Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Rapist under bridge was placed near victim's home 4/29/08 • Why rapist got put under Snohomish bridge 4/26/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Corrections department changes notification policy; suspect still on the run By Jerry Cornfield and Jackson Holtz Herald Writers OLYMPIA – Sex crime victims will now be told when their offender escapes supervision by disabling or removing electronic devices used for tracking their whereabouts, state corrections officials said Wednesday. The change ordered this week comes too late for the Monroe woman who learned from news accounts that the man convicted of raping her in 1995 was on the loose after cutting off his GPS bracelet while living under a bridge in Snohomish. “I can’t believe they didn’t have that policy in place to begin with,” said Sabrina, who asked that her last name not be used. David Torrence, 43, escaped supervision April 23, three days after his release from prison. Torrence, a level-3 sex offender, remained at large Wednesday night. Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail put the policy into effect Monday. The department began using GPS to monitor and track the whereabouts of high-risk sex offenders late last year. About 75 different offenders have been outfitted with the equipment and Torrence is believed to be the fourth person to cut off the device. “It’s got to be difficult to take off but we can’t make it impossible to take it off,” said department spokesman Chad Lewis. A medical or other type of emergency could arise in which the equipment needs to be quickly removed, he explained. Sabrina’s concern about the agency extends beyond not being told of Torrence’s escape. She also was not told when state parole officers directed Torrence, who was homeless, to sleep below a bridge along 88th Street SW under U.S. 2 near Snohomish – less than five miles from her home. She spoke with Steve Eckstrom, manager of the department’s Victim Services Program, Monday and again Wednesday. He apologized for the agency giving her the wrong information on where Torrence was to be released and that he registered as homeless, she said. “They said there was a hole in the system,” Sabrina said, adding that the agency said their inaction was inexcusable and pledged to do better. The new policy on notification is part of that effort, Lewis said. “Fortunately these are few and far between,” he said. Next time it happens, if it does happen, someone will call the victim.” Reporter Jerry Cornfield: (360) 352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com

1. Girl's death in car crash stuns Granite Falls 2. 787 starts ‘final gantlet' of tests before first flight 3. Inmates to help families of police 4. Lewd baristas face stricter rules 5. Swine flu shots to be available to all in county 6. Woman who died in fire named 7. Roe picked as interim prosecutor 8. Gregoire's budget offers no easy way out of deficit 9. Payout of $44.7 million to clean up Asarco contamination in Everett 10. Roche Harbor's second derby a big hit 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Snohomish County offers the best and most affordable venues for conferen ... • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed