There was one less number of registered sex offender living in Beltrami County in January compared to the previous month, according to the Minnesota Public Registrant Search.
As of January, five sex offenders were living in the county.
The Registry shows one of these sex offender is a sexual predator.
In Minnesota, people convicted of sex-related crimes are required to register as predatory offenders. The registration period usually lasts 10 years from sentencing, release, or the end of supervision, but in serious cases, such as repeat offenses or first-degree criminal sexual conduct, it can extend to lifetime registration.
Minnesota spends over $100 million annually on its Sex Offense Civil Commitment (SOCC) program, designed to prevent sex offender recidivism, according to a study by the Sex Offense Litigation and Policy Resource Center.
A SafeHome.org study found that the number of registered sex offenders in the U.S. rose to more than 795,000 as of August 2024, an increase of about 8,000 from 2023.
Frequently updated information about sex offenders in Minnesota can be found online here.
| Offender | Crime | Crime description |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Dean Derby | Use of minors in sexual performance prohibited | Richard Derby engaged in sexual conduct against a known female child. Conduct included generating child sexual exploitation materials. Derby accessed the victim through his relationship of trust. He used coercion and manipulation to maintain control. |
| Michael Warren Smith | Criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, criminal sexual conduct in the second degree | Michael Smith engaged in sexual contact against a known male child. Contact included penetration. Smith accessed the victim while being assigned to provide unmonitored care for him. He used his position of authority to maintain control. |
| Thomas Edward Strong | Criminal sexual conduct in the fifth degree | Thomas Strong has engaged in sexual contact against known male and female children. Contact included penetration. Strong used his established relationships of trust to attain and exploit unmonitored contact. He used manipulation and coercion in an effort to maintain control. |
| Gerald Joseph Browneagle | Criminal sexual conduct in the first degree | Gerald Browneagle has a history of sexual contact with a known female child, an unknown female teenager, and an unknown female adult. Contact has included sexual touching and penetration. Force and a weapon have been used to gain compliance. |
| Dean Melvin Johnson | Possession of pornographic work involving minors | Dean Johnson possessed child sexual exploitation materials. He was not known to the victims. |
Information in this story was obtained from the Minnesota Public Registrant Search. The source data can be found here.
