Sex Offender Bruce Holmgren Arrested, Charged With Failing To Register As Sex Offender In Hyde Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The U.S. Marshal's Office have arrested Bruce Homgren, and Chicago Police have charged him with a felony for failing to register as a sex offender.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reported on Holmgren's case last week.
A church in Hyde Park hired a security guard to protect its members from Holmgren, an allegedly violent neighbor who turned out to be a sex offender – and lied about where he lived.
Oren Fraser and his congregation at Vineyard Church of Hyde Park, 5333 S. Greenwood Ave., said they have known Holmgren for a decade – and they weren't worried about him.
That was until Fraser was cleaning up some branches in front of the church about six weeks ago.
"So I was standing bent over here and I'm picking up, you know, the smaller pieces of branches and the large piece in my hand," Fraser said.
That is when Fraser said Holmgren started punching him in the back of the head and yelling nonsensical allegations.
"(Holmgren yelled), 'Why did you take pictures of me having sex with this girl and post it on the internet?'" Fraser said.
Fraser filed a police report and decided to Google Holmgren.
"All I do is I just type in, 'Bruce Holmgren Illinois' and a picture pops up," Fraser said.
Fraser was shocked to learn that Holmgren been charged and convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old in Minnesota, where he has an active warrant for failing to register in the past.
When Fraser pulled up his Illinois Sex Offender Registry, what was more concerning is that it shows Holmgren lives in California.
"He is not living in Minnesota and he's not living in California," Fraser said. "He's living in Chicago."
RELATED: Deputy U.S. Marshal Gets Bogus Sex Offender Addresses Corrected After Seeing CBS 2 Report
Vineyard Church Pastor Aimee Tucker said that is why the church decided to pay for an armed guard.
"The safety of our members and the children in our church is a big concern, because we want to be a welcoming place in this community and we want people to know that they can feel safe and welcomed here," Tucker said.
