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Showing posts with label washington county watchdog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label washington county watchdog. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Hugo Man Violently Rapes Child, Only Gets 1 year in Jail and 2 years Probation.

According to official criminal complaint: in November of 2018 a 15 year old child reported she was sexually assaulted by a man she had just met at his house at 5030 165th Street North Hugo, MN 55038. The child identified the man as Jeret Joeseph Olson. The report states the man communicated several times with the child leading up to the rape. On the day in question he brought her to his house where he began grabbing the child's private parts. The child told Olson she was only 15 and did not want to be touched. His response was he forced himself on her telling her stating "It's not your choice" and exposed himself and said to her to "do your job" as he proceeded to sexual assault and rape the child. When police followed up to speak with Olson he admitted to being with the child and they had consensual intercourse. 



Washington county prosecutors charged Jeret Joeseph Olson with only third degree criminal sexual conduct. He was convicted and got 1 year in Jail and 2 years probation where most felons only do 2/3rds of their probation if they follow the terms. This happens over and over in Washington County where prosecutors appear to be capable of charging a child rapist with 1st or 2nd degree child rape, but only charge with 3rd degree. What's worse is Minnesota law has very weak sentences. Even if he was charged and convicted of first degree child rape he would have likely only got 2 or 3 years in jail.  According to a new public safety tool by the nationally active child advocacy group Protect.orgWashington County ranks last in the metro and 50th in the state for strength of prosecution of child exploitation according to the non-partisan site. See the detailed data, for over ten years, the safety tool shows about any of the 87 counties in MN at https://protect.org/safetytool/      

See some of the many cases in the last several years of those convicted of supposedly harsh 1st or 2nd degree rape from Washington County:


In Minnesota, law makers and prosecutors believe child rapists can be "rehabilitated," do not need to be monitored, and can become good members of society. The evidence is the fact only several hundred of the over 20,000 convicted rapists in Minnesota are confined in prison. Most only do a couple years and then are released without further monitoring. More information here:

If you hope to see any law change, continue to contact law makers.

It's clear that just because a child rapist is charged or convicted, doesn't mean justice will be served after sentencing if convicted. Therefore, if the punishment for ALL criminal sexual conduct crimes is raised than weak charges and convictions will be stronger. With the raised bar there won't be a thing as an outrageous plea deal to lesser rape charges or a weak sentence.

Tell legislators to also make the sex offender list public like nearly every other State in the Country does. All but MN, DC, and Maine have public lists. Maine only has 2,700 sex offenders in their state though. Compared to over 20,000 in MN. 


