A former Winnebago man serving prison time for an October 1998 murder was recently transferred to the Faribault County Jail.
Ryan Robert Owen, 46, was placed on work release status as of May 12, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) website.
“Offenders are eligible for work release during the last eight months prior to their supervised release date,” says the DOC. “The program contracts with public and private agencies for residential work release services.”
Owen was booked into the county jail at 9:27 a.m. on Wednesday and was listed as a prisoner of other agency.
The DOC says selection criteria for work release includes current and prior criminal behavior, institutional adjustment and alcohol/chemical dependency history.
“Programs provide structural living and close supervision and surveillance, with the intent of better preparing offenders for a successful crime-free life,” says the DOC.
On Oct. 12, 1998, Sheri Osborn was reported missing when she failed to show up for work at an electronics plant in Winnebago.
Area law enforcement officers and volunteers conducted massive searches which lasted
more than two weeks, ending when Owen confessed to murdering Osborn.
Owen was sentenced to a 23-year sentence in the Stillwater prison and was currently at a facility in Red Wing, a 45-bed adult minimum security unit where prisoners learn a trade to transition back into the community.
Owen’s official release date is scheduled on Feb. 21, 2022, and has an expiration date of Oct. 19, 2033.