MOOSE LAKE, Minn. – A client of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program sprays a staff member with a fire extinguisher during a Thursday incident at the Moose Lake facility, court documents show.
A man committed to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) in Moose Lake is accused of spraying a staff member with a fire extinguisher during an incident at the facility last Thursday. Joseph Jose Thompson, 42, is charged with fourth-degree assault on a ‘secure treatment facility’ employee, according to court records. Thompson has been at MSOP since 2007, when he was civilly committed “as a sexually psychopathic personality.”
Staff at the Moose Lake facility said that Thursday’s incident began when a different client began damaging items. Thompson reportedly continued to approach the area of the incident, despite staff telling him to stay away. At one point, staff witnessed Thomspon as he “collected a fire extinguisher from a cabinet on the wall.”
The criminal complaint alleged that Thompson continued to refuse commands, and one staff member deployed a “chemical irritant” in an attempt to subdue him. Another staff member then attempted to restrain Thomspon, but was sprayed in the face with the fire extinguisher. Other staff ultimately had to assist in restraining Thompson.
The victim was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with a “corneal abrasion” in his left eye.
People committed to the MSOP serve open-ended sentences, and in its 30-year history, MSOP has only ‘fully’ discharged 31 individuals. This means that the potential two-year sentence for allegedly assaulting a staff member may mean little when compared to the open-ended civil commitment Thompson is currently serving. The MSOP is run by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
The Twin Ports Report 