Parents concerned with Crow's Nest group home in Maple Lake
MAPLE LAKE TOWNSHIP, Minn. (KMSP) - Some Wright County parents say their children can no longer play outside alone, and they blame a nearby group home that opened in July 2014. On Tuesday night, the parents raised their concerns at a Maple Lake Township meeting.
The parents, who live in a small neighborhood with many young children, report seeing residents of the group home walking in the middle of the road or acting odd.
“We’ve limited what our children do. They’re no longer allowed to play outside without adult supervision,” said Liz Lind, a concerned parent. Lind told Fox 9 one of the residents once stood at her child’s school bus stop.
Ryan Long, another worried parent, said he has difficulty getting a babysitter because teens’ parents will not allow them to babysit on that street, directly across a county road and in eye sight of the group home.
According to parents, the group home, called Crow’s Nest, houses a few vulnerable adults — including two level 3 sex offenders.
A Fox 9 review found a few DHS investigations and about a dozen police reports since the home opened in 2014 -- two of which resulted in charges for assault, including a resident pacing in the road following the assault. Other reports include a resident climbing a tree, a runaway, a resident hiding knives, and disorderly conduct. Some of the reports note a resident getting taken to the hospital for evaluation.
The Wright County Sheriff said the home is in compliance, and addressed concerns at a town hall meeting.
“Our Wright County Human Services went out for an inspection since the neighborhood started contacting us, and the home’s in compliance. We have no issues out at that home right now, Joe Hagerty, the Wright County Sheriff, told Fox 9. “I want to make sure nobody’s getting harmed down there, whether it’s in that house or out in the neighborhood. So we’ll be diligent in our patrols there.”
The concerned parents say they support an ordinance limiting where a level 3 sex offender can live, and support the home moving. The owner of the group home did not return a call asking for comment.