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Be cautious not fearful according to one criminal expert

The manhunt for a dangerous sex offender is happening right here in Lethbridge. Police confirming that Micheal Sean Stanley was in Lethbridge recently possibly visiting relatives on the westside. Lethbridge regional police say their have been unconfirmed sightings of Stanley in the area. Sheila French a professor in the justice program at the Lethbridge College says residents should be cautious,not be fearful.

I’m afraid when people become fearful and paranoid the law enforcement authorities are inundated with calls and notifications that this person has been seen and they can’t do their job because they end up weeding through a lot of paranoia,”says French.”I feel people need to be concerned and take a close look at Mr. Stanley’s picture and they feel if they recognize him to call law enforcement

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48-year-old Stanley is considered a high-risk offender with previous convictions for sexual offences. He was living in Edmonton and has been on the loose since October 1,2013. Lethbridge police say they have confirmed that Stanley was in the city on Friday, but they don’t know where he is now. French says most high risk offenders will re offend in the first 5 years after being released.”The risk to re offend is about 37 percent,” adds French. “Stanley was incarcerated at the federal level so he would have the most up to date assessment done. He would have had opportunity to benefit from some of the best treatment programs in my opinion in the world.”

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Authorities say Stanley’s crimes date back to the late 80’s and he tends to target the most vulnerable. Stanley spent 9 years in prison for the aggrevated sexual assault of an 82 year old Lethbridge woman confined to a wheel chair.

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