Rochester Police Capture Escaped Sex Offender After Foot Chase

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A sex offender who escaped custody in Rochester is now behind bars.

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A criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court on Tuesday alleges the man disconnected his ankle monitor.

He was residing at the housing facility on Damascus Way, which is part of the Olmsted County campus in southeast Rochester. Rochester police responded to a fugitive call at the government campus shortly before 1:30 Monday afternoon.

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Rochester Police Capture Escaped Sex Offender After Foot Chase Along Hwy. 14

The responding officer learned 43-year-old Kurt Lloyd Jennings, who is committed to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program as a Sexually Dangerous Person, had left the facility about an hour prior to police arrival without his ankle monitor, the court filing says.

Jennings. Olmsted County ADC

Police deployed a K9 and began searching the area of Jennings’s last known location when they were alerted of a male prowling cars in the area of 50th Ave. and Collegeview Rd. Southeast, the charges say.

An officer then spotted a male walking along Hwy. 14 that matched Jennings’s description. Jennings took off running after being told he was under arrest, the complaint says.

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The officer chased him down and captured him. During an interview with law enforcement, Jennings admitted to cutting off his ankle bracelet and leaving the facility, according to the court document.

Jennings Complaint. Olmsted County Court

He said he had viewed pornography and was fearful of being readmitted to the Minnesota State Sex Offender Program. Jennings also said he had stolen a pair of handcuffs from a vehicle, the complaint says.

The Rochester man is charged with a felony count of escaping from custody, misdemeanor fleeing and a misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property. He is being held on $100,000 bail without conditions.

Jennings entered not guilty pleas to the charges on Tuesday. His next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

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