Source: prisonlegalnews.org 8/15/24 On January 23, 2024, the Washington Court of Appeals sent the case of a state prisoner back to the trial court that convicted him of second-degree domestic violence rape and assault, finding the counts must be dismissed or retried because officials at the jail where he was detained pretrial eavesdropped on his privileged communications with his attorney. In its ruling, the Court reaffirmed that when a state actor violates a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel by breaching the attorney-client privilege, prejudice is presumed and the state…
Read MoreTag: Washington
WA: Livid parent accuses police of using kids as ‘bait’ to catch sex offender near school
Source: aol.com 3/4/24 A convicted sex offender is accused of driving by a Tri-Cities middle school more than two dozen times over the course of a week and allegedly exposing himself to at least two children. And parents are furious that they weren’t notified until after he was arrested. Javier _____, 29, of Benton City, was arrested by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office last week and charged with indecent exposure and failure to register as a sex offender. On Feb. 22, a detective with a unit that specializes in violent…
Read MoreWA Dems propose adding sex offender to policy board: ‘They have invaluable information’
Source: cbs12.com 1/22/24 OLYMPIA, Wash. (TND) — A Democrat-backed bill would alter Washington State’s Sex Offender Policy Board (SOPB) to extend membership to individuals with previous jail time for sex offenses. The SOPB was formed in 2008 to “promote a coordinated and integrated response to sex offender management.” The group is responsible for creating policies regarding sex offenders and navigating state and federal laws regarding them. Introduced this month, HB 2177 would increase the group’s members from 13 to 17 to include a member of a sex offender advocacy…
Read MoreWA: Washington panel recommended treatment over jail time for child porn
Source: thecentersquare.com 11/10/23 (The Center Square) – The Washington Sex Offender Policy Board last year recommended the Legislature consider treatment rather than imprisonment for those convicted of possessing or viewing child pornography or caught in an internet sting operation. The recommendations among several contained in a report to the House Public Safety Committee regarding “treatment alternatives for certain sex offenses; lifetime supervision; failure to register; washouts; and system improvements.” Read the full article
Read MoreWA: Convicted Sex Offender Now a Licensed Attorney in Washington State
Source: prisonlegalnews.org 10/15/23 A divided Washington Supreme Court beat back prejudice with a November 2022 decision admitting a convicted sex offender to the state bar. Zachary LeRoy Stevens was charged as a teenager with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for sending child pornography to a detective posing as a 14-year-old online. He pleaded guilty to reduced charges of voyeurism in 2012, serving less than a year in jail and on home detention. He was also required to register as a sex offender. Stevens had previously been convicted…
Read MoreWA: Portland man arrested in Clark County sting acquitted of child sex abuse in new trial
Source: columbian.com 10/2/23 A Portland man was acquitted last month after being granted a new trial on appeal, nearly five years after he was convicted in connection with an undercover child sex sting. A Clark County Superior Court jury Sept. 8 acquitted Jace Hambrick, 27, of attempted second-degree rape of a child and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. He was one of several people arrested in February 2017 after responding to an advertisement posted by an interagency task force posing as minors online. In Hambrick’s case, he responded…
Read MoreWA: State panel in damage control after confusion about eliminating sex offender notifications
Source: komonews.com 10/2/23 KING COUNTY, Wash. — A state advisory panel is doing damage control after recommendations regarding sex offenders stirred outrage in the community. The recommendations are for community notifications to be eliminated when convicted sex offenders are released from prison and return to society. … The MPC has found that community notification actually undermines public safety. It also recommends that sex offender registries should be reserved for law enforcement and not be made available to the public. The reasoning is that the attention notifications and registries bring can…
Read MoreWA: Washington panel considers outlawing community notification of sex offenders
Source: thecentersquare.com 9/28/23 (The Center Square) – Earlier this year, a decision to house convicted sex offenders in cities such as Enumclaw without notifying the community drew outrage from local residents. Now, the State Sex Offender Policy Board is considering recommendations to the Legislature that could include making it illegal to notify communities when a sex offender moves into the area on the grounds that such policies undermine public safety. Created in 2008, the Sex Offender Policy Board is composed of 13 members appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee. Its role…
Read MoreOR, WA: Housing restrictions are leaving more PNW sex offenders homeless
Source: crosscut.com 5/25/23 In his 15 years housing people coming out of prison, Mike Cross has had to turn many people away. Cross, director of Oregon City-based nonprofit Free on the Outside, which provides housing and recovery for formerly incarcerated individuals, knows what strings to pull to get people housed. While working in Hillsboro west of Portland, he successfully sheltered people of all criminal backgrounds. But those he turns away often have one thing in common: Their names are on Oregon’s Sex Offender Registry. “I got housing for guys that…
