Albertville, Minn. sex offender busted in sting gets 3-day jail sentence

Authorities say he was seeking young girls for a sexual encounter, but instead a 59-year-old Albertville, Minn. man got a police officer when he was caught in an online sting operation.

Donald Tisdale is now looking at three years probation for trying to solicit underage girls by using a Craigslist ad titled “Who’s Playing Hooky from School Today???”

Court records show Tisdale sent not only sexually explicit messages, but photos, to who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. However the person Tinsdale was communicating with over email and text message was in fact an undercover officer working with the St. Paul Police Department and the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

It is the sentence Tinsdale received that has people in his Albertville neighborhood on edge. But one legal expert Fox 9 spoke to says it is a sentence that isn’t that unusual for the crime that was committed.

“If you don't have any prior criminal background and you're into something like this, many times you'll be cut a break," said criminal defense attorney Joe Tamburino. "If there was actually a juvenile involved and any type of touching he would be in much more trouble."

That reasoning doesn’t have some residents sleeping any easier.

"I don't know what the correct amount of time would be, but three years isn't enough in my eyes, especially because he is right down the street,” said one Albertville resident resident.

Residents also expressed concern about Tinsdale only spending 3 days in jail after his arrest.

"I don't know what the fix is, fence off a state? I don't know, but it's just not right. There's a lot of kids in this neighborhood," said another Albertville resident.

Tisdale was ordered to receive treatment and permitted from using the Internet, he will also have to register as a sex offender. No one in his neighborhood received flyers or notices of Tisdale's residence in the community, the Department of Corrections tells me that's because he is considered a low level sex offender.