HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 10-01 Convicted child molester accused again in Maplewood PIONEER PRESS/2015 Convicted child molester accused again in Maplewood-TwinCities.com
Convicted child molester accused again in Maplewood
Updated 7m01/201511:32:55PMCDT TwinCities.com
A mother dropped her two daughters,ages 3 and 8,at the movies,astensibly to meet with a group from church.
She learned later,and reported to police,that one of the"chaperones"mdested her younger daughter as she sat on his lap.
He also happened to be a convicted sex offender.
Todd Triebold,53,is now charged with criminai sexual conduct in Ramsey County District Court.
He was previously convicted in 1994 in Pierce Counry,Wis.,for fondling a teenaqe baby sitter in his home.
According tothe new charges,investigators said,Triebold was a vdunteer for Mounds Park United Methodist Church in St.Paul and was a chaperone for the movie outing in December 2012 at the
Plaza Theater in Mapiewood.
After the mother filed a report,Triebold told pdice that the child sat on his lap during the movie,but"denied that he intentionally touched her"inappropriately,the complaint said.He also admitted that
he heard the child say,"Don't touch my crotch"but tdd investigatas"he thougM that comment was directed at her dder sister'the complaint said.
Triebold tdd inves6gators the church was aware of his past.
"He said that the pastor became aware of it,and they'discussed it,'"the complaint said.
But church officials say there was no church-sponsored movie outing in December 2012,Triebold was not a vdunteer,and when church officials discovered his past,they took immediate steps.
Pastor Dennis Alexander tdd the Pioneer Press on Thursday that Triebdd began to ariend the church sporadically in mid-2012 and became a member in September of that year.
"He participated in various church activitles,as mast members do,"Alexander said.
The church has policies in place for vdunteers,including background checks and a lwo-adult requirement for activities involving children,Alexander said.
Church leadership became aware of Triebdd's previous conviction Dec.26,2012,when a church member discovered his online sex-offender profile.The church"immediateiy prohibited him from
having contact with children,"Alexander said.
After discussions with a professional counselor on the matter,the church asked Triebold to sign a behavioral covenant,but he refused,Alexander said.Triebold was then banned from the church and
any of its outings.
Until this week,the church didn't know about the molestation allegations.
"The church has never been made aware of any allegations of sexual misconduct by Triebold on church grounds a at church outings;'Alexander said i n a statement."If any such allegations had
come to the church's attention,they would have been taken very seriously and addressed immediately"
He continued:"W e are deeply saddened to learn about the allegations in the complaint,and our hearts go out to those harmed in any way.Providing a safe environment for everyone at our church is
our highest priority."
Triebold spent five years in prison in Wisconsin and was reieased in February 1999.
W ithin a few years,he moved to M i nnesota,got married and had a child,public recads show.It wasn't long before he drew police attention.
In 2005,St.Paul police got a report that Triebdd had acted inappropriately with a girl and investigated him for possible sexual misconduct,according to police records.He was not arrested,and the
case did not result in charges.
In 2006,Triebdd was named as a burglary suspect in a St.Paul pdice report but was not charged with a crime.
In 2007 and twice in 2009,Triebdd was charged with vida6ng a resVaining order.One casewas dismissed,two resulted in misdemeanor convictions.
In April 2014,pdice and prosecutors began to irnestigate Triebdd fa possession of child pornography.Triebdd was found to have more than 1,000 images on his two computers arxl another 205 on a
disc,according to a criminal complaint.
That investigation disclosed that Triebold was not in compliance with his sex offenAer registry because hewas living at an address he had not reported to police.Inves6gators also discovered hewas
subletting rooms in the house to two women and their children,who said they were not aware Triebdd was a convicted sex offender.
By June 2014,Triebdd had fled the state.A statewide alert was issued,arxJ Triebdd's name and face appeared in news repats and on social media.He was found in October in northwest Montana
after someone saw information online arxl turned him in.
Triebold was convicted this year on the registration and chilt�porn charges.
He's serving a five-year prison sentence at the state prison in Rush City.
Elizabeth Mohr can be reached at 651-22&5162.Follow her at twitter.com/LizMohr.