Level III sex offender released three blocks from campus
Police urge students to stay aware of their surroundings

-- Carin Mangimeli

At a recent meeting held exclusively for students and faculty at Metropolitan State University, the St. Paul Police Department notified personnel that a level-three sex offender would soon be living within three blocks of the school.

Oliver Lenell Dority was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree By Coercion in 1994 and was released into Intensive Supervised Release (ISR) on July 11 under the supervision of Ramsey County Community Correctional ISR Agent David Murray.

Dority will remain in a halfway house under GPS tracking for another month, before he will move to a home in the 300 block of Eichenwald. Due to prior community retribution issues with released offenders, Dority’s exact address was not released.

Officers Shannon M. Harrington and Jim Halverson, the only two officers on the St. Paul Police Department Family and Sexual Violence Unit responsible for the supervision of St. Paul’s 1100 registered sex offenders, held a meeting at Metropolitan State University on Sept. 14 to discuss Dority’s past and his pending release. They also addressed a community-wide meeting held at Dayton’s Bluff Recreational Center, Sept. 27.

According to officers, a level-three sex offender is an offender with the highest risk of recidivism, level-two offenders are a moderate risk and level-one offenders are low risk. Currently, there are over 17,000 registered sex offenders in Minnesota, with another approximate 3,500 offenders not required to register (their release was prior to the enactment of the registration legislation).

Although all law enforcement agencies and any victims of the crime are notified when any sex offender is released, the community as a whole is not notified of a sexual offenders release unless the offender is a level-three. However, schools, daycares and any other organizations that primarily serve those that may be victimized by the offender are notified of both level-two and level-three offenders’ release.

Offenders are required to register for a period of 10 years, and after three years of good behavior, may apply to be downgraded to a less serious level. However, should the offender fail to meet any of his conditional release requirements, including the requirement to continue to register their current address with law enforcement agencies, the offender will be sent back to prison and the registration status will be extended. For more on Sex Offender Community Notification laws in St. Paul, please visit www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/depts/police/sexoff.

Officers Harrington and Halverson stated “Dority has a history of criminal activity, including convictions for domestic assault, assault robbery and criminal sexual conduct in the First Degree.”

The victim in the 1994 case, explained the officers, a young woman in her 20-30’s, unknown to Dority before the assault, met him at a bar, offered him a ride home and was forced to a remote location and raped. Dority did not use any weapons in either of his sexual assaults.

Dority’s other victim, also a stranger in her 20-30’s, met him in a store. She returned to her unlocked car after her purchase, where she was forced inside and raped.

Dority’s release conditions include: successful completion of a sexual offender program; avoidance of alcoholic establishments; successful completion of a chemical dependency program; no ownership of a motor vehicle and no access to computers. Dority is not allowed to attend any college classes, functions or events with the express permission of his parole agent. However, if students do see Dority on campus, they are advised to contact the Safety and Security office immediately at 651-793-1725.

Officers Harrington and Halverson advised faculty and students alike that the best way to protect yourself is to remain aware of your surroundings at all times. “Our main purpose is to tell people to wake up and look around, check before you get in cars…” said Harrington. “Be educated, not frightened, but keep your eyes open…[if something seems off] don’t be afraid to say something, its better to be safe than sorry.” Metropolitan State University’s Safety and Security Director Thomas Maida advised that the security officers have been apprised of the situation and are always available to escort students and/or faculty up to 3 blocks to their homes or automobiles between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Escorts may be obtained by calling the Safety and Security Office.

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