MONTPELIER — A sex offender deemed at high risk to commit new crimes was released from a Vermont prison on Friday, and Governor Peter Shumlin said the man was heading to California.
Timothy Szad, 53, left the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield at about 5 a.m., said the prison’s superintendent, P. Mark Potanas.
Department of Corrections officials had said last week that Szad was to live with family in Springfield after his release, but authorities said a public outcry led them to withdraw the offer.
The case highlights a dilemma in releasing sex offenders still deemed dangerous even after having served time: Correction officials and police frequently want to notify the public, but that notification can create problems in getting the person reintegrated in society.
After the plan for Szad to live in Springfield fell apart, correction officials said they had no plan for him. Because Szad had served his maximum sentence, they would have no control over him. He would not be on probation or parole.
On Thursday, Potanas and a Corrections Department official said Szad would be moving out of state, but did not say where.
Shumlin and the Corrections Department then issued statements Friday saying Szad was going to California.
‘‘I appreciate that the Department of Corrections and others were able to work together to find him an appropriate placement,’’ Shumlin added.
Szad is required to register as a sex offender with Vermont as well as with any state where he becomes a resident, according to a Corrections Department statement Friday.