DATE: 7/15/2021 
DEFENDANT: Jeret Joseph Olson 
DOB: 5/25/1999 
CITY/RESIDENCE: 
5030 165th Street N 
Hugo, MN 55038
AGENCY: Washington County Sheriff's Office 
JUDGE: Francis Green, III 
CONVICTION: CSC 3rd Degree 
STATE REQUEST: 365 days in jail, 60 days to serve, two years of probation. 
SENTENCE: Two years of probation, 365 days jail with 2 days credited and 45 days to serve, remainder of time stayed (320 days); Fine with surcharge and fees payable within 6 months; Restitution is left open for the period of probation in the event the victim incurs any out-of-pocket therapy or medication costs; No use alcohol or drugs; Submit to random testing; Obtain chemical dependency evaluation and follow recommendations; Complete cognitive skills evaluation; Maintain a suitable residence approved by probation officer and make no changes to address without prior approval; comply with predatory offender registration requirements; obtain permission from probation officer before leaving the state; notify spouse, immediate family members, significant other, employers, and/or landlord of sexual offending history and criminal record if directed by probation officer or therapist; submit to random inspections of electronic devices and storage devices and allow monitoring software to be installed; no unsupervised contact with minors under the age of 18, other than defendant's own children, unless approved by the court, a probation officer, or a therapist trained in treating sex offenders; Enter and complete outpatient sex offender treatment and aftercare and follow treatment recommendations; submit to polygraph testing as required by treatment program and/or probation officer; enter individual treatment to address anxiety and depression; no contact with victim, her family, residence, or workplace; $200 fine. Follow all standard terms of probation including probation recommendations 1) Follow all state and federal criminal laws; 2) Contact probation officer as directed; 3) Tell probation officer within 72 hours after any contact with law enforcement; 4) Tell probation officer within 72 hours if charged with new crime; 5) Tell probation officer within 72 hours if change of address, employment, or telephone number; 6) Cooperate with the search of person, residence, vehicle, workplace, property, and things as directed by probation officer; 7) Sign releases of information as directed; 8) Give a DNA sample when directed; 9) Obtain cognitive skills evaluation; 10) Advise agent prior to changing employment and/or residence, maintain a suitable residence approved by probation officer and make no changes in residence without prior approval. Defendant’s responsibility to report any address changes to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension if you are required to register as a Predatory Offender; 11) Predatory Offender registry required, pursuant to 243.166, Defendant shall comply with Predatory Offender Registration; 12) Obtain permission from agent before leaving the State; 13) Conditions, other, notify spouse, immediate family members, significant other, employers, and/or landlord of sexual offending history and criminal record if directed to by probation officer or therapist; 14) Submit to random searches, electronic devices and/or storage devices may be subject to random inspections and searches. Monitoring software may be installed on any electronic and/or storage devices at own expense. Complete the Computer and Internet Device Disclosure Form as directed by probation officer; 15) No unsupervised contact with persons under age 18, no unsupervised contact with minors under age 18, excluding his own children, unless approved by the Court, or probation officer and a therapist trained in the treatment of sex offenders; 16) Psychological-Sexual Evaluation, Follow recommendations of the Psychosexual Evaluation including enter and complete the formal out-patient sex offender after care and follow treatment recommendations. Treatment programs should be approved by probation officer prior to enrollment; 17) Submit to Polygraph Examinations as directed, submit to polygraph testing as required by treatment program and/or probation officer; 18) Chemical dependency evaluation/treatment, obtain a chemical dependency evaluation and follow all recommendation including after care; 19) Complete treatment, enter into individual treatment to address anxiety and depression, at the direction of supervising agent and/or sex offender treatment provider; 20) No contact with victim(s), no contact with the Victim, V.S., her family, her residence, and/or her workplace; 21) Restitution served, restitution remain open while defendant is on probation for any out of pocket therapy and medication costs; 22) Contact with probation, defendant shall contact probation within 48 hours of receiving this order; 23) no alcohol/controlled substance use, abstain from the use of all non-prescribed mood altering chemicals, including alcohol; 24) Random testing, submit to random urinalyses, and breathalyzers, at own expense, unless deemed unnecessary by supervising agent.

*In no way do we wish harm to the convicted sex offenders outside the judgement of the law. Posting each criminal's public data anyone can get allows the public to decide from the evidence if they appreciate knowing such data. Such as what these sex offender's last known address is. No representation is made that the individuals listed here are currently on the state's offenders registry. All names presented here were gathered at a past date. Some persons listed might no longer be registered offenders and others might have been added. Some addresses or other data might no longer be current. Owners of Washington County Watchdog assume no responsibility (and expressly disclaim responsibility) for updating this site to keep information current or to ensure the accuracy or completeness of any posted information. All data was only accurate at the time of posting per Government sources provided. Accordingly, you should confirm the accuracy and completeness of all posted information before making any decision related to any data presented on this site. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. Message us if you can verify us of an address or change in data.  Washington County Watchdog is not responsible for the accuracy of the content shared, refer to our linked government sources.     

Friday, December 7, 2018

He Muffled Her Screams and Raped Oakdale Child, Only 90 Days in Jail and Probation for Man From Mahtomedi

Josh Buck
In January of 2018 parents reported to police 3 minors who were possible victims of child rape. In the criminal complaint, Joshua Allan Buck of 196 Hallam Avenue S in Mahtomedi was named as the accused child rapist. Without explaining the horrifying details of the rape, the complaint says Josh Buck was the boyfriend of one of the children's mother. Occasionally he would take the kids and their friends to outings like bowling. On the day in question the 3 child victims reported they were spending the day with him, they all went to his house in Mahtomedi and they played video games. Later in the day Buck gave the children who were 12, 13 and 15 years old alcohol, it says in the complaint. The 13 year old "passed out" on the bathroom floor and the 12 and 15 year old went to sleep in a bed. Josh Buck then was reported to have got into the bed with the two kids. The 12 year old was passed out. Buck then began to rape the 15 year old child. The child fought him, but she was overpowered and he covered the mouth of the child to prevent her from waking up the others for help. Eventually the other children woke up and they made him drive them home it says in the criminal complaint. 


