High level sex offender has Kent neighbors on edge
SEATTLE -- People in Kent are on high alert after finding out a sex offender known for changing his looks in now living in their neighborhood.
Sex offenders are nothing new to most neighborhoods, but police say it's important that Kent residents know about Bennett Reedy.
Reedy has been a man of many looks since being released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for raping a woman he met at an AA meeting two decades ago. He's also been charged with assault in the past, and police say he's bi-polar and schizophrenic.
Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke said it's best to err on the side of caution when it comes to warning residents about sex offenders.
"It was enough to at least trigger, to air on the side of an educated public to be aware of the individual," Cooke said.
Reedy is now living in a clean and sober house in Kent. Police say he's been cooperative, but he's still a level III offender, which means there's a higher risk of him re-offending.
On Thursday night, locals came out to get an update on Reedy from police.
"We wanted to make sure that we can provide the best information for our residents so we can keep a crime free community," said apartment manager Terri Brown.
People who live or work nearby hope for the best.
"We were just kind of concerned," said Linda Sockham, who runs a daycare. "We wanted to get information. We don't want to be fearful. Everyone deserves a second chance."
About 4,000 sex offenders live in King County, and 321 live in Kent.
Sex offenders are nothing new to most neighborhoods, but police say it's important that Kent residents know about Bennett Reedy.
Reedy has been a man of many looks since being released from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for raping a woman he met at an AA meeting two decades ago. He's also been charged with assault in the past, and police say he's bi-polar and schizophrenic.
Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke said it's best to err on the side of caution when it comes to warning residents about sex offenders.
"It was enough to at least trigger, to air on the side of an educated public to be aware of the individual," Cooke said.
Reedy is now living in a clean and sober house in Kent. Police say he's been cooperative, but he's still a level III offender, which means there's a higher risk of him re-offending.
On Thursday night, locals came out to get an update on Reedy from police.
"We wanted to make sure that we can provide the best information for our residents so we can keep a crime free community," said apartment manager Terri Brown.
People who live or work nearby hope for the best.
"We were just kind of concerned," said Linda Sockham, who runs a daycare. "We wanted to get information. We don't want to be fearful. Everyone deserves a second chance."
About 4,000 sex offenders live in King County, and 321 live in Kent.
Bennett is my friend.Â
If I knew more about this mans background (e.g. he was terribly abused as a child himself), then maybe I might have a bit more sympathy. No suprise he is bi-polor and schizophenic, how else would you expect to feel when you treat others in society like garbage. Don't expect your life to be a walk in the garden.
Well, it has been clearly shown by the comments contained herein, that unlimited public notification has only the outcome of a paniced community who is ready to resort to violence, harassment, intimidation which is the antithesis of a safe community.
I told everyone here that I don't register and won't register. Â I pretty much explained why (though not in detail). Â Do you know WHY the sex offender registry has been upheld? Â It is because it takes no Constitutional rights. Â There is no right to live in peace in the community and no right to privacy; those things that define a society as a free society, there is no right to. Â in America. Â All you law abiding citizens (as the philosophy of government, there are very few of you) don't have to worry. Â However the founding fathers built into the Constitutions PROTECTIONS, to protect LIBERTY. Â They created a criminal justice system with RIGHTS for the accussed and convicted. Â WHY? Â
"Bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, and laws impairing the
obligations of contracts, are contrary to the first principles of the
social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation. ... The
sober people of America are weary of the fluctuating policy which has
directed the public councils. They have seen with regret and
indignation that sudden changes and legislative interferences, in
cases affecting personal rights, become jobs in the hands of
enterprising and influential speculators, and snares to the
more-industrious and less-informed part of the community." James
Madison, Federalist Number 44, 1788.