Read MoreAction Alert for Washington Residents: Write Today to Support Youth Offenders Bill ESHB1394
Source: Washington Voices Washington residents, this is our last chance support bill ESHB1394, which regards Sexual offenses by youth! It will be heard 3/30/23 at 12:30 PM Pacific in the Senate Hearing Rm 4 and Virtual, so we must write before then. Please click here to write your message today on the Washington State Legislature website feedback form! Every bill that becomes law has between 2 to 4 opportunities for the public to weigh in on whether they like the bill or not. If you have taken the time to SIGN…
Read MoreWA: Supreme Living Backs Off Plans for Sex Offender Housing Near Tenino
Source: chronline.com 2/28/23 Supreme Living announced on its website Tuesday that it no longer plans to house sex offenders at a housing facility in south Thurston County near Tenino. The decision came after outcry and outrage from residents and government officials caught off guard by the plans. “Supreme Living announced today that due to resources and expenses associated with land use requirements, it will not proceed with providing supportive housing services at its Tenino property,” Supreme Living Management wrote. “Supreme Living values its relationship with the Department of Social and…
Read MoreWA: ‘Worst of the worst:’ Washingtonians fighting to stop sex offender transfers off McNeil Island
Source: q13fox.com 2/27/23 People are rallying, hoping to put a stop to sex offender transfers off of McNeil Island. The Department of Health and Human Services said five of the “worst of the worst” sexually violent predators would be moving to Tenino, Washington. The home in Tenino is sitting empty for now, but as The Spotlight learned, these sorts of facilities are already found all over the state. And nearby residents are not always told who is going to be living inside. Watch the video
Read MoreWA: ‘End SVP releases into our communities’: Residents push for new legislation regarding sex-offender housing
Source: q13fox.com 2/11/23 OLYMPIA, WASH. – Residents say they are being blindsided by the locations and sudden pop-up of facilities that will house the highest level of sex offenders. Now state lawmakers are pushing new bills to clear up the situation. Residents in Tenino have been pushing against a Less Restrictive Alternative (LRA) facility since Jan.11. On Friday, several gathered outside a facility in Olympia lining the street with signs saying “Keep Tenino Safe”, “Our community is not your guinea pig” and “Community over profit”. The facility off Martin Way…
Read MoreWA: Officials back out of Tenino town hall on sex offender housing after threats
Source: amp.theolympian.com 1/29/23 State officials backed out of a Tenino town hall about a planned sex offender housing facility due to safety concerns. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office organized the town hall last week in response to public uproar over the planned facility at 2813 140th Ave. Southwest. Sheriff Derek Sanders notified the public of the state officials’ decision on Saturday. “To say I’m infuriated and embarrassed is an understatement,” Sanders said in a Facebook post. “The public deserves to hear answers directly, and in a meaningful, engaging way, from…
Read MoreWA: Amid Uproar Over Tenino Sex Offender Housing, Lawmakers Work on Bill to Prevent Similar Situations
Source: chronline.com 1/22/23 State lawmakers are working on a bill to prevent situations similar to the opening of a new home for individuals convicted of sexually violent offenses in Tenino that has surprised, worried and angered many area residents. State Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, and state Reps. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, and Travis Couture, R-Allyn, are writing legislation that would close a public notice loophole allowing private operators to house violent offenders in low-security adult group homes with minimal notice and assurance of adequate community protection, according to a news release. …
Read MoreWA: Lake Stevens police use drone technology to locate unregistered sex offender
Source: komonews.com/ 11/13/22 Lake Stevens officers found a suspicious vehicle on Saturday morning by the Pilchuck River with a female inside with some fishing gear in the backseat. … The drone technology is a tool that allows searching of a larger area more quickly and safer than ground units. Read the full article
Read MoreWA: Washington high court says convicted sex offender can practice law
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/STUDKLLB3NKBTHJDP4UQMFITFE.jpg)
Source: reuters.com 11/3/22 A sharply divided Washington Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a man who was previously convicted of a sex offense and other crimes can be licensed as an attorney. The 5-4 decision clears the way for Zachary LeRoy Stevens, who graduated from Arizona State University’s law school in 2018, to practice law in Washington. The opinion said Stevens had a difficult childhood in Utah and sought refuge online, where in 2006 he sent pornographic images of minors to a detective posing as a 14-year-old. He was charged…
Read MoreWA: U Washington students defend themselves from potential sex offender threat following assaults near campus
Source: foxnews 10/13/22 Students at the University of Washington are sounding the alarm on the handful of registered sex offenders who live near the Seattle campus, which has recently been plagued by crime. “I ordered two things of pepper spray, and my parents keep texting me asking about how my individual room locks, and if there is bars on my basement window,” student Jacqueline Niles told Fox 13. The University District of Seattle, which surrounds UW’s campus, has seen repeated instances of crime in recent weeks, including a shooting…
Read More