Level Three Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Robbery, Returns to Armatage

A Level Three Sex offender residing in Southwest Minneapolis was released from jail last week after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery stemming from an incident last October.

Lamont Maceo Williams will live on the 5500 block of Penn Avenue South until he is sentenced on June 28.

Offenders who are judged not to be a threat to the community by the court can be released before sentencing to get their affairs in order. Williams was conditionally released by Hennepin County Judge Robert Small after pleading guilty. As condition of his release last Wednesday afternoon, Williams must avoid all contact with his victims, avoid alcohol and drugs and maintain a curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to court documents.

The charge of aggravated robbery carries a penalty of up to 20 years in jail and a $35,000 fine. The October robbery occurred at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, according to police. Williams' co-defendant in the robbery charge pled guilty to a 60-month sentence.

Williams is a level three sex offender with a that include sexual assaults of adult women. Williams was the focus of a packed community meeting last month to address concerns about the offender's move to the Armatage neighborhood of Southwest. At the time, officials told the crowd at Armatage Recreation Center that it was likely Williams wouldn't move to the neighborhood because he wouldn't be able to make bail for another robbery charge, which was set at $100,000.

Betsy Hodges, Minneapolis Ward 13 council member, informed Armatage residents of Williams' release in an email Monday afternoon.

"The police department is working with his conditional release probation officer to assess the situation from here on out," Hodges wrote. "Truthfully, however, there is little the department can do to keep him in custody. And, as we discussed at the meeting, there is little we can legally do to guide his choice of residence." 

Minneapolis police also distributed 900 copies of an updated fact sheet on Williams in the community (see PDF).

"There's a lot of angst in the community, there are a lot of people who are very upset and worried about the consequences of his living there and we still don't know what happens when he goes back to court," said Jon Hinchcliff of the Minneapolis Police Department.

The Minneapolis Police Department and Sex Crimes Unit urge neighbors to monitor Williams behavior (although any harrassment of him is a crime). The Sex Crimes Tip Number is 673-2817.