Number of sex offenders living in Maplewood remains at 4 in April
As of April, four sex offenders were living in the city.
The Registry shows one of these sex offenders is a sexual predator.
In Minnesota, people convicted of sex-related crimes are required to register as predatory offenders. The registration period usually lasts 10 years from sentencing, release, or the end of supervision, but in serious cases, such as repeat offenses or first-degree criminal sexual conduct, it can extend to lifetime registration.
Minnesota spends over $100 million annually on its Sex Offense Civil Commitment (SOCC) program, designed to prevent sex offender recidivism, according to a study by the Sex Offense Litigation and Policy Resource Center.
As of August 2024, there were 18,877 registered sex offenders living in Minnesota. This translates to roughly 331 offenders per 100,000 residents.
Frequently updated information about sex offenders in Minnesota can be found online here.
| Offender | Crime | Crime description |
|---|---|---|
| Gilbert Vela | Criminal sexual conduct in the third degree | Gilbert Vela engaged in sexual contact against an unknown male teen. Contact included penetration. Force was used to gain control. Vela gained access to the victim by approaching him in a public place. |
| Gregory Lewis Smith | Criminal sexual conduct in the first degree | In 2002, Gregory Smith engaged in sexual contact against an unknown female teen. Contact included penetration. Smith accessed the victim by knocking on her door and forcing his way into her home. He used a weapon and threats of significant harm in an effort to maintain control. |
| Joseph Charles Zacher | Criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, criminal sexual conduct in the fourth degree | Joseph Zacher has a history (1999 and 2004) of sexual contact against an unknown female child and a known female teen. Contacts included penetration. Zacher accessed one victim by meeting at a social gathering, manipulating the victim to accompany him to an unmonitored and isolated area. He accessed the other victim by using an established relationship of trust to attain and exploit unmonitored access. Zacher used victim's confusion and naivete as well as attention and affection in his efforts to maintain contact. |
| Robert Nicholas Heinze | Predatory offense, non-mn statute, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree (2 counts) | Robert Heinze has a history of engaging in incidents of sexual contact against a known male child and a teen. Contact included penetration. Heinze used his established relationship of trust to gain and exploit unmonitored contact with the child victim. He used the internet in order to build trust and facilitate contact with the teenaged victim. |
Information in this article was obtained from the Minnesota Public Registrant Search. The source data can be found here.