On or about September 23, 2025, Detective Tom Rikli of the Red Wing Police Department received an annual Predatory Offender Registration letter from the Minnesota BCA for Cory Allen Cornell, [DOB REDACTED], the defendant herein. The Minnesota BCA database shows that Cory Allen Cornell, [DOB REDACTED], the defendant herein, is a person required to comply with the Predatory Offender Registration requirements because on June 23, 2014, he was convicted of two counts of Possession of Pornographic Images Involving Minors, in violation of Minnesota Statute 617.247, Subd. 4(a). Minnesota BCA Predatory Crimes records listed defendant's current registration end date as December 30, 2033 (10 years from Last Release from Incarceration plus 5 years for 1 Failure to Register Conviction). Detective Rikli was aware that the annual verification letter was mailed directly to the Red Wing Police Department because Cornell had been registering as a “homeless offender” and had been conducting weekly check-in’s at the law enforcement center.
Detective Rikli assisted the defendant in conducting a weekly check in on September 19, 2025, and intended to have the defendant complete the annual verification form at the next check in, scheduled for September 26, 2025. The defendant failed to complete the required weekly check-in for homeless offender from September 26- 2025, until October 31, 2205. On October 8, 2025, the Minnesota BCA marked Cory Cornell “non- complaint” as he had failed to send in the required annual verification letter. Detective Rikli attempted to contact the defendant by phone on October 10, 2025, and again on October 14, 2025, by using the contact information provided by the defendant on his predatory offender registration and left voicemails both times.
In the voicemail messages, Detective Rikli directed the defendant to complete the required homeless offender check in and return the annual verification letter ASAP or that possible charges for Failure to Register could occur. Finally, on October 17, 2025, Detective Rikli was able to reach the defendant by phone and actually speak with him. Again, the officer urged the defendant to come in to complete the homeless offender check in and complete the annual verification letter to avoid new failure to register charges.
Cornell told the officer that he was in town at the Pepin Woods Trailer Court. Detective Rikli waited an additional three (3) days to give Cornell time to get back in compliance before requesting “non-compliance” paperwork from the Minnesota BCA. The paperwork arrived on October 28, 2025, and showed that the current registered address for Cory Allen Cornell was “homeless” living in Red Wing, Minnesota. The registration information also listed that the list check in completed by Cornell had been done on September 19, 2025, and therefore he had been noncompliant for over five (5) weeks.
