Members of the Brainerd public did not attend a meeting Monday to learn about a level 3 sex offender moving to Brainerd.
The Brainerd Police Department and Minnesota Department of Corrections hosted a community notification meeting about Level 3 offender Joel Evan Greenough, 22, who will be released today from incarceration at Lino Lakes and will move to the 100 block of Gillis Avenue in Brainerd.
The DOC also discussed Level 3 offender Joshua Chad Tromblay, 33, who is relocating from the area of Gillis Avenue to the 200 block of Fourth Avenue Northeast in Brainerd.
Brad VanderVegt and Carmen Goldsmith of the DOC explained how the sex offender classification worked, statistics on likelihood offenders will reoffend and what the state does to monitor offenders.
"Just because they (community members) have a factsheet with the overall information, there's so much more that we provide at the meetings," VanderVegt said.
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Tromblay and Greenough are transferring between a DOC house in the vicinity of Gillis Avenue. The DOC reported it maintains the house in Brainerd as a transitional location for offenders as they reintegrate into society from prison. The specific address of the house-or where offenders eventually end up moving to-is withheld from the public to prevent harassment or violent reprisals against the offenders.
"We don't want to encourage vigilantism," VanderVegt said. "We don't want people that aren't from the community, that have no stake in the community, coming out here and to exact some revenge scenario against someone they see as bad, and really destabilizing the whole community because of it."
The offenders are easier to track and monitor when they have a residence, the officials said.
All offenders who are subject to intensive supervised release, which includes Tromblay and Greenough, are required to wear GPS tracking bracelets.
The factsheets for Greenough and Tromblay note misuse of the notification system by the public only benefits the sexual offenders. Ending the program would give the offenders the secrecy they rely on to exploit their victims.
A Level 3 predatory offender is classified by the DOC as one of those most likely to reoffend. As of Monday, 390 Level 3 offenders lived within Minnesota communities, VanderVegt said. More than two-thirds of offenders are known to their victims, he said.
More info on 2 sex offenders
Greenough and Tromblay are not wanted by the police and they have served the sentence imposed on them by the courts.
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Greenough has a history of sexual contact with 14-year-old and 10-year-old female victims. He was known to the victims and sexual contact included penetration.
Tromblay has a history of sexual contact with male and female victims ages 3 to adult. His contact included penetration and he was known to his victims. Tromblay has an extensive history of criminal sexual conduct, but he was not charged on all the incidents.
Go to www.doc.state.mn.us for more information on Level 3 offenders or information for victims. Visit https://coms.doc.state.mn.us/publicregistrantsearch to search for information on specific offenders in the community. Visit the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center at www.gundersenhealth.org/ncptc/jacob-wetterling-resource-center/ for additional means to help prevent sexual abuse against children.
The Brainerd Police Department reminds the public to report any criminal activity by the offenders or any other subjects by calling 911.
Brainerd Dispatch reporter Jennifer Stockinger contributed to this report.