Isn't it true how the influential politician uses SEX OFFENDERS for political gain? Â It is all okay until the politicians decide YOU don't have the RIGHT to live in peace and there is no court in the land that will do a thing about it. Â
Nothing is more common than for a free people, in times of heat and
violence, to gratify momentary passions, by letting into the
government, principles and precedents which afterwards prove fatal to
themselves. Of this kind is the doctrine of disqualification,
disfranchisement and banishment by acts of legislature. The dangerous
consequences of this power are manifest. If the legislature can
disfranchise any number of citizens at pleasure by general
descriptions, it may soon confine all the votes to a small number of
partizans, and establish an aristocracy or an oligarchy; if it may
banish at discretion all those whom particular circumstances render
obnoxious, without hearing or trial, no man can be safe, nor know when
he may be the innocent victim of a prevailing faction. The name of
liberty applied to such a government would be a mockery of common
sense. Alexander Hamilton.
These laws have only begun and WILL be the undoing of the ideal that America is a free country. Â WHY? Â Because of the refusal to use courts to ensure fairness. Â It is all done by legislative fiat. Â A new vote and more restrictions against THEM the legislatively defined dangerous.Â
You all have no idea what you are doing as the legislative speculators dream up more restriction and even more registries. Â But it is known what you are doing and the outcome of what you will do. Â It is called, totalitarianism that by nature has no credibility as your sex offender registry as it is now has ZERO. Â
This is why I laugh at your laws. Â You think you are creative and wise? Â Your registry is nothing but tried and failed legal ideas that as old as society itself.Â
You all have a good night... Â
@Rudy101Â
Well.. to start, how about not raping kids and women? Then perhaps we can talk about the efficacy of law and "Constitutional Rights"
Until then, I will hunt you down and extract my own form of justice if you ever bring harm to me or my family. So much for the illusion of constitutional rights, my friend.
@Rudy101 Our ideas of what constitutes a safe community obviously differ. Mine includes being aware of level III Sex Offenders so I can keep my family away. Somehow I doubt Alexander Hamilton would have suffered rapists and child molesters to live, let alone consider them for rights of the regular citizen.
@Susabelle BUT, what if a level system has no meaning to predict danger?  Does it matter to you?  They feed you information that doesn't have to have any legal meaning, and you eat it up as if it is fact.  Is it true, that this person really IS a danger?  Nobody knows. Â
We all know they had the death penalty back then. Â But what was required and still is required is DUE PROCESS. Â Do you think Alexander Hamilton would've allowed them to lynch without a trial?Â
Your ideas on what constitutes a safe community is sheer fantasy, made up out of thin air. Â You can show NOTHING out of the mountain of research that has been done that says, labeling and disseminating that information in unlimited ways keeps ANYONE safe. Â
You don't get it, and never will, but RIGHTS truly come into play and are needed for those that are unpopular, hated and at the mercy of a society unwilling to listen or act rationally.
What is perplexing is you are allowing the State to get away with putting dangerous people into your neighborhood and don't question what the State should actually be doing. Â The system is in place. Â The State thinks he is dangerous? Â Put him into a court of law and let the court decide, and then let the court figure out what to do, from the FULL RANGE of options.
NOW, they just tell you where he is, and you are satisfied with that. Â BUT they won't take him to court because then he might be determined not dangerous, and that leaves the community with no way to come together and point fingers, gossip, play psychologist and be satisfied the community determines at their whim their own punishments.
@Woodswalker How about you get your ass out of fantasy land and startn thinking about reality.  The reality is, the sex offender registry is illegal as applied, as I have made clear why. Â
So, on your little opinion? Â I have none. Â It is not worth the waste of finger exercises.Â
How about this Rudy? Sex offenders get ONE prison sentence on first conviction, then released without any stigma, level classing or registry...the SECOND time they are convicted they are simply taken out and SHOT. Reasoning is that ONE time could be a fluke, a case of mistaken intent or any other excuse.  A SECOND time shows deliberate intent.
My court case link mysteriously disappeared, but he is appealing being on the registry. You stay on for 10 years, but get removed if you don't re-offend. He committed some kind of domestic physical assault in 2004 or 05 which got him another 10 years on the registry. I've got a level III near my house. I bear them no ill will but it is good to be aware.
WHERE in Kent?
Great, so just a matter of time before he rapes someone else. Predators have no place in society.
Clean & Sober?? He better be on meds for his Bi-Polar condition!!!!
