Level 3 Sex Offender Will Not Move Closer To Bemidji Church, School

Michael Warren Smith. Courtesy Bemidji Police.

A level three sex offender will no longer be moving across the street from a Bemidji church and private school. According to the Bemidji Police Department, Michael Warren Smith, 31, will continue to live on the 600 block of 4th Street NW.

On Thursday, the department had sent out a public notice that Smith intended to live on the 600 block of Bemidji Ave. NW. The block is across the street from St. Philip’s Catholic Church and School. He would also be a block north of Library Park.

According to court documents, Smith pleaded guilty to 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2005. He was ordered to serve 12 years in prison but had received credit for time served.

Under Minnesota State Law, a review committee will decide if a level three offender will have residency restrictions once their sentence is complete. It is not clear if Smith had any restrictions imposed on him.

Smith is described as a Native American male, is five feet eleven inches tall, weighs 230 pounds, and has brown eyes and black hair.

The updated notice did not say why Smith did not move to the new address on Friday.