UPDATED: Sex Offender Will Move to Golden Valley Halfway House

The Minnesota Department of Human Services has decided to place a predatory sex offender in a halfway house in Golden Valley when he is released from a treatment facility.

Clarence Joseph Opheim, 64, will be released March 12, according to the Minnesota Department of Correction's Level 3 Predator Registry.

He will reside in the "northwest quadrant" of highways 55 (Olson Memorial Highway) and 100.

He "has a history of sexual contact with minor victims (both male and female, ages 8-17)," according to the DOC.

Currently, Opheim is a client of the Minnesota Department of Human Services' sex-offender program and is not a client of the DOC, according to John Schadl, DOC spokesman.

(For more information about his crimes, see the PDFs attached to this article.)

The Golden Valley Police Department (GVPD) and the DOC will host a meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, March 5, "to raise the public’s awareness and provide sound information regarding predatory offenders," according to a news release from the city.

The meeting will be held at the auditorium at the

"This public safety meeting will be re-broadcast on community television and streamed on the city’s website within a few days of the meeting," according to the news release.

Opheim will be released from the state's civil commitment program. "In the program's 19 years, one other man was freed with conditions in 2000, but was taken back into custody on a violation," according to the Star Tribune.

Opheim's pending release prompted Gov. Mark Dayton to change a state law regarding notification of sex offender releases.

"Current state law requires community notification when a sex offender moves into a community, but not if that person moves into a halfway house," according to the Associated Press. "The bill widens the notification requirement to cover any 'residence facility.'"

According to the Star Tribune, Opheim will be in custody again if he violates "any of 32 conditions."

City officials cannot keep sex offenders from moving into Golden Valley, according to the city's news release. "Clarence Opheim is not wanted by the GVPD and has served his imposed sentence for his offenses."

For more information, contact the GVPD at 763-593-8071.

For safety tips for parents and children, see the attached PDFs.

Editor's Note: The agency that is placing Opheim in Golden Valley was incorrect in an earlier version of this story. He is a client of the sex-offender program, which is administered by the Department of Human Services.