May 5, 2011
Sheriff's office issues sex offender
bulletin for transient in Ritzville area
(Editor's Note: The sheriff's office issued a bulletin on Wednesday after the paper went to press that Ybarra has registered in Chelan County)
The Adams County Sheriff's Office issued a Sex Offender Information Bulletin on May 2 for a Level 3 sex offender.
Gerardo Ybarra, a Level III sex offender, was released from Coyote Ridge on May 1. He is registered as a transient in the area of Ritzville and Adams County, which will require that he physically check in with the sheriff's office once a week to identify where he's been staying the past week and where he anticipates staying the next week.
Ybarra was convicted of third-degree assault of a child with sexual motivation in 2006 in Clark County and was previously convicted of two counts of first-degree rape of a child in 1993 in Adams County.
According to the bulletin, "Victims of Ybarra's crimes were female, aged 6 to 12 yoa, in a family setting. The offenses occurred over an extended period of time. He previously attended sex offender treatment programs but reoffended after release from custody. He released from Dept. of Corrections after completing his entire sentence and is not under community supervision."
The Adams County Sheriff's Office is releasing the information pursuant to RCW 4.24.550 and the Washington State Supreme Court decision in State v. Ward, which authorizes law enforcement agencies to inform the public of a sex offenders release when, in the discretion of the agency, the release of information will enhance public safety and protection.
According to the bulletin, the individual who appears on the notification has been convicted of a sex offense that requires registration with the sheriff's office in the county of their residence. Further, their previous criminal history places them in a classification level, which reflects the potential to re-offend.
This sex offender has served the sentence imposed on him by the courts and has advised the Adams County Sheriff's Office that he will be living in the indicated area. He is not wanted by the police at this time. The notification is not intended to increase fear, but rather to provide information to the public.
The Adams County Sheriff's Office has no legal authority to direct where a sex offender may or may not live. Unless court ordered restrictions exist, this offender is constitutionally free to live wherever he chooses.
Sex offenders have always lived in our communities; but it wasn't until the passage of the Community Protection Act of 1990 (which mandates sex offender registration) that law enforcement even knew where they were living. In many cases, law enforcement is now able to share that information with the public.
According to the bulletin, citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders will not be tolerated.
Further, such abuse could end law enforcement's ability to do community notifications. Law enforcement believes the only person who wins if community notification ends is the sex offender, since sex offenders derive their power through secrecy.
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