Convicted sex offender has moved to Carver County

A sex offender with a history of assaulting boys and girls has moved to Hamburg, and a community public-disclosure meeting has been scheduled.

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: October 15, 2008 - 4:56 PM

A convicted sex offender with a history of assaulting boys and girls has moved to Hamburg in Carver County, and a community public-disclosure meeting has been scheduled.

Gerald E. Keast, 38, recently moved to a home on Park Avenue in the town of slightly more than 550 in the southwest corner of the county, the Sheriff's Office said this morning. Keast previously lived in the Lyndale neighborhood of south Minneapolis.

His criminal history includes a convictions in St. Louis County for third-degree criminal sexual conduct in 1994. In 2006, he was convicted for failing to register as a predatory sex offender.

Keast is a Level III registered sex offender, requiring community notification. The Sheriff's Office and the state Department of Corrections have scheduled the public meeting for Oct. 29 at Hamburg Community Hall, 351 Henrietta Av. Questions during the meeting, set for 7-8:30 p.m., are welcome. Anyone with questions may can contact Sheriff's Lt. James Olson at 952-361-1205.

Authorities say that Keast's victims have been both boys and girls, ranging in age from 4 to 15, adding that "these are intrafamilial [offenses] in nature."

Level III offenders are considered the most likely of all risk groups to reoffend. According to the sheriff's office, Keast is one of the first Level III offenders to come to the area.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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