting guide have more.

Write the address in this exact form. Leave off any inmate number:

Inmate's full name
Wabasha County Criminal Justice Center
848 17th St East Suite #2
Wabasha, MN 55981

• The jail takes letters, photographs and money orders, nothing more. Packages are turned away.
• Officers open and check every piece except a lawyer's legal mail. Anything against the rules gets stored with the person's property.
• Letters for someone already moved or freed are returned.
• Canteen sells paper and stamped envelopes. A person with no funds can request 2 envelopes and some paper each week.

Books or magazines? Check with 651-560-1004 before you send any. Our jail mail page explains common rules.

Personal items from intake are usually stored by staff until release. Before a relative comes for any of it, phone 651-560-1004. Ask if a signature from the person is needed, and which hours suit a pickup.

The jail accepts very few drop-offs. It takes prescription drugs in the original labeled bottle. It takes prescription glasses. It also takes other medical gear the person truly needs.

Ring the jail right away: 651-560-1004. List each medicine and its dose. Staff may also want to reach the prescribing doctor, so have that number ready. From inside, the person can also tell staff they need care.

Families may bring in prescriptions, still in the pharmacy-labeled bottle. For a life-threatening emergency, dial 911. Sexual abuse inside the jail can be reported on the PREA hotline, 651-565-8114.

For warrant checks, call the Sheriff's round-the-clock line, 651-565-3361, and ask whether one is active. At the state level, the Corrections department's Wanted Fugitives list names people sought for supervised release violations. Minnesota Court Records Online shows open cases but no warrants. Hoping to clear one? Start by phoning a defense lawyer. The lawyer, or you, can then request a new hearing from whichever court issued it. Surrender at the jail is another route. Local warrants come out of the District Court, Suite 4, 848 17th Street East, Wabasha, MN 55981. Court Administration: 651-412-8627.

Criminal cases are heard in the courthouse, Suite 4, 848 17th Street East, Wabasha, MN 55981. Court Administration picks up at 651-412-8627, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Master Control knows upcoming dates as well: 651-560-1004.

Our court steps guide walks through each stage. You can check dates on your own with the state's free hearing lookup. The omnibus hearing usually lands within 42 days after a first appearance (Rule 11.01). Someone who asks for a speedy trial should get one inside 60 days (Rule 11.09).

Federal charges go to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. This county falls in its St. Paul jury division, at the Warren E. Burger Federal Building, 316 North Robert Street, St. Paul, MN 55101. The clerk answers at 612-664-5000.

1. The judge at a federal detention hearing chooses jail or release pending trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. If a judge orders the person held while the case is open, the U.S. Marshals Service has custody. Call its office at 300 South 4th Street, Suite 402, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-664-5900, and ask which jail the person is in.
3. Once sentenced, people show up on the BOP inmate locator.

1. The process begins when the Wabasha jail gets an immigration detainer, which ICE writes up on its Form I-247A.
2. Through that paper, ICE wants a hold lasting up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Cases taken over by ICE are managed by its ERO St. Paul Field Office, 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600.
4. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Searching by A-number is quickest. No A-number? Enter first and last name, then choose a birth country.

A formal opinion signed by Minnesota's Attorney General (February 6, 2025) addresses this. Its conclusion: under Minnesota law, a detainer alone can't stretch a stay past the moment the person is due to walk out. An immigration lawyer can say how that fits a given case.

Prison time for a Minnesota felony is the Department of Corrections' job. After sentencing, deputies keep the person in the Wabasha jail, then drive them to DOC intake. Intake staff then choose a suitable prison.

• Search names on the DOC Offender Locator. Recent transfers may need several business days to appear.
• Our Minnesota prisons guide covers each prison's visiting and mail rules.
• Supervised release in the community normally covers the last third of the sentence, with DOC agents watching.

Minn. Stat. 260B.007 sets the line at 18: anyone younger is a child. Their cases are heard in juvenile court, part of the District Court. Usually an officer turns a child over to a parent. A child is mostly kept in custody when they might endanger themselves or others, or might skip court (Minn. Stat. 260B.176, subd. 1).

When a youth from here does need a secure bed, it is at the Dakota County Juvenile Services Center, 1600 Highway 55, Hastings, MN 55033. The center names this county in its service area. To reach a youth there, call 651-438-4970. A locked juvenile hold may last 36 hours. Leave weekends and holidays out of that 36-hour tally. Going longer takes a court petition plus a judge's approval. Subd. 2 limits a child's time in a jail or lockup meant for adults to 24 hours, or to 6 hours where that building is in a metropolitan area.

Very serious charges against teens aged 14 to 17 can be certified to adult court, or tried as extended jurisdiction juvenile (EJJ) cases. Juvenile Probation, Suite 5, 848 17th Street East, Wabasha, MN 55981, answers at 651-565-2666.

Unsure which agency made the arrest? The Sheriff and the city of Wabasha share one 24-hour number, 651-565-3361. Here is who patrols where:

• Sheriff's Office, 848 17th Street East, Wabasha, MN 55981. Deputies cover the countryside and, by contract, Mazeppa and Elgin. Callers from Millville, Hammond, Zumbro Falls, Minneiska or a township can start on that shared number.
• Wabasha Police Department, Suite 8, 848 17th Street East, Wabasha, MN 55981, reached on the shared number. The Attorney General's statewide police list refers Kellogg to this department.
• Lake City Police Department: 651-345-3344, or 651-345-3391 after hours.
• Plainview Police Department: 507-534-2441. Plainview City Hall is at 241 West Broadway, Plainview, MN 55964.
• Minnesota State Patrol for state highways. Its headquarters is 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 130, St. Paul, MN 55101, 651-201-7100. For the local district office, open the Patrol's contact listing and choose Wabasha in its county menu.

Emergencies always go to 911.