AG Prosecutors Keep Dangerous Sex Offender at Special Commitment Center

MOUNT VERNON — A Skagit County jury has determined that sex offender Gregory Coley is a dangerous predator and must remain confined in the state’s Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. In the interest of public safety, prosecutors from Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Unit have been fighting since 2013 to prevent Coley’s release into the community.

Coley, 36, was convicted of one sexually violent offense as a juvenile: first-degree child molestation in 1991. Coley was committed back in November 2002 but petitioned in 2013 for an unconditional release trial, in which the State of Washington has the burden to prove the respondent still meets the criteria for being confined as a sexually violent predator.

The trial began on Jan. 11, 2016, and ended yesterday, with the jury’s decision that Coley remains a Sexually Violent Predator.

“My office is dedicated to protecting our communities from sexually violent predators,” Ferguson said. “When the evidence shows an offender is still a danger, my team will work to ensure that person remains confined and receiving the treatment they need.”

Under Washington’s civil commitment law, prosecutors had to demonstrate Coley still suffers from specific mental abnormalities and/or personality disorders that cause him to have serious difficulty in controlling his dangerous behavior and make him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence unless confined to a secure facility.

In 1990, Washington became the first state in the nation to pass a law permitting the involuntary civil commitment of sex offenders after they have served their criminal sentence. The Attorney General’s SVP Unit was established shortly thereafter.

Read the entire press release by Peter Lavallee, Communications Director by clicking here:  http://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-prosecutors-keep-dangerous-sex-offender-special-commitment-center#sthash.l1drTznu.dpuf

 

Read the original Story from Skagitbreaking.com  by clicking here.