Level Three Sex Offender Unlikely to Reside in Armatage

Editor's note: Williams' first name is alternately spelled Lamont and Lemont on police and court documents.

Just under 100 residents packed the meeting room Monday at Armatage Recreation Center to hear about Lamont Maceo Williams, a level three sex offender with a that include sexual assaults of adult women.

A little more than a week ago, Williams notified police, as required by law, that he planned to move to the neighborhood. That registration triggered an effort by police and Minneapolis Council Member Betsy Hodges to get the word out about Monday’s informational meeting on Williams.

But Williams was only at the Armatage house for a few days before the FBI scooped him up as an informant in drug cases, a likely attempt by Williams to bargain against a recent charge of armed robbery committed last October on 34th Street and Chicago Avenue.

The danger, said Jon Hinchcliff of the Minneapolis Police Department, was that, as an informant, Williams would have received a deal allowing him to evade punishment for the robbery and, in turn, allow him to stay in Armatage.

But the FBI deal didn’t work out. "He was apparently of very little help to them, and they gave him back," Hinchcliff told the crowd.

Minneapolis Police Department Fifth Precinct Inspector Matt Clark said police can exert some sway over who is given deals by federal law enforcement.

“As a law enforcement agency, we work well with DEA, FBI and other agencies and you can influence some of their activities based on that cooperation,” Clark said. “This case is one where we made sure they understood that the community had a big issue with this.”

Instead of the deal, Williams went to jail under a $100,000 bail, ten percent of which he'd need to post in cash. His hearing on the robbery charge is March 30.

Williams’ co-defendant in the robbery charge pled to a 60-month sentence, which usually indicates Williams would get a similar sentence if he pleads or is found guilty, said Clark.

If Williams isn't convicted on the charge, he could again seek to return to Armatage. 

There are 120 level three sex offenders living in Minneapolis—that's the category designating those most likely to reoffend. None currently live in Southwest Minneapolis neighborhoods, although many are clustered in surrounding communities of Uptown, Phillips and Powderhorn, as well as North Minneapolis.

Armatage resident Andy Morgan he was surprised by the turnout. “It’s [motivated by] the overall concern about the neighborhood and keeping it safe,” he said of his reasons for showing up. Morgan noted the meeting's positive outcome.

“He’s obviously put himself back in jail," Morgan said of Williams, "which is better than having him in the neighborhood.”

People can stay updated on the case through the Hennepin County Court system or by signing up on the email list of  Armatage Crime Prevention Specialist Amy Lavender.