Sex offender attending college in Cloquet

• James Redd

James Redd

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Just under a dozen people attended a predatory offender notification meeting at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Monday, most of them law enforcement or FDLTCC representatives, according to Cloquet Deputy Police Chief Terry Hill.

The meeting was held to notify members of the public that James Demetrius Redd, a Level 3 predatory offender living in Duluth, is attending the college. Level 3 predatory offenders are considered the most likely to offend again because the offender did not respond to or undergo treatment programs while in prison.

“This meeting was different because he doesn’t live in our community; he attends college here,” Hill said when asked about the low attendance at the meeting. “I think it was very informative for the college officials.”

Redd, age 39 and the former owner of the Hip Hop Candy Shop, has a history of photographing and having sexual contact with girls 14 to 15 years old, according to police.

Redd pleaded guilty in November 2007 to sexually assaulting two teenage girls. He provided drugs and alcohol to the victims and took advantage of their vulnerable state, police said. He entered the sexual assault guilty pleas while serving a 39-month prison sentence after being convicted of selling cocaine while operating the candy shop in Duluth’s Central Hillside.

The sex assault charges were brought after the Duluth Police Family Crimes Unit and other agencies investigated reports that he was transporting “at-risk” juvenile females from the Duluth area to his residence in Minneapolis.

Redd has served his sentence and is not wanted by police. The purpose of the notification is to enhance public safety and protection.

The Duluth News Tribune contributed to this report.