Presque Isle County Inmate Records Overview
The Presque Isle County Sheriff's Office runs the only jail in the county, and Sheriff Joseph Brewbaker's staff handle every booking that happens locally. Unlike large urban counties, the office does not publish a searchable online roster or public inmate profiles. There is no portal to type a name into and no page that lists who is in custody tonight. That is not a gap in this resource; it reflects how a small rural jail actually works. The most reliable way to confirm that someone is held here is to call the jail directly and ask.
County jail records also cover only county custody. They do not show people held in state prison, in a federal facility, or under an immigration hold. Each of those groups is tracked by a different agency with its own lookup tool, so a complete Presque Isle County inmate search often means checking more than one source before you find the person.
How to Check Custody in Presque Isle County
Because no online jail roster exists, checking custody is a short sequence of steps rather than a single search box. Start local, then widen out to the statewide and federal tools if the person is not in the county jail. Work through the order below and you will cover every channel the county documents.
- Call the Presque Isle County Jail at 989-734-2156 and ask whether the person is currently in custody, what they are held on, and the bond amount.
- If the person may already be sentenced to prison, search the Michigan Department of Corrections Offender Tracking Information System at mdocweb.state.mi.us/OTIS2/Profile.
- Register with VINELink to receive automatic phone or email alerts about custody status and release, where the system supports the person.
- For a federal prisoner, search the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator at bop.gov/inmateloc.
- If you need a written booking or incident record, submit a records request to the sheriff by mail with the required fee.
Presque Isle County Jail Contact and Facility
The jail sits with the Sheriff's Office at 267 N 2nd St. in Rogers City, separate from the county courthouse over on East Huron Avenue. It was built in 1974 and holds up to 24 inmates, which makes it one of the smaller county jails in northern Michigan. The facility houses minimum through maximum security inmates, including work-release inmates sentenced to as much as one year, and it is staffed by four full-time and two part-time corrections officers.
That small size is the reason there is no elaborate roster system. With one building, a low headcount, and a handful of officers, staff track custody by hand and answer status questions over the phone. Keep the direct number handy and call during a time when a corrections officer can step away from the floor.
Presque Isle County Jail
267 N 2nd St.
Rogers City, MI 49779
989-734-2156
Visits Thursdays & Sundays by appointment
Searching MDOC OTIS for State Prisoners
When a defendant is sentenced to a term in state prison, or placed on state parole or probation, the county jail is no longer where the record lives. Those offenders move into the Michigan Department of Corrections system, and the public tool that DOES exist for them is the Offender Tracking Information System, known as OTIS. It is statewide and free to use. The MDOC OTIS search page lets you look someone up by name or by their MDOC offender number.
The search form accepts several fields, and you do not need to fill all of them. A last name alone often works, and adding a first name or offender number narrows a common surname. The table below lists the fields the OTIS form provides.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Conditional | Name search |
| First Name | Text | No | Name search |
| Offender Number | Text | Conditional | MDOC number if known |
| Sex | Dropdown | No | Either, Male, Female |
| Race | Dropdown | No | All, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Latino, Middle Eastern or North African, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White |
| Age | Number | No | Numeric validation |
| Offender Status | Dropdown | No | Active Offenders, All, Prisoners, Parolees, Probationers, Discharged, Parole Absconders, Probation Absconders |
| Marks, Scars, and Tattoos | Text | No | Keyword or description |
| Search | Button | n/a | Submits the query |
| Clear | Button | n/a | Resets the form |
OTIS has real limits worth understanding before you rely on it. The official MDOC OTIS information page explains that the system covers prisoners, parolees, and probationers currently under supervision, plus anyone discharged within the last three years.
It does not list county-jail-only inmates, records exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or offenders more than three years past discharge. So a person sitting in the Presque Isle County Jail on a local charge will not appear in OTIS at all, which is exactly why the phone call to the jail comes first.
What to Have Ready Before You Call the Jail
Because staff look up custody manually, a good call is a prepared call. Have the person's identifying details in front of you and know exactly what you want to ask, so a busy corrections officer can help you quickly. The county does not post charge, bond, or release fields anywhere online, so the phone is where you get them. The table below pairs what to bring with what to ask.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Full legal name | Helps staff find the right person when several bookings share a surname |
| Date of birth | Confirms identity and separates people with similar names |
| Approximate booking or arrest date | Narrows the search to a recent intake |
| Charge | Ask what the person is being held on and whether it is a felony or misdemeanor |
| Bond amount | Ask the dollar figure and whether it is cash, surety, or personal recognizance |
| Court date | Ask when the next district court appearance is scheduled |
| Release eligibility | Ask about projected release or whether work-release applies |
Details on the specific charges filed by the prosecutor are tracked through the case file rather than the jail. For a closer look at what the person was booked on, the arrest records and court charges page explains how charges move from booking to a formal filing.
Federal Inmates and the Bureau of Prisons
Federal custody is a separate world from both the county jail and MDOC. If a person is charged with a federal crime or has been sentenced in federal court, they are held in the federal system and will not turn up in a county or state search. The tool for them is the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, which searches federal prisoners nationwide by name or register number.
A local booking can sometimes carry a federal hold or detainer, but the jail does not publish hold information online, and federal warrant or custody questions are best routed through the federal court, the U.S. Attorney, the U.S. Marshals, or defense counsel. Keep the federal locator in mind as a backup whenever a person cannot be found in either the county jail or the state OTIS database.
Presque Isle County Custody Alerts Through VINELink
Waiting on a release date or a transfer is stressful, and calling the jail every day is not practical. VINELink is a free custody-notification service that can send an automatic message when a person's status changes. Register at vinelink.com, search for the person, and sign up for alerts by phone or email where the system supports that individual and agency.
Victims of crime often use VINELink so they learn quickly if a defendant is released, but anyone can register. Treat it as a notification fallback rather than a full roster, and still confirm anything urgent by calling the jail. If your reason for tracking custody is an open warrant, the Presque Isle County warrant records page explains how to check for and resolve one.
Booking Process in Presque Isle County
The county does not publish a detailed, step-by-step account of its intake, so the sequence below reflects the typical process a Michigan county jail follows rather than a posted local procedure. It helps to know the general flow, because it explains why a person may not be reachable for the first few hours after an arrest.
A booking generally begins with the arrest or the service of a warrant, followed by transport to the Presque Isle County Jail. At intake, staff identify the person, inventory and store personal property, complete the booking paperwork, and run a medical and security screening. The person is then assigned and classified by security level, given phone access, and moved toward a first court appearance and any bond decision.
For criminal cases, the local court authority on that next step is the 89th District Court. It arraigns defendants, sets and accepts bond, and conducts preliminary hearings in felony matters before a case moves up to circuit court. Times can vary, so confirm any hearing date with the court or the jail rather than assuming a fixed schedule.
Presque Isle County Jail Visitation
In-person visits at the Presque Isle County Jail run on two days a week with three time blocks each day, and every visit needs an appointment. Visits last 30 minutes, and a visitor may see only one inmate per day. Appointments are taken by phone at 989-734-2156 or in person after midnight on the same day as the visit. If you book a visit and do not show up, your next appointment must be made in person from that point forward.
| Days | Time Block | Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| Thursdays & Sundays | 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | Visits run 30 minutes |
| Thursdays & Sundays | 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | One inmate per visitor per day |
| Thursdays & Sundays | 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. | Appointment required by phone or in person |
The official jail page does not publish a dress code, child-visitor rules, background-check standards, or holiday exceptions. Rather than guess, confirm any of those details with jail staff at 989-734-2156 before you make the drive.
Note: Book the appointment before traveling, since visitors in this rural county often come from distant townships and a same-day slot is not guaranteed.
Mail Rules for Presque Isle County Inmates
The jail accepts mail through the U.S. Postal Service, and it is passed out at regular mail times each day. All incoming mail is sorted, opened, and inspected by corrections staff for contraband before it reaches an inmate, so keep letters simple and avoid anything the staff would have to reject. Use the inmate's full name on the envelope and the facility address below.
Address inmate mail in this format:
Inmate Mail
Inmate's Full Name
Presque Isle County Jail
267 N 2nd St.
Rogers City, MI 49779
The jail page does not spell out limits on photos, packages, publications, or other special mail categories. When in doubt about whether an item is allowed, call the jail first so your letter is not returned or held.
Commissary and Inmate Funds
Money for commissary and bond can be added several ways. Deposits are accepted 24 hours a day, seven days a week through JailATM or by calling 1-866-933-6386. To deposit online you will need a credit or debit card, the jail location and facility name, the inmate's first and last name, your billing address, and your card information. A lobby kiosk at the jail also takes cash or a card for a deposit or an inmate bond.
The jail does not publish deposit fees, transaction limits, or refund rules, so check the current amounts inside the JailATM system or ask staff before you send a large sum. Have the inmate's exact name and the facility name ready so the funds post to the right account.
Phone, Video, and Text for Presque Isle County Inmates
Calls, video visits, and text messages run through a provider called CIDNET. To use it you create an account and buy data, and your data balance is spent as you communicate with the inmate. Set up an account at customer.cidnet.net: register with your email, time zone, and name, create the account, then open the verification email the system sends, checking the junk or spam folder if it does not arrive. Follow the verification link, choose a security PIN and password, sign in, and finish the account details.
Local per-minute rates and data prices are not posted on the sheriff page, so confirm current costs inside CIDNET or with jail staff. Between CIDNET for live contact, JailATM for money, and the mail rules above, most families can stay in touch without visiting in person every week.
Requesting Presque Isle County Booking Records
When you need a written record rather than a phone answer, the sheriff handles report and booking copies through a records request. This is the documented fallback for information the county does not post online, and it is the correct route for an official copy you can keep or file.
To have a report mailed, send a check or money order for $10, the complaint or incident number, the date of the incident, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Presque Isle County Sheriff's Office, 267 N 2nd St., Rogers City, MI 49779, marked Attn: Records. Reports longer than 10 pages cost $20. If photographs were taken, call first, because that fee changes with the number of prints. The office may ask you to complete a Freedom of Information Act form, and questions go to 989-734-2156. For how a booking becomes a full case file, the Presque Isle County criminal court records page follows the charge from arrest through disposition.