Home for sex offenders prompts Marysville family to move
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MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- A Marysville woman says her family's life was turned upside down when she learned sex offenders were living next door, and now she hopes her family's story will be a warning to others.
For more than two decades, Michelle Morck and her family made their home in Marysville. They remodeled their house, invested money it in and even started a family business in it.
But over the last few months, that all changed. Her pastry business is now closed and she and her family are facing foreclosure.
The family now lives in a 34-foot boat.
"It's definitely a huge lifestyle change," Michelle said.
KOMO News first introduced viewers to the Morck family in July, when Michelle called the Problem Solvers for help after discovering the vacant home next to hers was housing multiple sex offenders.
Known as the Mack House, the structure is a place for recovering addicts, those with mental health issues and sex offenders.
Pastor John Mack of the Holy Ghost Revival Ministries overseas the house and its occupants.
"Not every sex offender is a child molester," Mack said. "We are doing what we can do to try to isolate our houses from the general population, but no matter where we go somebody's not going to like it."
Michelle pleaded with the Marysville City Council to move the home to another location, but city leaders said that decision would have to be made by the state.
Marysville Councilman Michael Stevens lives not far from the Mack House and said he's hopeful proposed legislation will place limitations on when and where sex offenders can be placed after their released.
"Particularly when it first unfolded, there were days where I was physically ill thinking about it and losing sleep, thinking what in the world can we do?" Stevens said.
Officials from the Department of Corrections say restricting the program would keep offenders in prison past their release date or put them on the streets. They say those who qualify for the housing have done everything they're required to do, and the public is safer when an offender has stable housing.
"By the Mack House doing what it does, it's good for the community because it keeps these guys from being homeless," Mack said.
Mack said he understands community's fear, but warns that limiting the number of sex offenders per home could spell trouble.
"That's more dangerous than anything because they can operate in privacy, they can bring a little child into their house and nobody's there," he said.
Since moving onto the boat, the Morck's sense of security is restored, but the family is drowning financially.
"Realistically, who's going to want to purchase this home either commercially or as a residence due to what's next door?" Michelle said.
Mack said he would consider buying the Morck's home once it's listed in foreclosure.
For more than two decades, Michelle Morck and her family made their home in Marysville. They remodeled their house, invested money it in and even started a family business in it.
But over the last few months, that all changed. Her pastry business is now closed and she and her family are facing foreclosure.
The family now lives in a 34-foot boat.
"It's definitely a huge lifestyle change," Michelle said.
KOMO News first introduced viewers to the Morck family in July, when Michelle called the Problem Solvers for help after discovering the vacant home next to hers was housing multiple sex offenders.
Known as the Mack House, the structure is a place for recovering addicts, those with mental health issues and sex offenders.
Pastor John Mack of the Holy Ghost Revival Ministries overseas the house and its occupants.
"Not every sex offender is a child molester," Mack said. "We are doing what we can do to try to isolate our houses from the general population, but no matter where we go somebody's not going to like it."
Michelle pleaded with the Marysville City Council to move the home to another location, but city leaders said that decision would have to be made by the state.
Marysville Councilman Michael Stevens lives not far from the Mack House and said he's hopeful proposed legislation will place limitations on when and where sex offenders can be placed after their released.
"Particularly when it first unfolded, there were days where I was physically ill thinking about it and losing sleep, thinking what in the world can we do?" Stevens said.
Officials from the Department of Corrections say restricting the program would keep offenders in prison past their release date or put them on the streets. They say those who qualify for the housing have done everything they're required to do, and the public is safer when an offender has stable housing.
"By the Mack House doing what it does, it's good for the community because it keeps these guys from being homeless," Mack said.
Mack said he understands community's fear, but warns that limiting the number of sex offenders per home could spell trouble.
"That's more dangerous than anything because they can operate in privacy, they can bring a little child into their house and nobody's there," he said.
Since moving onto the boat, the Morck's sense of security is restored, but the family is drowning financially.
"Realistically, who's going to want to purchase this home either commercially or as a residence due to what's next door?" Michelle said.
Mack said he would consider buying the Morck's home once it's listed in foreclosure.
She has allowed irrational fear to dominate her. Just where are these people supposed to live? Would I want them living next to me? I would rather I know someone's a sex offender living next to me than someone who has never been caught. And the vast majority of sex crimes are committed by people never before convicted. I am not a christian or a member of any cult/faith. But even I understand that society must help people recover from addiction or else problems will continue. Would be nice if the lazy hysterically driven media would actually do some investigative reporting. They would find out the recidivism rates for sex offenders is lower than for any other crime and that the therapy we required them to undergo actually works. But not if we continue to undermine the treatment by this witch hunt mentality.
