Winona County Predatory Offenders

Winona County sex offenders are registered through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and managed locally by the Winona County Sheriff's Office. Located in southeastern Minnesota along the Mississippi River bluffs and bordering Wisconsin, Winona County is home to the city of Winona and Winona State University. The Sheriff's Office is the primary agency for predatory offender registration and community notification. Residents can use free state tools to search for sex offenders registered in Winona County and this page explains how those resources work locally.

Winona County Sheriff's Office

The Winona County Sheriff's Office handles predatory offender registration and monitoring for the county. Under Minnesota Statute 243.166, all sex offenders living, working, or attending school in Winona County must register with local law enforcement. They must report address changes within five days of moving. Failure to register is a felony. The Sheriff coordinates with the BCA to keep the statewide predatory offender registry accurate. Reach the office at (507) 457-6368 or visit co.winona.mn.us/departments/sheriff.

The presence of Winona State University in the city of Winona adds a notable factor to predatory offender registration in the county. College towns can see a mix of student-age offenders and those who choose to live near campuses. The city's police department works with the Sheriff on registration within Winona city limits, and the university coordinates with local law enforcement on matters related to sex offenses and notifications that may affect campus safety.

Winona County borders Wisconsin along the Mississippi River. Offenders who move across the state line must comply with registration requirements in their new state. The Sheriff's Office can coordinate with Wisconsin law enforcement when an offender moves out of Winona County and into Wisconsin.

Search Winona County Sex Offenders Online

The Minnesota VINE notification system lets you track custody changes for offenders connected to Winona County: VINE Notification System.

VINE is free to use and available to anyone who wants to be notified of custody status changes for people held in the Winona County jail. Call 1-877-664-8463 to register.

The Minnesota DOC public registrant search at coms.doc.state.mn.us/publicregistrantsearch lets you search Level 3 sex offenders by name, city, or zip code. For Winona County, search Winona or nearby zip codes. The database is updated within 48 hours of law enforcement authorization. Call (651) 361-7340 with questions.

The BCA Predatory Offender Registry at por.state.mn.us is the full statewide registry. Only Level 3 records are visible to the public. Reach the BCA at (651) 793-7070. Level 1 and Level 2 offenders are registered and monitored but do not appear in public searches. There may be registered sex offenders in Winona County who are not visible online because of their lower risk classification.

The National Sex Offender Public Website at nsopw.gov connects registries from all 50 states. Since Winona County borders Wisconsin, this is a helpful tool if you think an offender may have moved across the river. It is maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Community Notification in Winona County

When a Level 3 sex offender moves into Winona County, the Sheriff's Office initiates a community notification under Minnesota Statute 244.052. Notifications go to schools, day cares, and neighbors near the offender's address. In the city of Winona, city police may lead the notification alongside or in place of the Sheriff. The DOC community notification page at mn.gov explains how the statewide process works.

Only Level 3 offenders trigger public notifications. Level 2 offenders may receive outreach to specific organizations, but not the general public. Level 1 offenders receive no public notification. If you are concerned about someone in Winona County who does not appear in the public database, contact the Sheriff at (507) 457-6368.

Cities in Winona County

Winona County includes Winona and several smaller communities along the Mississippi. All sex offenders in the county register through the Sheriff's Office and the state BCA system.

Communities in Winona County include Winona, Winona, St. Charles, Altura, Goodview, Rollingstone, and several rural townships. All predatory offenders in these areas register through the Winona County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota predatory offender registry.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Winona County. Check neighboring registries if a sex offender may have moved.