@patcat58@Isadora That is a truly ignorant comment.  How would you like to be known for the worst thing you've ever done?  FOREVER??  If you don't like the fact that people are returned to society after atoning for their crimes, maybe the laws of another country would suit you better.  Also, please watch your language.  There is nothing in this article which indicates this man is a predator.  Save that label for those whose behavior merits it.
@patcat58Â Â Another ignorant comment. Sobriety and mental health are two different (albeit related) things.
And hes allowed to walk free why?? How about his victims who have to live with it the rest of thier lives? He should be allowed to walk the street??
@Nancybratt  He is allowed to walk free because he was given a determinate sentence, which he completed successfully.  He also completed probation/parole and likely a period of treatment as well.  How long do you want to continue punishing this man? What would he have to do, to be redeemed in your eyes?  Foundation is the basis of all world religions.  You are also assuming he had "victims", plural, and you are implying that they are weak and can not choose to heal.  Why are you making these negative assumptions? They don't benefit anyone and are not based in reality.
@Nancybratt  He is allowed to walk free because he was given a determinate sentence, which he completed successfully.  He also completed probation/parole and likely a period of treatment as well.  How long do you want to continue punishing this man? What would he have to do, to be redeemed in your eyes?  Foundation is the basis of all world religions.  You are also assuming he had "victims", plural, and you are implying that they are weak and can not choose to heal.  Why are you making these negative assumptions?  They don't benefit anyone.
@Virginia Hall @Nancybratt Virginia, do you understand the difference between a level 1, level 2, and level 3 sex offender? The level 3 sex offender is one who has been treated by a psychologist, and found to NOT be rehabilitated, and therefore, highly likely to re-offend.
@Ranger Rick @Virginia Hall @Nancybratt No, that is not what a level is. Â
@Nancybratt He is allowed to walk free because he served his sentence, as well as successfully completing parole, as stated in the article.  Victims, plural?  Tone down your hysteria, woman.  How long do you want to continue punishing this man?  I am a survivor of sexual abuse, and the man who raped me no longer has any power over me.  That's my choice, which  I made with the help and support of my good friends and family.  I am not minimizing sexual assault, which I think is awful.  I AM saying that people can and do heal.  Forgiveness is the foundation of all major world religions.  Perpetual punishment and ostracism makes no one safer.
What is the big deal about this guy? Pretty much every community in the state has a level 3 sex offender living there!
@WhatdidIsay? - and that's just the ones that have been caught.Â
Let me guess, he has no job, no money, and we are paying for him to live in this "clean and sober house."
@lakeview What's your point? Â
Level III Sex Offender = "Waiting for the right opportunity"
@Just_Mike - How would you like to be known for the worst thing you've ever done --- forever??
@Virginia Hall @Just_Mike Too bad, being a rapist or a child molester is a game changer. You don't get forgiven for some things.
@sleever @domino @Virginia Hall @Just_MikeÂ
...their "First" crime? Yes.. if it involves raping a child.. absolutely.
@Virginia HallÂ
...tell that to your victim(s) "Please don't be an a__hole about this...."
...see how far that gets you....
 @sleever @domino @Virginia Hall @Just_Mike if that first crime is sexual abuse of a child - absolutely!
@domino @Virginia Hall @Just_Mike So serving your time in prison means nothing to you?  Should everyone be put to death for their first crime?
Maybe not in your world. Â Forgiveness is the basis of all major world religions. Â Perhaps you are an atheist. Â I don't think anyone is asking you to forgive. Â Just don't be an asshole in your thinking.
RE: Paragraph number four
... "to air" ... Â or to error?
@George To "err"
@Watcher3 They're only human.
bi-polar, schizo rapist - jeez why would anyone feel they need to worry about this guy? I mean, he served his time, that means he's cured right?
so weird the way we treat this sort of criminal. no way to rehab them -Â maybe somehow tie sex offenses to the death penalty, that way we taxpayers won't have to give him a roof (jail) and neighborhoods wouldn't be burdened with this scum.
