Find Cottonwood County Inmates

Cottonwood County Jail Roster

The Cottonwood County jail roster page links to the official roster PDF. The county page states that roster information is generated daily at 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM Central Time. This is a current custody roster, not a full criminal history search and not a final court disposition. The Sheriff's Office says inmate information is public data under Minnesota law, but it also warns that juvenile information is restricted and that users should check current legal status through the Minnesota court system.

The Sheriff's Office and jail are at 902 5th Avenue, Windom, MN 56101. The main phone is 507-831-1375. Sheriff Jason Purrington's office lists dispatch as available 24/7, while office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Jail administration contacts in the research include Jail Administrator Jason Rupp, Jail Supervisor Daniel Quade, and Jail Program Coordinator Heather Janssen. Capacity was not located in the official sources reviewed, so it is not stated here.

The local roster page is the source for the county inmate image. The Cottonwood County jail roster page explains the public-data disclaimer and links to the roster file.

That source is the best local starting point for Cottonwood County inmate records because it is maintained by the jail.

Use Cottonwood County Inmate Records

The roster is a PDF, so the search steps are different from a normal jail portal. Open the county roster link, then use the PDF viewer's find function for a last name. If the name appears, compare the charge, held-for agency, booking date, projected release, and bail amount. For a legal status question, reconcile the roster with court records because the roster may show an allegation or custody reason rather than the final case result.

1. Open the county jail roster page and follow the roster PDF link.
2. Use browser or PDF find to search a last name, or scan the current inmate rows.
3. Review the held-for agency to see whether custody relates to the Sheriff's Office, Windom Police, Mountain Lake Police, or another agency.
4. Check charges, booking date, projected release, bail amount, and custody reason.
5. Call 507-831-1375 if the record is time-sensitive or the roster and court record do not match.

The roster PDF capture failed as an image in the manifest, so no PDF screenshot is used. The official PDF still matters because the research observed 12 records in a file printed June 23, 2026, with charge and custody fields visible. Juvenile details, mugshots, physical descriptors, pod locations, and booking numbers were not visible in the extracted roster text.

Cottonwood County Inmate Search Fields

Because the county uses a roster PDF, there are no entry boxes, buttons, or required form fields. The public search method is document review. This makes the roster easy to open but less flexible than a searchable jail database. A person checking Cottonwood County inmate records should treat missing names with care, since a person may have been released, transferred, not yet added, held in another county, or committed to state custody.

For persons under state prison or supervised-release jurisdiction, use the Minnesota DOC public offender locator. It is separate from the Cottonwood County jail roster and covers adults committed to the Commissioner of Corrections who remain under DOC jurisdiction.

The state locator is a fallback for prison or supervision status, not a substitute for current Cottonwood County jail custody.

Cottonwood County Inmate Profile Details

The roster field set is narrow but useful. It shows a current custody snapshot and the public charge details that the jail publishes. It does not show every data point some larger jail systems display. The research did not find mugshots, date of birth, height, weight, race, sex, eye or hair color, pod or tank, booking number, court date, or release time fields in the extracted roster text.

Jail records and court records answer different questions. The roster shows custody and charges at the jail level. MCRO shows court events, pleas, disposition, sentence, and public court documents when available. For an arrest-to-charge issue, the jail roster may be useful first, while the full case file belongs in Cottonwood County District Court.

Note: An arrest on the roster is not a conviction, and the sheriff disclaimer directs users to the court system for pending legal status.

Cottonwood County Jail Visitation

Cottonwood County Jail uses free video visitation from a kiosk in the Law Enforcement Center during published times. The research did not find a free remote-at-home visit option. Visitors must sign up 24 hours in advance through Reliance Telephone scheduling. Visitors are limited to family members at least 18 years old unless the inmate requests up to two non-family visitors. Underage children of inmates may visit only with an adult on the visiting list and must provide a birth certificate.

Visitors over 18 must bring a valid government ID with photo and proof of age, such as a driver's license, state ID, military ID, passport, or county ID. Work, school, and check-cashing IDs are not accepted. Visits are limited to 20 minutes per visitation day with any one visitor. An inmate who attempts to visit through a jail window can lose good time as determined by the Jail Administrator.

The jail information page is the source for visitation rules. The Cottonwood County jail page also covers mail, funds, telephone service, VINE, fingerprints, books, and religious materials.

Those rules are part of inmate-record research because custody lookup often leads to visit, mail, and release-notice questions.

Cottonwood County Inmate Contact

Jail staff do not take personal messages for inmates. A message may be left through the inmate message system at 507-407-2026, but those messages are not confidential. Phone cards are sold in 10 dollar amounts, and the phone system accepts only those phone cards. Collect calls can be set up through 1-800-896-3201. Video calling occurs only after an inmate sends an invitation link to the Reliance website.

• Mail must come through the United States Post Office.
• Address format is inmate name, Cottonwood County Jail, 902 5th Avenue, Windom, MN 56101.
• Inspection applies to all mail handled by jail staff.
• Stamps and envelopes may be bought through commissary, but visitor-delivered supplies are not accepted.
• Books and religious material require jail program or administration review.

For custody notifications, the jail page describes VINE as a free, anonymous, computer-based service for custody information and automated notices about release, transfer, or escape. The toll-free VINE number listed in the research is 1-877-MN-4-VINE. VINE is an alert tool, not a court case record and not a replacement for the current roster.

Cottonwood County Inmate Funds

The jail kiosk accepts cash and credit cards for inmate account deposits. Money orders and cashier's checks are also accepted when made out to the inmate and mailed to the inmate at the jail. Personal checks are not accepted. Jail staff do not share inmate account information with anyone other than the inmate. Online deposits use JailATM according to the county jail rules.

The state DOC search tools are useful when a person is not found in the local jail and may be in state custody, supervision, or a public registrant database. The Minnesota DOC search tools page links public DOC record tools, while the public registrant search is limited to public-notification predatory registrants.

State DOC tools are most useful after local jail custody ends or when the person was sentenced to state jurisdiction.

The DOC public registrant search is another state-level custody-related source, but it is not a general Cottonwood County jail roster.

Use it only for the specific public registrant category because ordinary jail bookings remain with the county roster and sheriff.