Watonwan County Jail Roster Overview
The official roster source is the Watonwan Internet Jail Roster PDF, linked from the Watonwan County Jail page. The county does not publish a live inmate search box, profile page, booking-photo gallery, or vendor roster. The inspected PDF was printed June 18, 2026 and listed 7 total records. It was free to open, required no login, and showed current roster rows with text fields. Since the roster is a PDF snapshot, the printed date matters.
The jail is managed by the Watonwan County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Jared Bergeman is listed on the sheriff page, and the jail administrator is Julie Carr. The jail phone is 507-375-1206. Use that number when custody status is urgent, when the PDF is old, or when the person was just arrested and may not yet appear on the public roster. Records that are not posted online can be requested through the sheriff's data-practices process during administrative hours.
The sheriff policies page links to jail and data-practices material used for records requests.
That policies page is useful when a public record is not included in the county's current roster PDF.
Use the Watonwan County Roster
The Watonwan County roster has no input fields, so the search method is simple but limited. Open the official PDF, verify the printed date, and search within the document. If a person is not listed, do not assume release or noncustody. The roster may lag behind booking, the person may be in court, the person may be held by another agency, or a sentenced person may have moved to state custody.
- Open the official Watonwan Internet Jail Roster PDF from the county jail page.
- Check the printed date so the roster is understood as a snapshot.
- Use browser or PDF find to search by last name.
- Read the row for charges, held-for agency, booking date, projected release, and bail amount.
- Call 507-375-1206 if the name is missing or the custody question is time-sensitive.
Watonwan County Roster Fields
The public roster is not a form, but its visible columns work like record fields. The PDF does not provide filters, sort controls, tabs, captcha, or account tools. It is also not a release archive. The research did not locate a county-posted retention period for released inmates, so older booking data should be handled as a public-records request to the sheriff's office.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | Static PDF | N/A | No roster search form; use the PDF find function. |
| Inmate | PDF column | N/A | Name is the main lookup point. |
| Charges | PDF column | N/A | Shows statute or code with a plain charge description. |
| Held For | PDF column | N/A | Identifies the agency tied to custody. |
| Booking Date | PDF column | N/A | Observed format was MM/DD/YY. |
| Projected Release | PDF column | N/A | May be blank for some records. |
| Bail Amount | PDF column | N/A | Shows bond type, conditions, and amount when set. |
What Watonwan Inmate Records Show
Watonwan County inmate records on the public roster are narrower than profile systems used by larger jails. They show current custody basics, not a full booking packet. A booking means the intake record created after jail admission. A detainer is a hold from another agency. A projected release date is a planned custody end date if the jail can calculate one. Bond is the money or conditions used to assure court appearance and public safety.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Inmate | The listed person's name. |
| Charges | Charge code or statute and charge description, such as assault, probation violation, drug, weapons, or registration charges. |
| Held For | The holding or arrest-related agency, such as St James Police Department or Watonwan County Sheriff's Office. |
| Booking Date | The date the person was booked into jail. |
| Projected Release | A listed release date when available. |
| Bail Amount | Bond type, conditions, amount, blank field, or no-bail status depending on the case. |
| Mugshot | Not shown on the Watonwan roster PDF. |
| Housing Unit | Not shown publicly in the inspected PDF. |
Watonwan County Jail Contact
The Watonwan County Jail is the only adult detention facility identified in the county facility map. It is a sheriff-operated county jail and 90 Day Lockup. The jail is staffed all day, every day, while administrative office hours are more limited. Use the jail phone for current custody, release, visitation, and inmate-service questions. Use the sheriff office for data-practices routing when a booking record, report, or booking photo is not posted.
Watonwan County Jail
715 Third Avenue S
Watonwan County Courthouse
St. James, MN 56081
507-375-1206
Administrative office hours: Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Watonwan County Sheriff's Office
710 2nd Avenue S
St. James, MN 56081
507-375-3121
Data requests must be submitted during sheriff administrative hours.
Booking Process in Watonwan County
Arrests by the sheriff, St. James Police Department, or another agency may result in transport to Watonwan County Jail. Intake can include identity checks, warrant checks, property inventory, medical and mental-health screening, charge entry, photo and fingerprint handling, classification, housing assignment, and phone access. Minnesota Rule 2911 requires medical screening on admission and written jail policies for classification. The 2026 DOC inspection discussed medical screening questions and corrective action, so intake should be understood as both a jail task and a state-regulated process.
Minnesota criminal procedure also affects how long a person may wait before court review. Minnesota Rule of Criminal Procedure 4 requires an arrested person who is not released to be brought before a judge without unnecessary delay and generally not more than 36 hours after arrest, excluding the day of arrest, Sundays, and legal holidays. A probable-cause decision for a warrantless arrest must occur without unnecessary delay and within 48 hours. Court events after booking are searched in MCRO, not on the jail roster.
Watonwan County Visitation Rules
The official inmate visitation page lists in-person visiting windows and rules. Inmates must place visitors on an approved list. Adults need a valid government-issued picture ID or passport. Except for an inmate's children and siblings, visitors must be 18 or older. Children cannot be left without supervision, and visitors who appear under the influence or smell of alcohol are denied. Visits may be denied for security concerns and are recorded or monitored.
| Day | Hours | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | In-person visitation |
| Thursday | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | In-person visitation |
| Saturday | 2-4 p.m.; 6:30-8 p.m. | In-person visitation |
| Sunday | 2-4 p.m. | In-person visitation |
The Watonwan visitation page shows the schedule and visitor rules used for local jail visits.
Check it before travel because approved visitor lists and security rules control whether a visit can occur.
County, State, Federal, and ICE
The county roster covers people held in the Watonwan County Jail. It does not cover sentenced state prisoners, federal prisoners, or people in ICE custody outside the jail. If the person was sentenced to the Commissioner of Corrections, search the MNDOC public viewer. If the case is federal, search BOP. If the concern is immigration detention, search ICE ODLS and note that a person in transit or at a hospital may not display. Minnesota VINE is available for custody notifications.
| Need | Access Channel | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Current county jail custody | Watonwan roster PDF and jail phone | Recent arrest, local hold, short sentence. |
| Sentenced Minnesota prisoner | MNDOC public viewer | Prison or supervised release under DOC. |
| Federal inmate | BOP locator | Federal custody from 1982 to present. |
| Immigration detainee | ICE ODLS | Current ICE custody. |
| Release alerts | Minnesota VINE | Custody notification, not a sheriff app. |
Commissary and Inmate Funds
Watonwan County's inmate funds PDF names the Lockdown kiosk in the lobby and JailATM for online deposits and commissary. Cash deposits through the lobby kiosk cost $3.25. Credit-card deposits cost $3.25 or 10 percent. Personal checks are not accepted. Correctional officers do not take messages for inmates. The inmate message system is 507-229-0122, and the PDF says messages and iPod texts are not confidential. Phone cards can be bought through JailATM or Reliance Telephone.
| Service | Provider or Location | Fee or Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Lobby deposit | Lockdown kiosk | $3.25 cash fee; credit card fee is $3.25 or 10 percent |
| Online commissary or deposit | JailATM | Vendor-managed account funding and canteen purchases |
| Phone cards | JailATM or Reliance Telephone | Used through the jail phone system |
| Personal checks | N/A | Not accepted |
Note: Confirm current custody with the jail before sending funds, because release or transfer can change access.