By Dan Nienaber
The Free Press
MINNESOTA LAKE — A public meeting has been set next week for a Level III predatory offender who will be moving to Minnesota Lake when he is released from prison.
The meeting is for Jela Deshaun Jones, 38, formerly of Le Sueur, who has a history of sexually abusing females between the ages of 12 and 17. He is now scheduled to be released in August, according to Department of Corrections records.
Police Chief Tom Elmer said the meeting at 6 p.m. July 9 at the city’s Lembke Building will be the first he has set up. He will be provided assistance from the Department of Corrections and the Faribault County Sheriff’s Department.
Jones was 23 when he was arrested in Le Sueur in 2000 for sexually molesting two girls, one 17 and the other 15. The 17-year-old girl reported she was sleeping when Jones sexually touched her below the waist and under her clothing. The younger girl reported she had been having sex with Jones during a five-month period in 2000.
When Jones’ case was taken to trial, prosecutors were allowed to question Jones about previous sexual relationships he had with girls under the age of 16, according to court records.
This is not the first time Jones has been released from prison while serving his sentence for the Le Sueur County conviction. In August 2010 he moved to Mankato, but he was considered a Level II offender at the time. His release and place of residence prompted the Mankato of Department of Public Safety to send notification to Bethany College.
Jones started serving his sentence in May 2001 and was last returned to prison in October 2014. His sentence expires in September. He will remain under state supervision because of his Level III predatory status.