st. PETER, Minnesota (KEYC) – A mental health patient at the St. Peters Regional Treatment Center went missing in Mankato on August 25.

Mankato Public Safety said 31-year-old Jesse Nikolas Rowland went missing during a supervised group outing at the River Hills Mall.

He was found the next morning, but there are still questions about what happened.

In 2020, Rowland was found guilty of possessing child pornography.

More than 22,000 files suspected of child pornography were found on his device by police, according to a criminal complaint in the case.

As a result, Rowland is now a court-bound patient at a treatment center.

When he went missing at the mall last month, Mankato police called for the help of the public to find him, with warnings that he was “psychotic and dangerous.”

KEYC News Now reached out to the Minnesota Department of Human Services to ask why a dangerous sex offender was allowed to visit a shopping center.

In a statement sent to KEYC, DHS said, “Patients may have supervised outings based on the level of freedom gained. , and behavioral stability…the staff-to-patient ratio for outings is determined by the patient’s care team.”

The statement continued, “Supervised community outings are an integral part of ongoing treatment as they gradually prepare patients for safe and successful reintegration into community life.” increase.

The treatment center is investigating what happened.

“Once the patient is safely returned, we will conduct a thorough internal review of the incident and make appropriate changes to the patient’s treatment plan, policies, procedures, or staff training if necessary,” said the executive director of forensic medicine. said Dr. Soniya Hirachan, Service of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

DHS says all outings are carefully planned with public safety as a top priority.

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