MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Golden Valley residents will learn Monday about a Level 3 sex offender who is moving into their neighborhood.
And many are not happy about it.
Clarence Opheim admitted to committing over 100 criminal sex acts with children, many of which were from his northeast Minneapolis neighborhood.
He served his sentence, and he will soon be released from a state hospital in St. Peter to a halfway house in Golden Valley. Once in the halfway house, Opheim will be monitored with a GPS tracking device and other types of surveillance.
Police are holding an awareness meeting Monday to answer any questions the public many have. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Perpich Center for the Arts. The arts high school is located at 6125 Olson Memorial Highway.
The meeting will provide information regarding Opheim’s offenses, the conditions of his release, guidelines on predatory offender registration and general safety. A public fact sheet regarding predatory registration is available at the city’s website.
Golden Valley Police Chief Stacy Carlson said the purpose of the meeting is not to increase fear but to educate the public on matters regarding predatory offenders.
Carlson said that Opheim will be living near the intersection of Highway 55 and Zane Avenue.
Opheim has been deemed a Level 3 risk by the Minnesota Department of Corrections due to his potential to re-offend and his past behavior, Carlson said.
Golden Valley authorities expect the crowd to be big — so big that WCCO-TV’s cameras may not be allowed inside because residents will have first priority.
Golden Valley resident Dan Nordmarken said he people have been talking.
“We’ve been talking about this for a while, not a good feeling,” he said.
Nordmarken and his wife, Colleen, have lots of questions about the man who will soon be their new neighbor.
Bill Reker, another resident, said Opheim’s release makes him uncomfortable, although he understands that Opheim has done his time.
“I do suppose there is something to be said about redemption and everything,” Reker said.
