Criminal Case Information contains information concerning adult criminal cases filed by the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office in Crow Wing County District Court.
This information is gathered from many sources and is made available on this website as a public service. Disclosing adult criminal case information in this manner promotes public safety by providing victims, witnesses, and others with criminal justice information that is not accessible from any other single source.
An adult criminal prosecution can be commenced either by citation or complaint. A citation is issued by a law enforcement officer and is used primarily in petty misdemeanor and misdemeanor level prosecutions. In Minnesota, a standardized citation form is used state-wide. A citation is in reality a short form Summons and Complaint. In Crow Wing County, when a citation is issued, the person receiving the citation is instructed to contact Crow Wing County Court Administration to schedule a first court date. Failure to do so results in the issuance of a long form complaint. A long form complaint is a more formalized process to commence a criminal prosecution requiring the signature of a prosecuting attorney, law enforcement officer and a district court judge. Long form complaints are required for gross misdemeanor and felony matters. Long form complaints are issued with a Summons, Warrant or Order for Detention.
- A Summons is a court order directing an individual identified in the complaint to appear in district court at a certain time on a certain day. Failure to appear may result in the issuance of a warrant.
- An order for detention is used when a person has been arrested prior to the issuance of a complaint. It is a court order that an individual be brought before the district court at a certain time on a certain date, usually within 36-48 hours after arrest.
- Warrant: A warrant is a court order to apprehend an individual and bring the individual before the district court.
In long form complaints, there is a section containing a general description of the underlying activity which resulted in the filing of criminal charges. This is called the probable cause section. This section contains sufficient general information to support the elements of the crime(s) charged. It is not intended to, nor does it, provide a comprehensive explanation of all the evidence to be presented at trial. The initiation of criminal proceedings does not indicate a person is guilty of a violation of the law. A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.