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• Corrected: Hudson -- Victoria Bear sentenced to 5 years in prison
• Hudson - sex offender moves to town, meeting set Wednesday, July 23

By Meg Heaton, RiverTown Staff

Instead of spending a year or less in county jail, Victoria Bear will now serve five years in prison.

That was the sentence handed down by Judge Eric Lundell Friday afternoon after he vacated the original sentence he gave her just three weeks earlier.

Bear, formerly of Hudson, was found guilty of causing the death of Michael Strauch of Hudson as a result of a car accident.

Bear was sentenced by Lundell on July 2 and was allowed to remain free on probation until July 9 when she was to report to St. Croix County Jail to begin her sentence.

Everything changed, however, on July 8 when she was observed drinking with her ex-husband, Peter Bear, at a restaurant in Woodbury, Minn.

One of the conditions of her probation was absolute sobriety. Bear was interviewed by Woodbury police and it was determined that she had a blood alcohol level of .13 St. Croix County.

Probation issued a warrant for her arrest. She was picked up the next day and spent until Tuesday of this week in Ramsey County Jail.

Lundell said Bear's actions represented a flagrant disregard for the victim's family, the court and the community.

He went onto to say that Bear's action portrayed arrogance, gall and disdain. "This is the worst showing a person in your situation has made in more than 19 years doing this job."

Lundell sentenced Bear to the maximum sentence of 10 years, five years to be served in the state women's prison in Taycheedah. That will be followed by five years on probation during which she must maintain absolute sobriety.

As previously ordered, she must also pay restitution for funeral expenses of $16,730, court costs, do 200 hours of community service and stay away from bars and taverns for the duration of her probation. A

Any violations during her probation after her sentence could result in her returning to prison to serve the remainder of the 10 year sentence.

Michael Strauch's widow spoke to the court before the sentence and said that Bear's actions felt like a slap in the face, especially after she proclaimed her remorse and sadness to the family at the July 2 sentencing.

She said, "I am also sad for her family and what they are going through. I hope she gets a just sentence."

Peter Bear, former school board member, told the court at the original sentence that he and Bear had reconciled.

He told Judge Lundell that alcoholism is a dreadful disease and that it causes people to act impulsively and thoughtlessly. "Her violation was not a conscious act. I hope whatever you do that she can get treatment."

More details of the sentencing will appear in the July 24 issue of the Star Observer.

In accordance with state statute, the Hudson Police Department is informing the public that a sex offender is living in Hudson.

William Antonie Dontae Meadows is living at 701 11th St. S. He has been convicted of a sex offense and has a history of sexual contact with adult female victims. According to information from the police, Meadows did not know his victims and broke into their homes to assault them.

The HPD has scheduled a community notification meeting to be held in the Hudson High School auditorium, 1501 Vine St., on Wednesday, July 23, at 6 p.m. Members of the Hudson Police Department, along with members of the Department of Corrections, and other public officials, will present information and answer specific questions. Because of the subject matter of this meetinq, the police ask that only adults attend.

According to information provided by police, Meadows has served his sentence and is not wanted by police at this time. He is not on probation or parole, but his criminal history places him in a classification level that reflects the potential to re-offend. The police information bulletin goes on to say:

"Sex offenders have always lived in our communities, but it was not until the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Law was enacted that law enforcement was able to share this information with the community. Citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass registered offenders will NOT be tolerated and will be considered a criminal offense.

"As a community, this notification meeting provides us with an opportunity to work together by sharing information to enhance the public safety by increasing community awareness regarding this offender and offering positive crime prevention suggestions."

For more information, contact the Hudson Police Department at (715) 386-4771.