In Dade County, Missouri, a convicted sex offender who has served his time in prison, will now become a ward of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

A jury found 40-year-old Jessie Parnell to be a sexually violent predator. Associate Circuit Court Judge David Munton committed Parnell to the Sex Offender Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Farmington, Mo.

There, he can be held indefinitely, but can have his case reviewed each year to determine if he is no longer likely to commit further acts of sexual violence.

Attorney General Chris Koster sought to have Parnell committed after he served 13 years in prison for 2nd degree statutory sodomy of a 15-year-old male in Marionville. Parnell previously pleaded guilty to forcible sodomy of a 14-year-old male in 1990 in Aurora.

“We must keep those who demonstrate a likelihood of committing further violent sexual acts off the streets and away from those they could harm,” Koster said. “It is important for individuals who are deemed sexually violent predators to get the help they need while the community is protected.”

Those committed by the court as sexually violent predators go into the custody of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. They have the right to have their cases reviewed annually to determine if their mental abnormality has changed and they are no longer likely to commit further acts of sexual violence if released.