Sex offender arrested after escaping Rochester facility, police say
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A 43-year-old man who's a registered sex offender is back in custody after cutting off his electronic ankle monitor and escaping a Rochester treatment facility earlier this week.
Rochester police say officers were called to the Damascus Way reentry facility just before 1:30 a.m. on Monday, and a K9 soon "followed footprints that eventually led them east on nearby train tracks."
After someone called in a report about a suspicious person about 2.5 miles southeast of the facility, police found and arrested the man.
According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, the man was committed to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program in July 2005 as a "risk level 2 predatory offender" and was released to Damascus Way in January 2023.
Police say the man has a history of sexually assaulting girls and women, "using force and threats to gain compliance."
He will likely be charged with a felony for escaping custody in addition to "multiple misdemeanor charges," police say.