Honestly, I am just shaking my head.... I read some of these postings (by a few select people) and there are some that are adamantly defending the rights of the people who think its ok to rape and molest innocent victims. Why defend these people and try to play off these sex offenders as the "victims"? Are you kidding me? If they didn't want to be stigmatized as rapists and molesters, then they shouldn't have done it in the first place! My God people, get your priorities straight!
If you check with Snohomish County Health Dept, you'll find out the real reason the Mork's closed their business. It didn't have anything to do with the Mack House. But yet she's telling everyone that the Mack House is why they had to close their business. The Mork's had no city license; no state license; and no health card to run their illegal business. Shame on them!! Don't believe me? Just call the health dept and find out for yourself...........
Ok I think itâs safe to assume that nobody wants a home for sex offenders or any other recovering group next to them.
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However did anything bad happen for these people to close their business and move from the home to the boat? Or did they simply not want to live next door to this house?
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How big is this house that no less than 21 people are going to be living in it as the linked article states? I would think that number would violate zoning laws or some kind of code/law on the book. Â
@DreamTravler Safe to assume nobody wants a sex offender home next to them? You might be surprised. There are people such as myself who believes we need to help people recover from addiction. Exactly where do you suggest these people live?
Anyone know the address of this place?
I have known a couple of guys that became sexual predators due to a failed teenage relationship that blew up in their face. One was the son of a friend of mine....ruined his life.
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I always like to know the nature of the crime before I judge.
 @Melissa Angevine I agree, except I would use the words 'registered sex offenders' vs sexual predators only because I am thinking that these people did not continue to prey on children...not correcting, just amending to parallel my thoughts which were close to yours.
Bewere not all ppl who were convicted of a sax crim realy did that crim i bet if all ppl who was convited of a crim
had to register for a crim sex offenders would be a small number so sry but 1 you should have keep your yapp shut
2 nobody would have knowen so your business would still be going 3 think befor you make assumptions mybe joe blow realy didnt do that
oo wow it was her dad not her brother poor joe blow went to prison for somthing his dad did to his sister owell
who cares we made up are mind he is gulty joe blow has to register for the rest of his life but his dad gets to keep on mollesting
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 @Getsome CUT! Can we get some coherent English?
Kind of a "catch-22." We wanted laws saying we need to know where they live. Then we complain. At least she knows about them and can steer clear. Think about how many sex offenders are in the neighborhood that she doesn't know about because they haven't been caught yet.
A halfway house with these the types of criminals should NEVER be allowed in a residential neighborhood. They chose to victimize others for their own pleasure and benefit, why should innocent people be put at a higher risk because of these worthless slimeballs. Put them out in the boonies somewhere or in an industrial area. Not around children.
@The WA Mama Hmmm, not sure I agree with that. That may allow god-knows-what to happen with nobody around to witness it? In a residential area *every* parent is gonna be watching them like a T-rex looking for a twitch. In fact, I hope the Morck house isn't really across the street for Mack to buy it and have offenders watching offenders. Far better to have Gladys and Abner living across the street.
 @The WA Mama They're people too.... Call them whatever you want.
im sorry but i have known this family for years and all the negative comments are making me sick to my stomach. first off they have a business where they sell pastries. obviously if they are losing business it is going to make it difficult for them to pay their mortgage. dummies. and the cause of them losing business is the simple fact that no body wants to be around a halfway house with rapsists and criminals living right around the corner. duh! before you start making rude comments put yoursel in their shoes. what if it was you losing business because of these nasty criminals living next door to you, whom do not even deserve to be out of prison in the first place let alone next door to a beautiful house that they worked their asses off to build. look at the facts before you are so quick to judge this beautiful loving family. -krissa
 @krissa k "and the cause of them losing business is the simple fact that no body wants to be around a halfway house with rapists and criminals living right around the corner"
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This may be true but there is nothing in the story to illustrate this is the cause and that is why people are having a hard time believing that it is the reason or even part of the reason.
How great thou art your holiness..... May your cross go upscale condo.
 @krissa k Is there signage that says there is a halfway house there? If I were a customer of her pastry shop, I would have never been aware that they were there. If I am not aware, how would it affect her business? I am aware of the location. I can see that the halfway house is separated from her house by a decent distance. I cannot see how her business was affected. If anything, her business was affected by the fact that it is not visible from State Ave when you are driving by. I am sorry that they are going through tough times. I just don't believe all of it is caused by the neighbors. As for the house not selling because of the neighbors? All you have to do is look at it's location and it's proximity to State Ave. That would be reason enough for me to not consider living there.
