By Sarah Light, staff writer

Joshua Joe Quast, 20, of Albert Lea pleaded guilty Tuesday in Freeborn County District Court for failing to register his current address as required by all convicted predatory offenders.

The plea came as jurors had arrived in the courtroom and were waiting to be selected for Quast&8217;s trial. Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson spent the weekend and previous day in final trial preparation.

According to the complaint filed in Freeborn County District Court, on May 18 Albert Lea police discovered that Quast was no longer at his registered address on Madison Avenue. Detectives found he had been asked to leave that residence and had done so on or before May 2.

At that point, police contacted Quast&8217;s Minnesota Department of Corrections probation officer, who stated that she had attempted to contact him but was told he was likely in custody in the Cerro Gordo County Jail in Mason City, Iowa, the complaint stated.

Detectives then contacted authorities at the Mason City jail and were told that Quast had been released May 17 after serving a misdemeanor theft sentence.

Albert Lea police officers located Quast on May 26 and arrested him on two outstanding warrants after seeing him run into a house on James Avenue.

The complaint noted that police had previously talked with Quast about his obligation to register his current address after he was released from the Freeborn County Adult Detention Center for the same violation at an earlier date, the complaint stated.

Quast will be sentenced Sept. 24. The minimum sentence he will receive is 24 months in prison.