St. Peter, Minnesota — Tuesday, shocking new details emerged following the escape of a sex offender from a St. Peter treatment facility.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) confirms that an offender has escaped from the grounds’ less secure area for the second time this month.
According to DHS, Beau-Jacob Zimmer and Steven Edwards are part of the Community Preparation Services (CPS) program, which is designed to prepare clients for reintegration into society. According to DHS, Zimmer’s escape on May 9 is the first attempt to leave CPS since it began in 2008.
DHS defines CPS as a space for people in the final stages of treatment who have progressed enough to continue outside of the secure setting. They are all still wearing an active GPS ankle bracelet.
Zimmer was apprehended a few hours after his escape, and Edwards was discovered at his mother’s house in Missouri on Sunday, after leaving the grounds on May 16.
Residents in St. Peter say they only learned about the escapes through social media.
“It’s just that it could and should have been handled better,” said Mark Hall, a local artist who lives nearby.
Court documents show that both men cut off their ankle bracelets, with Edwards putting his on a dummy he kept in his bed. His roommate advised staff to check on Edwards because he was lying in his bed and had not moved for some time.
Police tracked him down to Webb City, Missouri, after documents revealed he stayed at a hotel and purchased a vehicle in Minnesota.
“They gave us the location where the family lives, and we went out there, and as we were getting ready to make contact, we found the subject,” said Webb City Police Chief Don Melton. “We had set up a perimeter and called in another jurisdiction to help us with manpower.”
According to Chief Melton, Edwards was arrested without incident and is currently being held in the county jail.
“That’s a dangerous individual who probably doesn’t want to go back, so, yes, we did prepare for the worst that day,” Mr. Melton said.
The DHS says an internal investigation is now underway into the incidents, including whether any safety procedures need to be changed.
“When something like this happens, then everybody thinks, oh, maybe we should take a look at it and then the hubbub goes away and everybody forgets about it and nothing was done,” according to Hall.