Police arrested Josh Buck and questioned him about the reported rape and the reports from the children he would send them sexual text messages. They searched his house and found video recording equipment pointed at the bed where the rape was reported to have occurred. He told police what he knew the children were minors and that what he did was wrong. He admitted to covering the mouth of the victim. He also stated that he was attracted to young girls.

Washington county prosecutors charged Josh Buck with only third degree criminal sexual conduct, victim 13 to 15 years old for the apparent violent rape of the child. He was convicted less than a year later and got only 90 days in jail and 15 years probation where most felons only do 2/3rds of their probation if they follow the terms. This happens over and over in Wahington County where prosecutors appear to be capable of charging a child rapist with 1st or 2nd degree child rape, but only charge with 3rd degree. What's worse is Minnesota law has very weak sentences. Even if he was charged and convicted of first degree child rape he would have likely only got 2 or 3 years in jail.  According to a new public safety tool by the nationally active child advocacy group Protect.org, Washington County ranks last in the metro and 50th in the state for strength of prosecution of child exploitation according to the non-partisan site. See the detailed data, for over ten years, the safety tool shows about any of the 87 counties in MN at https://protect.org/safetytool/      

See some of the many cases in the last couple years of those convicted of supposedly harsh 1st or 2nd degree rape from Washington County:

To see dozens of examples in the last two years of insane plea deals from Washington County prosecutors and the weak MN sex offender law letting the public down see: http://wcwatchdog.com/local-sex-offender-articles/

In Minnesota, law makers and prosecutors believe child rapists can be "rehabilitated," do not need to be monitored, and can become good members of society. The evidence is the fact no bill has passed to make sex offender law more tough in the last two years. Also, Only several hundred of the over 20,000 convicted rapists in Minnesota are confined in prison. Most only do a couple years and then are released. More information here:

If you hope to see any law change, continue to contact law makers, especially Senator Warren Limmer who has refused to pass the sex offender bills in his key special committee in the Senate. 

It's clear that just because a child rapist is charged or convicted, doesn't mean justice will be served after sentencing if convicted. Therefore, if the punishment for ALL criminal sexual conduct crimes is raised than weak charges and convictions will be stronger. With the raised bar there won't be a thing as an outrageous plea deal to lesser rape charges or a weak sentence.

Tell legislators to also make the sex offender list public like nearly every other State in the Country does. All but MN, DC, and Maine have public lists. Maine only has 2,700 sex offenders in their state though. Compared to over 20,000 in MN. 

DATE: 1/22/2018
DEFENDANT: Joshua Allan Buck 
DOB: 11/5/1992
 CITY/RESIDENCE:
MN AGENCY: Washington County Sheriff's Office 
CHARGE: I: Criminal Sex Conduct-3rd Degree-Victim 13-15 Actor >24m older 
PROSECUTOR: Pete Orput
CONVICTION: 3rd Degree Criminal Sex Conduct 
SENTENCE: Stay of imposition; 15 years of probation; 90 days jail with 7 days credited; $250.00 fine 

*In no way do we wish harm to the convicted sex offenders outside the judgement of the law. Posting each criminal's public data anyone can get allows the public to decide from the evidence if they appreciate knowing such data. Such as what these sex offender's last known address is. 
No representation is made that the individuals listed here are currently on the state's offenders registry. All names presented here were gathered at a past date. Some persons listed might no longer be registered offenders and others might have been added. Some addresses or other data might no longer be current. Owners of Washington County Watchdog assume no responsibility (and expressly disclaim responsibility) for updating this site to keep information current or to ensure the accuracy or completeness of any posted information. All data was only accurate at the time of posting per Government sources provided. Accordingly, you should confirm the accuracy and completeness of all posted information before making any decision related to any data presented on this site. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. Message us if you can verify us of an address or change in data.  Washington County Watchdog is not responsible for the accuracy of the content shared, refer to our linked government sources.     

Friday, September 21, 2018

Meth, Child Rape and Prostitution Uncovered Next Door to Oakland Middle School. Charges Filed.

