Hatch to speak at sex offender forum

Attorney General Mike Hatch will be the keynote speaker Thursday at a forum titled The Minnesota Sex Offender Program: A Broken System?

The forum is sponsored by the Gordon Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government. The schedule is coffee and social time at 5:30 p.m., keynote speech at 6 p.m. and panelists responding to questions from 7 to 8 p.m. Site of the forum is the John Chalberg Theatre at Central Lakes College in Brainerd.

Panelists include Frank Webber, Psychological Treatment Options; Todd Strange, Crow Wing County probation officer; Rep. Larry Howes, R-Walker; Rockwell Wells, Crow Wing County attorney's office; David F. Hermerding, Crow Wing County public defender's office; Debi Backdahl, Crow Wing County sheriff's chief deputy; and Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point.