Sex offender released into Town of Oak Grove

A sex offender with the potential to re-offend is being released to a Town of Oak Grove residence this Wednesday.

Braden R. Conrad, 31, who has served his prison sentence, will live at 2241 29th Ave., stated a bulletin issued by the Barron County Sheriff's Department.

Conrad was convicted in 2007 of burglary and criminal sexual conduct in two Minnesota cases. Braden's criminal history places him in a classification level that reflects the potential to re-offend, the bulletin stated.

According to a Sept. 21, 2007Duluth News Tribune article, Conrad, then 21 and of Rice Lake, was convicted by a jury in St. Louis County court of raping a 19-year old woman in her Duluth apartment a year earlier.

He was accused of climbing onto the roof and into a window of an apartment building in the early morning.

"I went to sleep, and I woke up to a man's hand on my throat in a dark room," the victim told authorities. "He said, 'take your pants off, or I'm going to choke you.'" Conrad and the victim had been at the same Superior nightclub earlier in the evening, but didn't know each other, the article stated.

"As a community, this [bulletin] provides us with an opportunity to work together by sharing information to enhance the public safety by increasing community awareness regarding this offender and offering positive crime prevention suggestions," the bulletin stated.

Conditions of Conrad's supervision by the state's Department of Corrections are that he have no unsupervised contact with individuals under age 18 and not engage in any relationships without prior supervisory agent approval.

He must not use or possess alcohol, controlled substances or drug paraphernalia and not go on premises where alcohol is sold.

"Citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass registered offenders will not be tolerated and will be considered a criminal offense," stated the bulletin.

Contact information was listed as Barron County Communications Center 715-537-3106; probation supervisor Stephanie Schmidt 715-931-8010; and probation agent Marcia Borgen 715-234-6925.