Minnesota Town Learns About New Neighbor Released From Sex Offender Program

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Neighbors in a small Minnesota town learned more Tuesday night about a convicted sex offender who will soon live there.

Benjamin Gissendanner is just the fourth person to be provisionally released from the Minnesota Sex Offender Program. He'll soon live in Byron, about 90 minutes south of the Twin Cities.

A small church in Rock Dell Township had a large crowd inside Tuesday. Everyone was waiting for information about Gissendanner would fit into the community.

Residents learned Gissendanner will have someone with him at all times. He'll be subject to drug and alcohol testing, will have no access to the Internet and will wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.

"In your community, you would want your friends, family members to be safe," Mike Myers said. "With something like this, you have a little apprehension to knowing whether this is a good thing or a bad thing."

Rock Dell Township has three other offenders already living in an adult home there. In the eight years the facility's been there, officials say there have been no problems.

Nancy Johnston, executive director of the sex offender program, said she feels the community is open to giving Gissendanner the help he needs.

Johnston said she believed Byron was the best place for Gissendanner to continue his treatment without a huge concern for public safety.