No sanctions for destruction of ‘fantasy logs’

Thomas Duvall, convicted serial rapist, destroys journals kept during therapy

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) — A convicted serial rapist who destroyed explicit journals that could have been used as evidence for officials fighting his release in Minnesota won’t face legal consequences for failing to keep his writings known as “fantasy logs.”

Thomas Duvall, 58, kept the journals while undergoing therapy in the Minnesota Sex Offender Program. Attorney General Lori Swanson opposes Duvall’s release and wants to portray Duvall as dishonest and manipulative. The attorney general alleges that Duvall lied about the circumstances of his destruction of the fantasy logs in an attempt to hide violent and deviant thoughts that might prevent his release.

The Star Tribune says the Duvall case has become a flash point in the debate over the future of the sex offender program, which confines nearly 700 rapists, pedophiles and other offenders in secure treatment centers in St. Peter and Moose Lake.