Level 3 Sex Offender Moving To Maple Grove
Maple Grove residents concerned about a level three sex offender moving into their city came out in full force Tuesday night.
In 2010, Christopher Ferguson pulled out a gun on a woman he didn’t know, sexually assaulted her, and then stole her phone and iPad.
On May 6, the now-25-year-old man will move to a home near Annapolis and Berkshire Lanes North in Maple Grove.
As residents found out Tuesday night, a Hennepin County agent will carefully supervise Ferguson.
“They’re subject to random drug and alcohol testing, and the agent can stop by their workplace, their home, anytime,” said Sarah Hustad, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. “They don’t have to make an appointment beforehand, and the person needs to come to the door. They can look through their stuff, they can look through their computer, etc. They have to maintain a strict schedule.”
About 135 people made their way to Maple Grove Middle School Tuesday night for the informational meeting.
Residents raised concerns about how he got clearance to live in Maple Grove, what they should do if they encounter him and whether there’s any chance Ferguson will re-offend.
Law enforcement officials did their best to put residents’ minds at ease.
“Yes we have somebody who has gone to prison for a very serious offense, and we have to respect the offenders’ rights, and try to reintegrate them through this process that they have,” said Maple Grove Police Chief Eric Werner. “But at the same time, now we have a more aware neighborhood, that if you see something that you’re just not comfortable with, you make that call and we’ll come out and these folks know what’s going on.”
Maple Grove now has 38 registered sex offender, but Ferguson is the only level three offender.
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(The text below is from a previous version of this story).
Some people in Maple Grove are concerned about a level three sex offender who is about to move into the area. Police say he will be the first level three sex offender to register in the city in several years.
“He committed a sexual act of violence to a person that was not known to him,” explained Captain Adam Lindquist.
25-year-old Christopher Ferguson is serving a sentence for forcing a woman to have sex with him. He also robbed the victim. Ferguson has served his time and will be released May 6th. When he gets out, he’s moving to a home near Annapolis lane north and Berkshire lane north. Maple Grove police are letting people know that he’s moving into the neighborhood.
“This individual has done this, it’s bad, but they’ve also served their time. And to also let people know there’s a system in place that we monitor this individual, track their movements, and behavior, to hopefully prevent this from happening again,” said Lindquist.
Police are holding a community meeting, April 23rd at Maple Grove Middle School at 7 p.m.
