Rochester Predatory Offender Captured in California

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A high risk convicted sex offender from Rochester has been apprehended in California.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections says 38-year-old Michael James Costa was taken into custody over the weekend, a little over a week after he was named in a fugitive warrant. A news release says intelligence information led investigators to California, where Costa was captured near Van Nuys and was brought to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. At this point, it’s unclear when he will be brought back to Minnesota.

Costa, who is considered a Level 3 predatory offender was released from prison in July of last year into an intensive supervised release program in Olmsted County. The Department of Corrections issued a warrant for his arrest April 14th after he bolted from the supervision program while living in Rochester. He was last seen leaving his residence riding a mountain bike.

Costa’s criminal history includes two criminal sexual conduct convictions involving juvenile girls and the two convictions for failing to register as a predatory offender.

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