Roger Hannigan Gilson is reporting for the Times Union that William Maxwell, who pleaded guilty to murder and sex crimes in the 1980s, has been paroled. Maxwell, now 56 years old, was given a release date of July 11, after appearing March 15 before the Board of Parole, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. According to the DOCCS inmate lookup Maxwell remained in state custody on July 10. In 1989, Maxwell was convicted of murder and sexual abuse in the death of Penny Almstead, an aspiring model and mother of three. Almstead's body was found by duck hunters along the Hudson River. He pleaded guilty, admitting to beating and brutalizing her with a tire iron and subsequently given a life sentence. Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson said he had received emails and phone calls from anxious residents after local media reports suggested Maxwell would be released in May. Hudson Police Chief Edward Moore said he has received calls and emails from worried residents. “There’s a lot of people who can’t believe that, after doing what he did, he can be out,” Moore said. Maxwell will be released as a Level 3 Sex Offender, designating him as someone with a “high risk of repeat offense” and where “a threat to public safety exists,” according to state law. His address will be posted in a public database. Moore said he does not know where Maxwell would be released, but that his department would be informed if the man came to Hudson. The chief denied initial social media reports that his department would be conducting extra patrols after Maxwell's release. He said the department is without the resources needed to add patrols. “But our officers will be cognizant ... it would be part of our daily patrol information,” Moore said. Read the full story in the Times Union.