Teen sent to sex offender counseling

Associated Press

SEATTLE — A Seattle teen-ager is headed for an East Coast treatment facility for young sex offenders under an agreement that could enable him to avoid being labeled the state’s youngest "sexually violent predator."

King County prosecutors have agreed to stop trying to have the 16-year-old locked up under the state’s civil commitment program for sex offenders if he makes it through an intensive treatment program.

His treatment regimen could last as long as three years.

His attorney, Susan Craighead, said she remains dismayed that prosecutors filed a sex-predator petition against a child.

"But I think this is a fair resolution that will give this child very sophisticated counseling — and a chance to live in freedom," she said.

Deputy Prosecutor David Hackett said it was the first time his office had agreed to dismiss a petition on condition that the defendant complete treatment — noting the deal was made only because of the boy’s age.

"I feel like we’ve given him the opportunity to succeed, and now it’s up to him," Hackett said.

On Friday, King County Superior Court Judge Linda Lau told the boy, whose name is withheld because of his age, that if he failed to complete treatment, he would face trial and risk being locked up indefinitely.

Under the 1990 state law, sex predators found by a civil jury to present a risk to society after serving their sentences are sent to the state’s Special Commitment Center for treatment. Just six of the more than 130 defendants sent to the center have been released.

The boy, wearing a blue jail uniform and ankle chains, answered most of the judge’s questions with sullen monosyllables.

"I know this would be a difficult decision to make, even for an adult," Lau said.

The boy’s mother, who lost custody of him when he was 11, wiped away tears and said she worried about being able to visit him out of state.

Friday’s agreement was not all the parties had hoped for.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors were unable to persuade the state Department of Social and Health Services to provide what they say he will need on release: a place to live for a year.

The boy has learning disabilities, no stable family and no idea how to fend for himself. His lawyers say he will need not only housing, but also help learning how to get a job, pay bills, even drive.

DSHS has been responsible for the boy since 1996, but agency attorney Steve Hassett said the boy will become ineligible for such assistance when he turns 18.

The state will give the boy three months of housing as part of his parole, Hassett said. DSHS could promise only "reasonable efforts" to do more with its strained budget, he said.

The boy took the deal.

"It was not worth it for the child to undertake any more legal risks," Craighead said.

The boy pleaded guilty last year to unlawful imprisonment for pinning down a girl in an Auburn group home and trying to have sex with her. He finished an eight-month sentence in March but has remained behind bars.

He has been accused of sexually inappropriate behavior toward numerous classmates and relatives, and has been kicked out of two schools for alleged misconduct toward girls.

Prosecutors say his sexually aggressive behavior makes him dangerous.

Defense attorneys agree he needs treatment, but have fought efforts to classify him as a repeat sex offender.

Craighead and co-counsel K. C. Williamson, both of the Defender Association in Seattle, are considering raising money to help the boy on their own.

Churches, political organizations and "every attorney who has met him" would likely be willing to help make sure the boy has a stable place to live when he’s released, Craighead said.

"We feel that this community can come up with the resolution that this child needs, even if the state doesn’t believe it can."