Washington County is plagued with case after case of child rape and grossly unjust sentences because of weak prosecutors and weak MN law (not the judge's fault). See:  http://wcwatchdog.com/local-sex-offender-articles/. We have documented dozens of cases in just two years of child rapists who live in Washington County and have victims within the County. Yet no bill has passed to make sex offender law more tough in the last two years. The only author of tougher sex offender bills currently is Representative Matt Grossell who isn't even from Washington County. The only legislators from Washington County who co-sign some of his sex offender bills are Representative Lohmer and Representative Runbeck. So
John McCallum
please contact your legislators, it's the only hope to grow support to pass the bills and slow these crimes. 

Within a stone's throw from Oakland Middle School in Lake Elmo an apparent methamphetamine user and accused pimp of at least one 15 year old child has been uncovered (it appears). You can stand on the school property and see the accused house. The home owner, 37 year old, John Robert McCallum was identified in a criminal complaint last week stemming from a fifteen year old victim who called 911 and reported being raped by McCallum and others. 

(If you'd like to stay informed on the latest sex offenders charged and convicted in Washington County please subscribe to get our free emails.)

The police officer who arrived on the scene found the victim in a bathroom having cut herself in a suicide attempt. After paramedics arrived and bandaged the wound she told authorities she was "raped multiple times" in the home. The victim said she told John McCallum she was only 15 and he responded that "age is nothing but a number."

McCallum evaded arrest for a couple days before being apprehended in a traffic stop attempting to leave the state. The criminal complaint states he would provide drugs to the victim and in exchange he and others would have sex with the victim. On the day of the 911 call the victim stated she had sex with McCallum and later in the day another man paid him to have sex with the victim. When she said she was not comfortable having sex with more than one person McCallum reportidly responded "this is how you get into prostitution."  The police found evidence in the home consistent with the victim's report including meth, a used condom, and cell phones according to the criminal complaint.

The Washington County Prosecutor is charging McCallum with 3rd degree rape, prostitution of a 13 to 15 year old, and sex trafficking of a minor. Despite the heavy charges the County is in the practice of giving huge plea deals to child predators to avoid trial. The rapists almost always do less than five years in jail and in extremely rare cases, the state's maximum of 10 years of probation and placement on the sex offender registry. To see dozens of examples in the last two years of insane plea deals from Washington County prosecutors see: http://wcwatchdog.com/local-sex-offender-articles/

In Minnesota, law makers and prosecutors believe child rapists can be "rehabilitated," do not need to be monitored, and can become good members of society. The evidence is the fact no bill has passed to make sex offender law more tough in the last two years. Also, Only several hundred of the over 20,000 convicted rapists in Minnesota are confined in prison. Most only do a couple years and then are released. More information here:

If you hope to see any law change, continue to contact law makers, especially Senator Warren Limmer who has refused to pass the sex offender bills in his key special committee in the Senate. 

It's clear that just because a child rapist is charged or convicted, doesn't mean justice will be served after sentencing if convicted. Therefore, if the punishment for ALL criminal sexual conduct crimes is raised than weak charges and convictions will be stronger. With the raised bar there won't be a thing as an outrageous plea deal to lesser rape charges or a weak sentence.

Tell legislators to also make the sex offender list public like nearly every other State in the County does. All but MN, DC, and Maine have public lists. Maine only has 2,700 sex offenders in their state though. Compared to over 20,000 in MN. 


MCCALLUM JOHN ROBERT 
DOB: 10/30/1980
48 Hour Hold: 1: 48 exp 9-20-18 at 0614 
Charges:
1.) Engages in Sex Trafficking of Individual-Under 18 years old 609.322.1(a)(4), with reference to: 609.322.1(a)
2.) Prostitution-Engage 13 to 15 Yr Old  609.324.1(b)(1), with reference to: 609.324.1(b)
3.) Criminal Sex Conduct-3rd Degree-Victim 13-15 Actor greater than 24m older 609.344.1(b), with reference to: 609.344.3

*In no way do we wish harm to the convicted sex offenders outside the judgement of the law. Posting each criminal's public data anyone can get allows the public to decide from the evidence if they appreciate knowing such data. Such as what these sex offender's last known address is. No representation is made that the individuals listed here are currently on the state's offenders registry. All names presented here were gathered at a past date. Some persons listed might no longer be registered offenders and others might have been added. Some addresses or other data might no longer be current. Owners of Washington County Watchdog assume no responsibility (and expressly disclaim responsibility) for updating this site to keep information current or to ensure the accuracy or completeness of any posted information. All data was only accurate at the time of posting per Government sources provided. Accordingly, you should confirm the accuracy and completeness of all posted information before making any decision related to any data presented on this site. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. Message us if you can verify us of an address or change in data.  Washington County Watchdog is not responsible for the accuracy of the content shared, refer to our linked government sources.      


Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Child Protection League and Readers Help WCW Release Public Data on Child Predators

For nearly four years the volunteers at Washington County Watchdog have been posting the public data on charged and convicted sex offenders in Washington County. All but a few (literally) are child predators. Most of whom do little to no prison time. Unfortunately the County charges $5 per booking photo. Thankfully, we have generous readers who have chipped in and contributed over the years. We just completed our third successful fund raising campaign and would like to share the news with you as well as thank the many donors. A large donation of $100 by the Mankato based Child Protection League (CPL) helped us quickly meet our goal. In appreciation, we have their website tagged on our side
bar.

100% of the money goes to to pay the Washington County fee for the $5 per booking photo. Donations are tracked on Gofundme.com so the public and donors know the sum of money being handled is the full sum being handed over. We subsequently release the proof of the 100% transfer of funds in articles like this as proof. We pride ourselves on being fiscally responsible by first trying to get photos of the child rapists faces from free sources, such as the 46 other states (not MN) that publicly list booking photos and crimes of their rapists. Out of state child predators flock to MN because they can live in the shadows here. 



In 2015 you gave $120 and it lasted an entire year. We made the 2016 total donation of $140 last two years. Again, thanks to the generous donations from readers and CPL we made our goal of $175. (see pictures below)  

Until Minnesota fixes it's horrifyingly weak sex offender laws, starting by publicly listing the 20,000+ released sex offenders in MN, we need to continue to raise awareness this way in hopes legislators will change our weak laws. 
Watchdog Review of Each of the Fifty States Sex Offender Laws Finds Minnesota Ranked the Most Unsafe 

Thank you for your continued support and understanding that this is extremely rare we ask for help.

Washington County Watchdog is not a PAC, political organization, or a business. We're all volunteer and don't make a penny with the site or activities. We don't endorse any candidates or political parties.

See wcwatchdog.com/local-sex-offender-articles/  for more of our work to keep you informed on dangerous child predators living in our community. Please contact our local legislators to get them to author and co-sponsor sex offender bills. Over the last few years only Representative Matt Grossell has authored bills to make sex offender laws truly better.


If you'd like to stay informed on the latest sex offenders charged and convicted in Washington County please subscribe to get our free emails.







Thursday, August 16, 2018

Homicidal Rapist in Forest Lake Found With Child Porn Who Self Recorded Rape Now Convicted, Only 4 years

This is another article about the combined issue of weak charges, weak sentencing, and it all revolves around weak MN sex offender law. Over two dozen examples just like this and worse in just two years and in Washington 


County alone. Check out 
http://wcwatchdog.com/local-sex-offender-articles/ and subscribe for free sex offender updates like this post.

Rapist, Alan Douglas Running, from Forest Lake, is finally behind bars... but only for
just over four years. With good behavior, even less time it appears. He will have the maximum of 10 years on the sex offender registration after release it looks like. The sentence alone is alarming. However, what's worse is how he remained free over 90% of the over a year it took to convict (this is common throughout the state). The only reason he spent 42 days in jail, as opposed to none, was because he had two conditional release violations and a total of three warrants out for his arrest during this period of time it appears. Yet time after time the judicial system and weak MN sex offender law let him back out. It appears it all started with the weak charges of only 3 degree criminal sexual conduct of a mentally impaired or helpless victim, stalking, and burglary. The final two charges were dropped to add insult to injury for the rape victim and rape victims across the state. The lawyer representing him was Kevin McHugh Morrison.


