Predatory offenders checked in Morrison County

LITTLE FALLS - Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel on Wednesday announced that his department recently completed predatory offender registration verifications for all registered sex offenders within Morrison County.

Wetzel said in a news release that a total of 99 verification and compliance checks were conducted. Of those 99, 19 were Level I offenders, 11 were Level II and one was Level III. Sixty-eight offenders had not been assigned a risk level.

Risk levels are assigned by the Minnesota Department of Corrections with Level I being least likely to reoffend and Level III being most likely to reoffend. Many people who are placed on the predatory offender registry are not assigned a level as they were never sentenced to state prison but received lower sentences and served them in county jail.

Wetzel said annual verifications are needed in order to keep tabs on offenders and ensure that they stay current in providing both his office and the Department of Corrections with updated information if they move or change vehicles.

The compliance checks are done in cooperation with the Little Falls, Randall, Motley, Pierz and Royalton police departments.