A convicted child rapist was sentenced to an unusually long term of two years in prison for possessing child pornography on Tuesday in Snohomish County Superior Court. But the man, Harold Glen Brown, has even more serious problems ahead of him.
The state Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday filed papers with the court contending that Brown is a sexually violent predator. The accusation could result in Brown being locked up indefinitely.
A jury last week convicted Brown, 41, of Mill Creek, of seven felony counts of possessing child pornography when he was under state supervision after serving 11 years for sex offenses in the early 1990s.
In February 1992, Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree child molestation in Snohomish County. A week later, he pleaded guilty to second-degree child rape. When he was released, he remained on community custody under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections.
The correction officer learned that Brown had images of naked children, some of whom appeared to be only 5 or 6 years old. The defense argued that the images were not pornography, but the jury disagreed.
Krista Bush, an assistant attorney general, said Brown is dangerous and should be locked up at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island in Pierce County. The center was created in 1990 to treat dangerous sex offenders, and now has about 200 inmates under treatment.
Bush has filed a petition asking Superior Court to commit Brown to the center. Inmates aren’t released from the lockup or moved into a transitional setting until mental health experts determine that they are ready.
A jury would decide if Brown is a dangerous sexual predator in a civil court proceeding.
Bush’s petition calls Brown a pedophile with a personality disorder that causes him “serious difficulty in controlling his dangerous behavior and makes him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence unless confined to a secure facility.”
Until the court acts on the request, Brown will remain in prison. Superior Court Judge Linda Krese imposed the two-year term, about double the standard range.
Deputy prosecutor Janice Albert argued that the state’s sentencing law allows a judge discretion to go outside the standard range in certain circumstances. The judge agreed, saying the sentencing law “does not properly address the crime.”
Defense attorney Kathleen Kyle sought only a six-month jail term. She said she will appeal Krese’s sentence.
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