@SwampThing - Maybe you should vote with your feet and find a place to live where sex offenders are given the death penalty, as well as anyone else you don't like.  Here, we believe in  an end to punishment most of the time.  We believe only a very small percentage of our citizens are unredeemable and must remain away from society for the rest of their natural lives, and this man is not one of them.  On what grounds do you make the careless statement that "there is no way to rehabilitate them"? Â
@SwampThing Maybe you should vote with your feet and find a place where sex offenders are given the death penalty, along with everyone else you don't like.
@SwampThing THE POLICE said he was bi-polar and schizophrenic.  Which is interesting, because the police aren't doctors.  BUT HEY, we have police and they can say anything and aren't responsible for a thing they say.  Could what they say be true?  Maybe.  Does it matter if it isn't?  Nobody cares.Â
The POLICE have NO BUSINESS telling others of private medical conditions. Â Again,, nobody cares. Â It is open season with no legal protection for whom anyone the State wants to name. Â
@Rudy101 the police don't make that assumption. It's made by a psychiatrist hired by King County.
@Rudy101 Fox news a couple days ago actually interviewed him. He, himself, said that he had gotten out of a hospital where he was seeking mental health treatment. He said while he was doing better with his mental disorders he was glad for the house in Kent to continue to provide the support he needs in beating his illness. He went on to say that he hopes he can stay on medication- because he was a different person with out them. He became a druggie and an alcoholic, and a combination of all of that caused him to originally offend.Â
@blmboots @Rudy101 Rudy=Troll.Â
@Rudy101Â "they" also say he's a rapist and level 3 sex offender. is that also just an opinion, good sir?
@SwampThing @Rudy101 It is an opinion that has no legal requirement to be true.
@SwampThing @Rudy101 I think that's fair game, but please don't add to the social stigma that the millions of people afflicted with these mental illnesses already have to face. Â
@Rudy101 leave it to a no good POS sex offender to stand up for another no good POS sex offender. What is that you did that makes you so afraid of your safety that you are willing to violate the law to not be found??
@Scootertrash Your registry is VIOLENT.  Can't you read here?  It is arbitrarily violent.  It doesn't protect the community at all.  It is irrational at its core thinking that people must be warned because of the inevitability of a crime being committed and the best society can do is to shift the danger to someone else.  So, everyone protects themselves by avoiding contact of any kind with the person on the registry and the only hope is, it is not them who is a victim.
..and then the outcome is the more isolation, alientation a person feels, the more likely he is to commit a crime and make a victim. Â
Is this person in this article dangerous? Â I don't know. Â If the State thought he was truely dangerous he would've been taken to McNeil Island for dangerous sex offenders. Â But they didn't do that. Â Why not?
Because the State can't SHOW a danger to the point where he needs to be locked away for treatment. Â Who is this guy? Â I don't know. Â But I do know your level system isn't a system that predicts danger. Â It has no legal meaning to danger because it doesn't tread on any Constitutional rights of needing a warrant to search, or forcing actions on the person (like therapy or restrictions). Â
All of THAT takes a court under a standard of proof. Â BUT what there is, is a list. Â Anyone can go on it, as long as they have some conviction and the State wants to put them on it. Â They use the ruse of community protection, but what it really is is an end-run around the Constitution in order to make everyone believe something is being done.
I am not a POS. Â No registry can make me into one. Â I actually am a productive and respected member of my community. Â You can't take that away. Â Sorry. Â
@Rudy101 Though I don't agree with you, Rudy, I am glad you are able to be productive in the community. You write very well. I have hired a level 2 and two level 1's before, both with many years since their convictions, but I am sorry I cannot consider a Level 3. Good luck.
@Rudy101 .. people like you always have an excuse or rationale as to why you think the way you do. You offer no proof other than your near hysterical opinion. Your self righteous, condescending demeanor does not lend credibility to ANYTHING you say despite what you may think. You claim to be "..a productive and respected member of your community"..good stay in YOUR community .  I will not waste anymore typing on the likes of you.
@Seahawksman You don't know the way I think.  I have mountains of evidence the registry is dangerous to be on.  I COULD be in YOUR community and you would not know it.