Redwood Falls man found guilty of not registering as a predatory offender

A Redwood Falls man, Russell George Guy O’Brien, 25, of  Redwood Falls, was found guilty in Redwood County District Court last week of one count of Failure to Register as a Predatory Offender.   

According to the criminal complaint, evidence, and testimony at trial, O’Brien is required to register as a predatory offender. On September 15,  2020, at about 9:30 p.m., officers conducted a compliance check at the residence O’Brien told authorities was his primary address. When officers  arrived at the reported primary address within the City of Redwood Falls, the homeowner  informed officers O’Brien did not currently reside at the residence and had not been living there  since Sept. 6, 2020. The homeowner also stated he had not seen O’Brien since Sept. 6, and did not know where he was currently residing.  

Jenna Peterson, Redwood County Attorney, who prosecuted the case, told the jury in her  closing argument, “You simply cannot take off for days, weeks, or months at a time and hide  under the guise of living at your primary address by leaving items there or keeping it as your  mailing address. You are required to actually live there. That is the purpose of the duty to  register so that at any given time law enforcement officials know where you are.”  

The jury deliberated for approximately a half hour on February 2nd, 2023, before delivering the guilty verdict around 11:30 a.m. O’Brien will be sentenced on March 20th, at the Redwood County Courthouse.