Governor Gregoire Calls for Verification of Addresses, Sentencing Guidelines for Sex Offenders

For Immediate Release: October 17, 2007

Measures follow Governor�s expansion of electronic monitoring

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced that she will work with state sheriffs and police chiefs to verify the addresses of registered sex offenders. The announcement came after Governor Gregoire received the final report of the Sex Offender Task Force, convened by the Governor in August to review the Terapon Adhahn case.

�As a mother and as governor, protecting our children and communities is one of my top priorities,� said Governor Gregoire. �This is not a report that will sit on a shelf collecting dust � we will take immediate actions to enhance public safety.�

Governor Gregoire also announced that she sent a letter to the Sentencing Guidelines Commission directing it to review the task force recommendation to create a sentencing grid specifically for sex offenders.

Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge, chair of the Sex Offender Task Force, today delivered to Governor Gregoire the task force�s final report. The report makes seven recommendations:

  • DNA samples should be collected from all current and future registered sex offenders;
  • State funding should be provided to assist local law enforcement in conducting in-person address verification of all registered sex offenders;
  • Electronic monitoring should be used as a tool for monitoring sex offenders in appropriate circumstances;
  • Continue services and support for victims of sexual assault because they are essential to holding offenders accountable;
  • Information about Level I sex offenders should be added to the statewide web site if a Level I offender fails to register;
  • District and municipal court conviction records should be electronically available to superior courts in an easily accessible format; and
  • The Sentencing Guidelines Commission should continue discussions about the most appropriate framework for sentencing and community supervision of sex offenders into the future.


�I�d like to thank the Sex Offender Task Force for their work over the past two months and their dedication to the safety of Washingtonians,� said Governor Gregoire.

Member of the Task Force:

  • Chair Russ Hauge, Kitsap County Prosecutor
  • Tim Drury, Kitsap County Prosecutor�s Office
  • Jeri Costa, Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board
  • Mary Robnett, Pierce County Prosecutor�s Office
  • Paul Weisser, Attorney General�s Office
  • Dan Kimball, Thurston County Sheriff
  • Scott Smith, Chief, Mountlake Terrace Police Department
  • Evelyn Larsen, Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
  • Lydia Guy, Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
  • Gordon Godfrey, Superior Court Judge
  • David S. Marshall, Defenders Association
  • Ida Ballasioties, Family & Friends of Violent Crimes Victims
  • Lucy Berliner, Harborview Sexual Assault Center
  • Dave Boerner, Sentencing Guidelines Commission
  • Jean Soliz, Sentencing Guidelines Commission
  • Roxanne Lieb, Washington State Institute for Public Policy


Governor Gregoire last month directed the Department of Corrections to track the most dangerous sex offenders by using an electronic global positioning systems (GPS) device, in order to help law enforcement effectively monitor their movements with a goal of keeping communities safe.

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