As reported in the Aug. 26 Star Tribune article by Paul Walsh (full article included below), a convicted sex offender escaped from his supervised group at River Hills Mall in Mankato last week. The 31-year-old man was described as “mentally ill and dangerous” by police.

Senator Jim Abeler (R- Anoka), chair of the Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy, which oversees the state’s sex offender treatment programs, released the following statement in response.

We are all worried about keeping our neighborhoods safe right now, and this incident does not give anyone peace of mind. In the interest of public safety and the well-being of our families, I’m asking why this individual was allowed to be in a mall with children present, and apparently inadequately supervised. He is a known sex offender and a clear risk to the community. There is no reason to put children’s lives at risk so he can spend some time at the mall.

Convicted sex offender caught after fleeing during outing from St. Peter security hospital

The patient “is mentally ill and dangerous,” according to a statement by Mankato police. 

By  Paul Walsh, Star Tribune |  AUGUST 26, 2022 

A 31-year-old man convicted of possessing child pornography has been captured after escaping from custody at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center during an outing in Mankato, officials said.

Jesse N. Rowland, 31, was on a supervised group outing Thursday afternoon at the River Hills Mall, 1850 Adams St., and had not been seen since 2 p.m., according to Mankato police.

“Rowland is a court-committed patient at [the treatment center] and is mentally ill and dangerous,” a statement from police read.

A Mankato spokeswoman Amy Holst said about 8:45 a.m. Friday that “Rowland was taken into custody by law enforcement and placed in the care of the Minnesota Department of Human Services for return to the hospital.” Holst offered no further information about Rowland’s capture.

Rowland of Moorhead was convicted of five counts of possessing child pornography in December 2020 in Clay County District Court. The charges said he possessed more than 22,000 computer files of suspected child pornography involving children as young as 4 years old.

His sentence included participating in all programs and treatments at the security hospital.

The treatment center is operated by human services and is Minnesota’s largest psychiatric facility. It also is home to the state sex offender treatment program.