Alpha News has learned that a man convicted of a sex offense was briefly hired to work inside Minnesota’s Sex Offender Program in Moose Lake.
Now, the state is responding to questions from Alpha News about how a convicted sex offender was permitted to begin working at a facility designed for civilly committed offenders before his background check was finalized.
DHS: Offender employed for three weeks in December
The Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) in Moose Lake is a civil commitment facility for individuals who have served their prison sentences and are considered at high risk of reoffending. It is run by the Department of Human Services (DHS), not the Department of Corrections.
In a statement to Alpha News, DHS confirmed that Chad Nelson was employed at the MSOP from Dec. 4 to Dec. 23, 2024, and is no longer employed by the program.
DHS confirmed the brief employment in response to questions from Alpha News, following a tip that Nelson is a sex offender who was allowed into the secure perimeter of the facility before a background check was completed.
That background check, according to DHS, would have disqualified him from the position.
Policy allowed hires to begin before background checks
“DHS policy allows new employees to begin working before a background study is complete as long as they have submitted consent for the study and meet the required timeframe for fingerprinting,” DHS Health System CEO Marshall E. Smith explained. “In this case, all the required policies and procedures were followed, and the employee was directly supervised at all times during their brief employment.”
Still, the idea that someone with a sex-offense conviction could end up working inside MSOP—even briefly—is raising alarms. Since the incident, DHS has changed its policy to close the loophole that allowed this to happen in the first place.
“Direct Care and Treatment has implemented a new process that requires a full study to be completed before anyone may begin working in a position that requires a background check,” Smith said.
Facility staff alarmed after convicted offender allowed to begin work
“Staff were understandably upset when someone with a sex-offense conviction was allowed to start working at the MSOP before a criminal background study that would have disqualified them from employment was complete,” added Smith. “The safety and security of our staff, patients and clients is our top priority, and we’ve taken steps to ensure that situations like this don’t happen again.”
The controversy comes as Minnesota’s broader correctional system faces growing public scrutiny.
Alpha News recently reported on legislation authored by Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, to ban biological males from being housed in the state’s only women’s prison in Shakopee.
The bill follows whistleblower testimony and new documentation revealing that male inmates housed at both men’s and women’s prisons are receiving female-specific accommodations, including women’s undergarments, cosmetics, and, in one case, a “packing device.”
Franson has called the situation unsafe and unfair for both staff and female inmates.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
