Sex offender to be released in Whitehall


Brian Roach

 

A convicted sex offender will be released in Whitehall next week.

Former Osseo resident Brian F. Roach, 54, was convicted in 2019 of causing mental harm to a child and exposing his genitals/pubic area/intimate parts. After pleading no contest to both charges, he was sentenced to serve three and a half years in prison with five years of extended supervision. Whitehall Chief Paul Laursen said Roach will be released in Whitehall on Sept. 6.

According to a press release sent by the Whitehall Police Department, Roach will remain under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. He has rules that include electronic monitoring, no contact with victims, no unsupervised contact with minors, not to be at any parks, schools or playgrounds.  He will register as a sex offender with law enforcement officials as required by law.

The release describes Roach as being five-feet, 11-inches tall, 152 pounds with hazel eyes and brown and gray hair. He has a chain link tattoo on his upper right arm. 

The release nots that Roach is not currently wanted by the police and that harassment of offenders “will not be tolerated.”

“Please remember that sex offenders have always lived in our communities, but it wasn’t until the passage of Act 440, the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Law (which mandates sex offender registration) that law enforcement even knew where they were living,” the release reads. “Changes in the law now allow the public to access information over the internet on registered sex offenders.  Citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders will not be tolerated.  Further, such abuse could potentially end law enforcement’s ability to do community notifications.  This department believes that the only person who wins if community notification ends is the sex offender, since sex offenders derive their power through secrecy.”

The release also state that Roach’s previous criminal history places him in a classification level which reflects the potential to re-offend. 

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