CAMANO ISLAND — A convicted sex offender who has registered his address on Sunset Drive in the Madrona neighborhood has prompted sheriff’s officials to hold a public meeting.
Richard Hernandez Cardiel, 51, pleaded guilty in 1997 of first-degree child molestation in Clark County for assaulting an 11-year-old girl when the girl and her 5-year-old sister were staying with Cardiel and his wife while their mother was out of town, sheriff’s officials said.
Cardiel subsequently disclosed inappropriate sexual contact with women and girls over the preceding 20 years, officials said. He was sentenced to 55 months in prison. He was scheduled for release on Thursday.
Prior to his release, state Department of Corrections personnel ranked him as a level 1 offender, the least likely to commit more crimes. The Island County Sheriff’s Sex Offender Classification Review Board disagreed, and classified him as a level 2, or more likely to reoffend, sheriff’s officials said.
State law requires convicted sex offenders to register their address with the sheriff in the county in which they reside.
Cardiel is Hispanic, about 5 feet 8 inches, 151 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
He is under court order to have no contact with anyone younger than 18 and is prohibited from being at or near areas frequented by minors, such as parks, schools or game parlors. He also is prohibited from using alcohol or drugs, or being in places where alcohol is sold by the drink or is the primary item for sale.
Sheriff Mike Hawley and Camano Precinct deputies will meet with concerned residents to discuss Cardiel’s presence in the neighborhood, state sex offender laws and how people can help keep their neighborhood safe. The meeting will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Madrona Fire Station, 915 Fifth St. Do not park in front of the firetruck bays.
Bank robber strikes again: A gunman believed responsible for two bank heists — the most recent on Wednesday — held up a Horizon Bank branch Friday and fled with an undisclosed amount of money.
The robber entered the bank in the 12800 block of Bothell-Everett Highway about 4:45 p.m., displayed a semiautomatic handgun and took money from two tellers before fleeing to a black van in the parking lot, FBI spokesman Ray Lauer said. A television news crew covering an incident nearby was parked in the bank parking lot, but failed to spot the robber.
The gunman wore a blue, one-piece mechanic’s jumpsuit, dust mask, construction hardhat, white latex gloves and either sunglasses or goggles.
The black van was reported stolen from Lynnwood and was the same vehicle used in the takeover robbery Wednesday of a U.S. Bank branch on Harbour Pointe Boulevard in Mukilteo. Investigators suspect the same man executed a takeover robbery at a Bothell area bank in July, Lauer said.
Witnesses described him as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, about 6 feet, 200 pounds, with a slender build. Investigators ask anyone with information on the robber to call the FBI at 206-622-0460.
Another robbery: Police are looking to identify a man suspected in a handful of area robberies. The latest occurred about 4:40 p.m. Thursday at an espresso stand in the parking lot of Norm’s Market on Lundeen Parkway near Lake Stevens.
The man, in his early- to mid-20s, implied he had a weapon and robbed the stand of an undisclosed amount of money.
Neighbors within a two-block area were asked to lock down their homes while deputies and a K-9 unit searched the area. The county’s search and rescue helicopter, which was in the area on a training flight, also helped search for the robber.
Witnesses described the robber as wearing a black, white and gray sweat shirt, a black parka, black hat and dark jeans.
Detective Rob Palmer prepared a sketch of the robber based on witness recollections.
Investigators ask anyone with information on the robber to call the sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.
From Herald staff reports
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