Read Criminal Complaint 1 and 2 on how an anonymous tip lead investigators to obtain a search warrant on Al Running in April of 2017 for his house and computers. Detectives were lead to a woman who had a restraining order on him for stalking her in 2015. He was convicted of violating that order in 2016. Police discovered videos Alan Running self recorded with hidden cameras he secretly placed inside her home. In one video he stated how he wanted to kill the woman for ruining his life. Another showed him sexually assaulting her when she was unconscious. He was arrested in June, two months after the discovery, and charged with only 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct, burglary, and stalking. Later, as investigators further searched the "over 100,000 files" of porn on his computer they found 2 files of child porn and confirmed the images were of real children with the center of missing and exploited children. They arrested him again and charged him with two counts of possessing child porn (innocent until proven guilty on those two counts).

If our weak laws and justice system can't detain a man who: video recorded himself raping a woman;
video recorded himself threatening to kill the victim;
broke into her home;
stalked her;
was found with child porn videos;
and violated condition of release twice...
not to mention his criminal past of multiple DWIs and violating restraining order... What rapist can our system serve justice to?


It's a fact MN has the weakest sex offender laws in the Country:

The sex offender list is NOT public in MN; but 47 states do share the data. There are nearly 20,000 registered sex offenders in MN and only about 700 are level 3 offenders that you occasionally hear about moving into the "general area" of a city.

Last year and this year not one sex offender bill passed. Half the bills to make stronger sex offender laws were held back in the house. Senator Warren Limmer called them "non starters" and refused to discuss them in conference committee. The rest were killed in the Senate by the lead of Senator Limmer and Julie Rosen in conference committee. Both refused to comment so far.

If you hope to see any law change continue to contact law makers, especially Warren Limmer. 

It's clear that just because a homicidal rapist is convicted and sentenced to just 4 years, doesn't mean justice has been served. Therefore, if the punishment for ALL criminal sexual conduct crimes is raised than weak charges and convictions will be stronger. 

Tell legislators to also make the sex offender list public like nearly every other State in the County does. All but MN, DC, and Maine have public lists. Maine only has 2,700 sex offenders in their state though. Compared to nearly 20,000 in MN. 

For the growing list of the last know location of convicted sex offenders in Washington County: 

DEFENDANT: Alan Douglas Running 
AKA: Al Running, Alan Douglas, alface47
DOB: 9/9/1947 
CITY/RESIDENCE:
MN AGENCY: Forest Lake Police Department 

DATE: 6/12/2017 
CHARGES:
I: Criminal Sex Conduct-3rd Degree-Victim Mental Impair/Helpless; 
II: Stalking - Pattern of Stalking Conduct; 
III: Burglary-2nd Degree-Dwelling 
Article in Forest Lake Times:
DATE: 7/3/2017 
CHARGES: 
I: Possess Pornographic Work-Computer Disk/Electronic/Magnetic/Optical Image w/Porn; 
II: Possess Pornographic Work-Computer Disk/Electronic/Magnetic/Optical Image w/Porn 

DATE: 7/25/2018
DEFENDANT: Alan Douglas Running
DOB: 9/9/1947
CITY/RESIDENCE: Forest Lake, MN
AGENCY: Forest Lake Police Department

JUDGE: Gary R. Schurrer
CONVICTION: Criminal Sex Conduct-3rd Degree
SENTENCE: Committed to the Commissioner of Corrections for 53 months; 42 days credited;

$50 fine with surcharge and fees;

Conviction History from BCA:
1/10/2000 Convicted Traffic - DUI - Alcohol or Controlled Substance - Definition - Gross Misdemeanor
1/10/2000 Convicted Traffic - DUI - Alcohol or Controlled Substance - Definition - Gross Misdemeanor
12/8/2009 Convicted Traffic - DWI - Operate Motor Vehicle - Alcohol Concentration 0.08 Within 2 Hours - Gross Misdemeanor
1/19/2011 Convicted Traffic-DL-Driving after cancellation-inimical to public safety - Gross Misdemeanor
7/11/2016 Convicted Harassment; Restraining Order - Violate Restraining Order - Misdemeanor
*In no way do we wish harm to the convicted sex offenders outside the judgement of the law. Posting each criminal's public data anyone can get allows the public to decide from the evidence if they appreciate knowing such data. Such as what these sex offender's last known address is. No representation is made that the individuals listed here are currently on the state's offenders registry. All names presented here were gathered at a past date. Some persons listed might no longer be registered offenders and others might have been added. Some addresses or other data might no longer be current. Owners of Washington County Watchdog assume no responsibility (and expressly disclaim responsibility) for updating this site to keep information current or to ensure the accuracy or completeness of any posted information. All data was only accurate at the time of posting per Government sources provided. Accordingly, you should confirm the accuracy and completeness of all posted information before making any decision related to any data presented on this site. The information on this web site is made available solely to protect the public. Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability. Message us if you can verify us of an address or change in data.  Washington County Watchdog is not responsible for the accuracy of the content shared, refer to our linked government sources.    

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

One Hundred Reasons in Six Miles, Mass Transit and The Scam on Developers

In Washington County the pro- transit propaganda is in full swing to lure in businesses along the proposed Gold Line from Woodbury to St. Paul:  

Yet the writing is on the wall for the nearly half billion dollar bus corridor after it had federal funding denied indefinitely, or at least as long as a republican is president. But it's not stopping politicians from telling developers whatever they want to hear. 

It's a well known fact that transit planners constantly over promise what a transit line will deliver. Some even admit the mistake  and call it a failed experiment. Whether a train or bus line, mass transit lines let us all down. Whether it's the people that are killed being hit by the trains and buses every year by speeding down busy streets (they're impossible to stop quickly); the thousands of crimes such as assaults and thefts at each of the lines every year; slow serviceunreliable service;  the billions of dollars they spend to provide no traffic congestion relief; or the millions in yearly operating costs that are nowhere near covered by the riders.

Perhaps the biggest undocumented destructive force of mass transit lines is the con sold to local businesses and developers close to the transit lines. Before the transit line is built the planners tell existing businesses the line will bring them streams of customers. For developers they say people will flood the area looking to live in high density housing and shop along the transit line. The trap is set and like a moth to a flame some businesses and high density housing complexes are built. The Met Council blindly says that over eight billion dollars has been spent along the transit lines in the metro. Taking credit for development that would have likely happened regardless of the transit line (like US bank stadium).  

However, do the transit lines really deliver the boom to the local economies? Or is it just a temporary illusion, a fragile house of cards built on bad promises? If you listen to the local media and the politicians you hear the billions that have been spent along the lines and see pictures of the ribbon cuttings at beautiful new buildings. But how are they doing years after they are built? There's been little follow up.

What better transit line to fact check the hype than that of the newest transit line in the heart of the metro, the Green Line. Completed in 2014, at a cost of a billion tax dollars, it runs 11 miles from St. Paul to Minneapolis and planners promised that the corridor would transform and improve the struggling area along University Avenue. Planners claim $4.2 billion in development happened because of the Green Line. Again, anyone can point to an impressive new 5 story apartment building and claim it's delivering on the promises; but what good are the apartments if they are empty? What good is a transit line if constructing it killed many of the existing businesses and seriously hurt the survivors when being built? (when customers couldn't reach them). How much shopping can a person do and carry it with them on the train or a bus?

To provide the most comprehensive answer possible we give you pictures of over a hundred closed down businesses, empty store store fronts, and struggling high density housing begging for renters. It's been four years since the Green Line opened so there's no claiming that it should be given time to prove itself. The pictures are screenshots off Google from 6 miles along university ave. Excluding the end of the line within the UofM because the area is stable before and after the Green Line came. Also excluded is the couple miles that wind behind the capital buildings and then over I-94 and into Union Depot. It'd be unfair to expect development on the capital grounds and on the mile from there to Union depot because of the high rise office buildings that are already occupied.

The over 100 images from a short 6 mile stretch of road is undeniable evidence. There's no claiming that big areas were overlooked in this tour with so many pictures. No one claims the area was a sought after area for development before the Green Line. Many images show the area was doing better before the green line. At least as good as a business can do in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Both are known for their oppressively high taxes and anti-business policies such as $15/hr minimum wage, removing parking ramps and on street parking in exchange for bike lanes.  Don't forget St. Paul's 24% tax increase. Combine that with the State's designation as the second worst State to live in for taxes and it's no wonder politicians and transit planners have to deceive development into building along transit lines like the Green Line.

Hopefully this article leads to further follow up with the developers along transit lines that have clearly been let down with the lies that they would lead them customers. With coverage of this, future bad investment along transit corridors can be prevented. Especially the Gold line that is likely not going to be built!



Click on first picture and scroll through if images of the proof of closure are difficulty to see.