A sex offender convicted in Kandiyohi County will remain in prison after violating his probation 10 times over six years.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by Keon La Shawn Thomas, 35, of Rochester , Minnesota, in which he argued that the District Court in Kandiyohi County had abused its discretion when it executed his 36-month prison sentence.
Thomas was convicted in 2015 on a charge of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree for sexual assault against a female minor several times between 2008 and 2010. He was sentenced to a stay of adjudication, 30 days in jail, a fine and 15 years of probation.
The District Court executed his 36-month prison sentence in January 2021 after finding that the defendant had shown “total disregard over the last six years” for his original sentencing order.
The probation violations included failing to complete sex offender treatment five times over six years, using the internet inappropriately, continuing unsupervised contact with minors, leaving the state without permission, and continuing to contact the victim of an assault for which he was convicted in Iowa. He was charged with throwing the female victim across a room in front of a minor child.
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In sending Thomas to prison, the Kandiyohi County District Court found that he remains a risk to public safety. The court also concluded that the corrections system “will be a better place to provide treatment and long-term monitoring” for the defendant.
“The record amply supports both conclusions,” stated the Court of Appeals in affirming the District Court’s decision.