 @krissa k Who are you to say what they "deserve". They did their time and they are functioning within the limits of the law. This could happen to anyone. Maybe you should lobby the government for more strict SO laws, or would that be too much effort? Complaining online is much more simple.
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It's not like people picking up pastries have to deal with these ex-criminals. If their pastries were so special, maybe they should have actually opened a business in a strip mall or something. Personally, this all sounds like a cop out, or a precursor to suing Mack or the state.
im an american citizen with a right to speak. so yes i can say what i think they deserve. and if you are bold enough to rape a helpless child or female then you damn sure do not deserve to live in family oriented neighborhood.. there are ppl homeless living on the streets who dont get that much help or respect. its my opinion and i have a right to it thanks. and im complaining about the ppl who are being discustingly negative about this family whom they dont even know, not to mention know anything about half of what they have gone through with this whole situation.
@krissa k
I'm sorry your good friend lied to you!! If you check with Snohomish County Health Dept, you'll find out the real reason the Mork's closed their business. It didn't have anything to do with the Mack House. But yet she's telling everyone that the Mack House is why they had to close their business. The Mork's had no city license; no state license; and no health card to run their illegal business. Shame on them!! Don't believe me? Just call the health dept and find out for yourself...........
 @krissa k ...and you know nothing about the people in the Halfway house, yet you are being disgusting towards them... Bigotry at it's finest. You should try looking in the mirror sometime.
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This is like complaining about the Presidents decisions while you didn't even vote. Complaining is easy, promoting change is much more difficult.  BTW, raping someone has nothing to do with being "bold", in fact, I think it's quite the opposite.
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My point is, if you think they don't "deserve" something, maybe you should actually try to promote changes in the current law instead of just "complaining" about it.
I wonder if this would be "news" worthy if some meth heads moved in next door?
Sorry but this womens reasoning and excuse is just that an excuse. As they have stated not all of them are sex offenders, its rehab for many different things, depending on the level of sex offender doesnt mean you are goinig to be a repeat offender, not to mention that you can be labeled a sex offender and recieve treatement for something as sinple as being with a person under 16 even if you ahve permission the state looks at it as a sex offender offence, or how about your dating someone only to find out they lied and are under age and it is reported as revenge for breaking up with her..you are still labeled a sex offender. This woman is using this home and the SEX OFFENDER stigma for her benefit and sympathy...not all sex offenders repeat effences and not all sex offenders are sex offenders but becuz of the wording, even those minor offences that shouldnt be considered sex offender are...She's usoing it as a crutch...peeps like this P--- me off...I hate the poor me dipshits.
 @Dawn Thornton-Edmonds Sounds like you should go buy that house and live there, I'm sure those people next door are nice, go get to know them!
exactly. what would cause them to stop paying their mortgage or close business? don't make excuses
Wait why is she in foreclosure and why did she close her business? What does that have to do with the pervs next door? Oh ya, I would be seriously mad about them living next door but I wouldn't close my business or stop paying my mortgage; I'd MOVE.
Sure, Mack, you're not in the demographic that gets raped.
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""Not every sex offender is a child molester," Mack said."
No, a lot of them rape women. But who cares about adult females, right?
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Sorry, but level 2 and 3 sex offenders need to be locked up for life or executed for the safety of the general public particularly women and children.
 @domino AS long as it's you paying the taxes, I'm fine with that.
I completely agree with the homeowners concerns and not wanting to keep their family next to a halfway house for those recovering from addiction, sex offenders, etc. But I can't see how the halfway house made her business close and house go into foreclosure.. Would people really stop buying your pastries just because where you live? Sounds like they closed their business and chose to stop paying for their house because they didn't like who lived next door... Yes, before the halfway house was set up I believe all neighbors should have been notified, and I think it's wrong that Mr Mack is waiting until the house is actually foreclosed on to buy it. That's a real scumbag move, especially from a Pastor who obviously likes helping those in need. But you can't always control who your neighbors are, and you can't blame them if you choose to vacate your home and quit paying for it.Â
It's a crappy situation all around, for the family and for those offenders who are trying to get back on their feet. I hope a solution is found for everybody. I'd hate for those offenders to be on the streets without stable support to help them recover just because nobody thinks they belong in civilization.Â
@Melissa Foster
The Mork's never listed their house for sale. They simply dumped on the bank and the only way to purchase the house is thru a foreclosure sale. Don't blame Pastor Mack. He was never given an opportunity to purchase the house before it went into foreclosure.
Looking back at the first story it looks like they made the decision to close the business based out of their own fears. Â It's rare for any of us to be able to choose and control who our neighbors are. Â This isn't the only house Mack runs either.
