Law enforcement officials seek fugitive sex offender

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The Minnesota Department of Corrections is searching for a convicted sex offender who has disappeared from his supervised release program.

Roderick Hamilton was last seen in south Minneapolis shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve. Authorities have retrieved the GPS ankle bracelet they used to monitor Hamilton's location. The bracelet had been severed.

Hamilton, 43, is a six-foot-tall black man, weighing 180 pounds. He has a shaved head and brown eyes.

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The Department of Corrections asks anyone with information about Hamilton to call 911 or its tip line at 651-603-0026. Hamilton is a level-three sex offender and should be considered dangerous.

"This is the category that we assign to somebody who is most likely to re-offend," spokesman John Schadl said.

Hamilton had been living at a Minneapolis halfway house after being released from prison in November. He was convicted of attacking, robbing and sexually assaulting a stranger in 2003.

He was on what the Department of Corrections calls "intensive supervised release," requiring him to wear a monitoring bracelet, check in regularly, have a job and have a place to live. He is now in violation of those terms.

A fugitive retrieval unit has been searching for Hamilton since he disappeared Saturday night.

"They're very good at finding these people, but sometimes we just need the help of the public to get a lead and track them down," Schadl said.