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Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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Sex offender plans to live on Laurel Street
Staff Writer Harold Clayton Lacy is not wanted by police, but police want the public to know about him and his past crimes.
Lacy, 37, is a Level 3 sex offender. On Friday he is expected to move into a residence on the 600 block of Laurel Street in downtown Brainerd, a change from original information from the Minnesota Department of Corrections that stated he would be released Wednesday to a residence on the 200 block of North Seventh Street.
Jake McLellan, one of the Department of Corrections agents supervising Lacy, said Lacy is moving to Brainerd because he could not find a residence in any other county and Crow Wing County was his last place of residence.
With his move to Brainerd came a community notification meeting Tuesday at the Brainerd Police Department, which was attended by more than 50 people.
"If members of the public are provided adequate notice and information about an offender's release the community can adequately prepare themselves," Brainerd Police Chief John Bolduc said.
"But he still lives too close," said North Seventh Street resident Virginia Christie on learning that Lacy would to Laurel Street.
Bernie Finch, who also lives on North Seventh Street, wanted more information about what was going to happen to Lacy.
"Our neighborhood is a walking neighborhood," Finch said. "We have a lot of children and women and men that walks dogs and play in Gregory Park. I was concerned he was going to be two blocks from the park.
"I'm going to be very vigilant. I'm glad we are aware he's here and that his face is publicized because many eyes help."
Ruthann Ray lives in southern Cass County but spends a lot of time in Brainerd, in the past sending her children to St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School.
She said she's confident that Brainerd Police and the Department of Corrections agents assigned to Lacy will be keeping close tabs on him for the public's safety.
"Of course, being downtown in Brainerd I definitely want to be more aware now," Ray said.
Tuesday's community meeting was facilitated by Michele Murphy of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, who gave a rundown of Lacy's criminal history:
• In 2000 he was convicted of felony fifth-degree assault in Anoka County against an adult female. He knew the woman and prevented her from leaving her home. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison.
• In 2003 he was convicted of terroristic threats in Ramsey County, where he verbally threatened and assaulted an adult female he knew. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison.
• In 2007 he was convicted in Crow Wing County of harassment, predatory offender registration violation and domestic assault and sentenced to 37 months in prison. In one case he assaulted and injured an adult female he knew, then made numerous phone calls to the victim that were intercepted by police. In another case, he entered a woman's residence without permission, engaged in sexual contact, including fondling, while becoming increasingly agitated. He was not known to this victim, Murphy said.
• He also was convicted of domestic assault in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999; of terroristic threats in 1993; of third-degree assault in 1994; and of violating an order for protection in 2008.
"Mr. Lacy has a history of engaging in assaultive behavior with other individuals." Murphy said.
In 2001, Lacy was released from prison as a Level 1 sex offender and in 2005 he was released from prison as a Level 2 sex offender. Since 2000 Lacy has been in and out of prison several times for violating the conditions of his release from prison.
Risk levels fall into three categories: Level 1, which is low public risk; Level 2, which is moderate public risk; and Level 3, which is high public risk and the category under which Lacy falls.
He is one of 116 registered predatory sex offenders in Brainerd but the only Level 3 offender.
"The meeting tonight is unique in that this is only the second community notification meeting we've held since the community notification law went into effect," 12 years ago, Bolduc said.
Lacy is on supervised release for his 2007 convictions, which will expire in July of 2010. He will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
While on supervised release he will be tracked through a global positioning system; he is only allowed outside his residence from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. to look for work; he cannot enter an establishment where the sale of alcohol is the primary business; and he is subject to unannounced visits by Department of Corrections agents, among other conditions.
Murphy said the stability of a sex offender contributes to the control of his offense cycle. She said anyone with a concern should contact local law enforcement. She noted 90 percent of those convicted on sex offense each year had no previous conviction.
"Sex offenders have always been among us and are going to always be among us. That's a fact, that's reality," Murphy said. "Up until 12 years ago, we didn't get to know about these offenders. Law enforcement didn't know about them. Now with the (notification) law, we get to have these types of meetings."
Bolduc said the meeting went well, with law enforcement getting the needed information out and residents asking intelligent questions.
"I think everybody left with information they came for," Bolduc said.
Bolduc said it was important that the notification law be used for what it was intended, to get people information, and not as a tool to harass a sex offender.
"If people misuse the information it places the law in jeopardy and then we could potentially have a backlash from the Legislature saying, 'This has turned into a vigilantly law and therefore was a bad policy decision,'" Bolduc said. "We don't want that. We want it to be used for what it was intended."
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.
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