I understand the need to have a place where these people can be supervised and hopefully brought back into society. But I'm a little annoyed that a homeowner is powerless. It sounds like this Mack House was not running when they bought their house. I would assume they wouldn't have bought the house otherwise. Now their house's value is almost nothing and they are going to lose it to foreclosure. Then to read at the end of the story that Pastor Mack is waiting until that time to buy up the place makes him look like an opportunistic scumbag. He should offer the current owners a reasonable price, if for no other reason, to compensate for the damage his halfway house caused for the family.
These homes should be in a warehouse industrial area. No children around
@Maynard G Krebbs
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At first blush, this sounds like the logical thing to do. But a few years ago, when a sex offender moved into our neighborhood, the King County Sheriff held a meeting for our neighborhood and explained that it is actually far worse to isolate them. If they're in a sparsely populated area (like a rural or industrial area), it's much easier for sex offenders to lure children into their home without anybody seeing them. When they live on a busy street with hundreds of neighbors, you've got hundreds of eyes watching their every move. (The part that bothered me was the fact that, if they live in a residential area, they just seem to have far more opportunity to lure/abduct somebody who's just walking past their house.)
These homes do not belong in urban or sub-urban areas, the temptation for offenders to re-offend is too great. Put them out in rural areas where they can get farm jobs and work hard or be forced to commute.Â
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Putting this sex offender house there equates to an administrative taking by the state. The contemptuous attitude of the Mack guy just shows that he doesn't care about good, honest people in the community.Â
 @NW-Economist No way, rural dwellers have women and children too. Prison is a much better place, they can be well supervised there and can't hurt anyone.
 @domino Yeah that would be best but if they can't stay in jail then a remote house miles away from any other house out in the country would be better than a neighborhood packed with kids.Â
Maybe you should Google what "Pasty" is before you jump to conclusions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty
It's a baked pastry a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall in Great Britain
 @abuckyy So maybe the reason the business closed is that they were trying to sell a traditional British product in America.
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...Or maybe it was just a typo (that is now corrected, FYI). But way to completely miss the joke!
So, what, exactly, is a "pasty business", and does she have a catalog available where we can purchase the mentioned "pasties"? Thanks.
The highest chance for a sex offender to reoffend is the first year of release. Â It is the time when they need the most support and stability in their lives to readjust to life on the outside. Â
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These kind of group homes have an extremely low rate of re-offfense because everyone there is motivated and motivates each other for success. Â
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But even though housing like this is extremely unpopular these kind of places are the places that keeps the community safe. Â Do you think the sex offender registry keeps the community safe? Â Hardly. Â Do you think a person who is alone in the community after incarceration is safe? Â Not even.
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But the community loves the diffusion of problems. Â They would rather have 20 guys fighting for survival on the streets, committing crimes and adding nothing to the community than have group housing proven to be so successful that almost nobody that goes in one, comes out dangerous and alienated.
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So, force these guys out on to the streets to commit more crimes against your family. Â It makes you feel better, and that is all that counts. Â
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 @Rider  @Rudy101 Rider you can't just shoot them in the head. they need to get lead poisoning.  Or be permanently rehabilitated when incarcerated .Â
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Sarcasm,you do realize bullets are made of lead. Â Permanent rehabilitated means they leave in a pine box. You need to think like a liberal progressive .
"Her pasty business is now closed and she and her family are facing foreclosure."
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Such a terrible thing, to have your "pasty" business close down. Not trying to make light of this sad situation, but that's a pretty awkward typo.
 @Marysvillian13 Look it up before you make light of it.
The media is responsible for creating this fear and sensationalism surrounding sex offenders which have the lowest recidivism rate. There are several living nearby my home for a decade and they've never been an issue. People who get out of prison are simply trying to get their life back together and not make anymore bad choices. When we put road blocks in their path it makes it that much more difficult. I personally would be more fearful of the drug addicts and mental health patients. This couples home being in foreclosure tells me the half-way house is nothing more then an escape goat and emphasis the sex offenders as the issue for attention to their plight.
 @fumblefacedolt Sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated. It is how they are wired. They are a time bomb waiting to go off. They can be 'good' for ten years, then they cannot fight that wiring any longer and they re offend. Nope sorry...I'd rather they stay in prison for the rest of their lives.
 @k_did  @fumblefacedolt And your supporting data is....?
The average recidivism is %9, and that's just sex crime. Average is much higher for other crimes. Any parent would have justification to be alarmed with that average alone. In today's political climate though, she would be more of a threat than any of them if she owns a gun.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaa....stop using the "neighbors" as a cover up for bad choices YOU made