She never imagined her pursuit would lead to the creation of a list of more than 18,000 predatory offenders in Minnesota that could include children as young as 10 years old.
“It was never intended to have 10-year-olds on the sex offender registry,” said Wetterling, whose son Jacob was abducted and murdered in 1989 when he was 11. “It would be laughable if it wasn’t so devastating.”
Wetterling was one of more than two dozen members of a legislative working group assembled last year to examine the state’s Predatory Offender Registry for the first time in three decades. In February, the group recommended changes supported by a majority of members, including the removal of most children from the list.
