Grant County Sex Offender Registry

Grant County sex offenders must register with Minnesota's Predatory Offender Registry, maintained by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and managed locally by the Grant County Sheriff's Office in Elbow Lake. If you want to look up sex offenders in Grant County, the BCA registry at por.state.mn.us is the best starting point. It covers all registered offenders regardless of risk level and lets you filter by county. For Level 3 offenders, which are high-risk cases, check the Department of Corrections public site at coms.doc.state.mn.us. Grant County is a rural western Minnesota county with Elbow Lake as its seat, and the Sheriff's Office plays the key role in verifying registration compliance for all registered sex offenders in the area.

Grant County Sheriff's Office

The Grant County Sheriff's Office in Elbow Lake handles all predatory offender registration and compliance for Grant County. This is a rural county, so the Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement contact for most registration matters. Deputies conduct verification checks to confirm offenders are living where they reported and that their information matches what is in the statewide registry.

Minnesota law under Minn. Stat. 243.166 requires registered sex offenders to report address changes, new employment, school enrollment changes, and vehicle changes within five days. They must also check in with law enforcement in person on a schedule based on their risk level. For Level 3 offenders, these check-ins happen more frequently. Missing a check-in or giving false information is a felony, with penalties of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office at co.grant.mn.us/sheriff manages all local predatory offender registration in this western Minnesota county.

Deputies work with the BCA and the DOC to keep offender records current and accurate for Grant County communities.

Searching Sex Offender Records in Grant County

The BCA Predatory Offender Registry at por.state.mn.us is the place to start any search for sex offenders in Grant County. You can search by county to pull up all registered offenders in the area. The database includes Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 offenders and is updated within 48 hours of any change. The BCA can be reached at (651) 793-7070 if you have questions.

If you want to focus only on high-risk offenders, use the DOC public search at coms.doc.state.mn.us. This site shows Level 3 predatory offenders with photos and address information. You can also call the DOC at (651) 361-7340 or (866) 396-9953. The National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov lets you search across state lines if you think someone may have moved into Grant County from North Dakota or another neighboring state.

Community Notification in Grant County

When a Level 3 predatory offender moves into Grant County, law enforcement must notify the public under Minn. Stat. 244.052. The Grant County Sheriff handles these notifications for the county's unincorporated areas and small towns. Typical notification methods include flyers distributed to homes near the offender's address, notices sent to schools and organizations in the area, and information posted in public locations.

Minnesota's three risk levels shape how community notification works. Level 1 offenders pose low risk. Only law enforcement agencies receive notice. Level 2 offenders pose moderate risk. Schools and community organizations near the offender may be notified. Level 3 offenders pose high risk. The broader public is notified directly. Grant County residents should use the BCA registry at por.state.mn.us to stay informed about registered offenders in their area.

Note: VINE notifications at vinelink.com let you track when an offender's custody status changes in real time.

Additional Resources for Grant County Residents

The VINE system at vinelink.com or by calling 1-877-664-8463 provides free automatic alerts about offender custody status changes. This service runs 24 hours a day. You can choose to receive alerts by phone, email, or text message. It is especially useful for victims who want to know when an offender is released from custody.

The DOC Community Notification page at mn.gov/doc/community-supervision/community-notification/ has detailed information about how the process works in Minnesota. If you have concerns about a specific offender in Grant County, you can also call the BCA directly at (651) 793-7070 or reach out to the Grant County Sheriff at (218) 685-5300. Court records from sex offense cases in Grant County are available through Minnesota Court Records Online at mncourts.gov.

Cities in Grant County

Grant County is a small rural county in western Minnesota. Communities include Elbow Lake, Herman, Wendell, Norcross, and other small townships. No cities in Grant County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All predatory offender registrations in Grant County are processed through the Grant County Sheriff's Office. Offenders in any community within the county must follow the same state registration requirements and report to the Sheriff's Office as their local contact.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Grant County in western Minnesota. Each manages its own local registration compliance, and all records are part of the statewide BCA registry.