Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) David J. Torrence   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, May 10, 2008 Snohomish rapist surrenders in Arkansas By Jackson Holtz Herald Writer SNOHOMISH -- Sabrina can rest easy again. The man who raped her, David J. Torrence, a homeless sex offender who became a fugitive from justice, surrendered to police in Arkansas on Friday. Torrence will be brought back to Washington to face state or federal charges, officials from the U.S. Marshals Service said. "I'm very relieved," said Sabrina, 29, who asked that her last name not be used. She was 15 in 1995 when Torrence grabbed her off a south Everett street, threatened to shoot her and then raped her. When Torrence was released from prison on April 20 after serving a year for failing to register as a sex offender, he was ordered to sleep under a bridge over U.S. 2 in Snoho­mish. Three days later he cut off his GPS tracking bracelet. State Department of Corrections officials issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest. They contacted federal marshals to activate a nationwide system to try to find the 43-year-old high-risk sex offender, spokesman Chad Lewis said. "We're happy because this is a really good example of the strong relationship we have with federal, state and local law enforcement when it comes to arresting violators," he said. Federal agents in the Northwest sent leads to police in Arkansas that Torrence may have fled there to live with his mother, said supervising deputy Tom Lanier, a U.S. Marshals Service spokesman. On Friday, police learned that Torrence may have been planning to try to get away. Torrence's relatives apparently convinced him to surrender instead, Lanier said. The man who has served multiple prison terms for failing to register as a sex offender turned himself in to the Ouachita County Sheriff's Department in Camden, Ark. When he is returned to Washington, officials will determine which charges will bring the most time behind bars, Lanier said. For Sabrina, that means her life can return to normal. She can sleep better and will be more at ease leaving her home, she said. "I hope they lock him up for a long time," she said. "That's where he belongs." Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.

1. Happy memories comfort family of injured Everett woman 2. Boeing Machinists earn their $150 weekly strike check keeping the line fed, fired up 3. Businesses eagerly await sailors' return 4. Marysville-Pilchuck blitzes Lake Stevens 5. Preservation effort divides Everett's oldest neighborhood 6. Boeing Machinists: Welcome to McNerneyville 7. Will Frye start for Seahawks? 8. Washington prep football scores for Oct. 10 9. Granite Falls police catch suspect in car thefts, burglary 10. Beach shows Silvertips why they missed him 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Shorecrest upsets Meadowdale behind fine defensive effort • 'Free' solution to costly problem? • King's beats Archbishop Murphy, takes over lead in Cascade Conference • One sweet training program • Who says white men can't rap? • Anonymous parent salvages snacks at school • Court move's plans raise questions • Jackson prevails in overtime thriller • Meadowdale's Moore-Taylor runs wild • Paine Field airline service strongly supported by 71 percent of web surv ... • Verizon launches FiOS TV in Washington State • Leisure Time Events - September 2008 • September 2008 • State needs to establish north county campus to meet growing technology ... • Future software programs may be based online • Visit two unusual Paine Field aviation museums for historic and futurist ... • Mothers launch Kids ‘N’ Clay pottery studio to provide children with cre ...