MSOP considers Kasota Township four-plex for sex offender reintegration

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9-28-16 Minnesota:

The Minnesota Department of Human Services confirmed Tuesday its interest in developing a housing site in the St. Peter area for future placement of Minnesota Sex Offender Program clients.

State officials would not confirm the exact location of the site under consideration, but through several sources the Herald has learned the property currently being considered by DHS is a four-plex on Hwy. 99 in Kasota Township, just east of the city of St. Peter.

“The Minnesota Sex Offender Program is in the early stages of developing a placement in the St. Peter area for clients who the courts have decided are ready for provisional discharge,” according to an official DHS email regarding the situation, which was briefly addressed at Tuesday’s Le Sueur County Board meeting when adjacent property owners Tom and Jennifer Letts asked for time on the agenda.

“On Sept. 15, MSOP met with local leaders to talk about plans to develop the new site,” according to DHS officials. “We are looking at having four clients live at the site, which would be staffed by MSOP 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because we are currently negotiating for the site, we cannot confirm the location.”

Latest sex offender placement rift pits Milwaukee vs. small rural town

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12-9-15 Wisconsin:

The problem of where to release Milwaukee County sex offenders is like the can that keeps getting kicked down the road — and now the can has banged all the way to the Town of Eldorado, a small community three counties away.

More than 200 residents of Eldorado packed their town hall one night this week to object to news that state officials want a violent sex offender to serve his court-ordered supervised release there.

"People are more than willing to take their own," said Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney. "But we don't want to become a dumping ground, the Guantanamo Bay for Milwaukee sex offenders."

The not-in-my-backyard fight over sex offenders is a recurring tale in Milwaukee County. A rash of local ordinances purporting to sharply restrict where offenders may legally reside only concentrated the problem to fewer and fewer spots until officials say there's nowhere left.

This month's political football is Clint Rhymes, 51. He was convicted of a violent sexual assault, served a long prison term and then in 2009 was committed under the state's Chapter 980, which allows for indefinite, secure confinement of those found to be sexually violent offenders. More than 300 such offenders reside at the Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston.

California’s dilemma: No one will take freed sex offenders

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11-20-15 California:

The plight of an unwanted sex offender is not something most people care about, but the uproar in Vallejo over the release of convicted predator Fraisure Earl Smith is the ultimate manifestation of a rehabilitation program that has failed to convince the public it is workable.

Smith, who committed five sexual assaults over 15 years and underwent intensive therapy, was released from a psychiatric hospital last month and has been forced to live as a transient.

It is an ongoing issue with California’s troubled “sexually violent predator” program, which transfers the most egregious sex violators to a psychiatric hospital after their sentences are up so they can undergo psychological counseling before their release.

Sex offender kicked out of Vallejo motel after outcry

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11-20-15 California:

A violent sex offender released from a psychiatric hospital last month and forced to live as a transient was kicked out of a motel in Vallejo this week amid public outcry, including critical statements from local police and city officials.

Fraisure Earl Smith, 51, who committed five sexual assaults over 15 years, was evicted Wednesday from the Motel 6 on Enterprise Street after police and residents discovered he had been secretly placed there, Vallejo officials said Thursday.

It appears that Motel 6 did not know that they had rented a room to Mr. Smith, the recently released sexually violent predator,” said Daniel Keen, the Vallejo City Manager. “Once they confirmed that he was staying there, they acted immediately to evict him.”

A Vallejo Police Department statement said Liberty Healthcare Corporation, the contractor hired by the state to handle the release, “concealed Mr. Smith’s identity” in an effort to obtain two rooms at the motel.

“Two men employed by Liberty gave their own names and failed to disclose the identity of Mr. Smith, who would be staying in the motel rooms,” the police statement said. “We appreciate the speedy manner in which Motel 6 acted to ensure the safety of its residents and of the city’s residents. We value their assistance in setting the record straight.”

Hearing held over housing location of violent sex offender

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3-5-15 California:

SALINAS, Calif. - A violent sexual predator is set to be released from state custody back to Monterey County. But not until a safe place to keep him is found.

Eldridge Chaney Junior was convicted of raping several women in the 1970's and 1980's.

Wednesday marked the first of several hearings surrounding his release back into the community.

The State Department of Hospitals has a contract with Liberty Healthcare, the company that’s tasked with finding the best place for Chaney to live when he is released.

So far, they have gone through about 300 homes and haven't found one that meets the requirements.

Chaney waived his right to appear in court and after a long time behind closed doors, a Monterey County judge ordered Liberty Healthcare to keep looking.

Fairfield Community Up in Arms about Sex Offender Possibly Moving In

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HIPAA violated by media?

3-11-15 California:

Fairfield -- More than 50 Willotta Oaks residents gathered Tuesday night, working to prevent a high-risk, sexually-violent offender from becoming their neighbor.

“We’re just concerned about having a sexual predator living in our neighborhood,” resident Cindy Pfaff said.

Residents gathered their facts, gearing up for when they meet again two days from now to voice their worries to the Sheriff’s Department.

Fraisure Smith petitioned for release and placement at the home at 11 Willotta Drive in Fairfield.

A judge granted him a conditional release two years ago.

Since then, Allen Stillman of Liberty Healthcare, which found the home, said they have screened about 1,200 locations before finding the owner of this home, who is willing to rent to Smith for $3,200 a month, which the state will pay.