Port Angeles sex offender arrested at Wash. carnival
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SEATTLE -- Pacific County deputies arrested a registered sex offender Wednesday when the 51-year-old was found working at a traveling carnival in South Bend.
Philip Curtis Shelly was convicted of first degree child rape in 1998. After spending 11 years in prison, he was forced to register as a level II sex offender, according to deputies. As part of his registration, Shelly cannot have contact with children.
"We received a report from the Department of Corrections that there may be someone working for the carnival at the fair that was a registered sex offender," said Pacific County Sheriff Scott Johnson.
Deputies contacted Shelly and determined he was wanted by the Washington State Department of Corrections on multiple counts of having contact with minor children while working at a booth at the Clallam County Fair the week prior.
Johnson said Shelly's job at the carnival put him in direct contact with small children.
"He was working in a booth that may have allowed him interaction directly with small children, where he would actually pick the children up and place them on the counter at the booth he was in," he said.
The carnival is not required to screen for sex offenders, and that doesn't sit well with some local parents.
"Maybe they should start," said parent Kelly Johnson. "Maybe this is a good reason to start. I mean, they are with kids all day long here."
There's no indication that Shelly harmed any children at the fair and deputies say representatives from the fair may not have been aware of his criminal history.
Shelly, who uses multiple aliases, was arrested and is being held in Pacific County Jail pending extradition.
He's facing several charges in Clallam County for parole violations.
Philip Curtis Shelly was convicted of first degree child rape in 1998. After spending 11 years in prison, he was forced to register as a level II sex offender, according to deputies. As part of his registration, Shelly cannot have contact with children.
"We received a report from the Department of Corrections that there may be someone working for the carnival at the fair that was a registered sex offender," said Pacific County Sheriff Scott Johnson.
Deputies contacted Shelly and determined he was wanted by the Washington State Department of Corrections on multiple counts of having contact with minor children while working at a booth at the Clallam County Fair the week prior.
Johnson said Shelly's job at the carnival put him in direct contact with small children.
"He was working in a booth that may have allowed him interaction directly with small children, where he would actually pick the children up and place them on the counter at the booth he was in," he said.
The carnival is not required to screen for sex offenders, and that doesn't sit well with some local parents.
"Maybe they should start," said parent Kelly Johnson. "Maybe this is a good reason to start. I mean, they are with kids all day long here."
There's no indication that Shelly harmed any children at the fair and deputies say representatives from the fair may not have been aware of his criminal history.
Shelly, who uses multiple aliases, was arrested and is being held in Pacific County Jail pending extradition.
He's facing several charges in Clallam County for parole violations.
Yea..everyone is shocked and dismayed but there's probably not a lot of job opportunities out for someone with a background like this guy has. If he hasn't been actually committing offenses against children in his current position then I say give the guy a break because even released sex offenders need to eat and pay bills.
Carnivals don't screen employees for sex offenders? Â Wow. Â Good to know, those Carnies are pretty creepy. Â Some one who is not doing anything wrong usually doesn't have so many aliases. Glad they got him.
 @keri555 I don't think many businesses (traveling or not) screen for sex offenders, but probably should. In the industry I'm in (IT) I was expected to pass a pee test before I could start working a particular project. Seems to me expanding the background check to protect co-workers from creeps like this (let alone the actual offender) makes sense, I mean if I found out one of the people on my team was a registered sex offender for committing a crime that involved children, I'd likely be the next one in jail for assault and battery.
 @Brewin4u  @keri555 So you hire children to work in your data center or support your users? I think not. So if there is no exposure to children in your workplace and a released sex offender is otherwise qualified to do the job then what's the problem?
 @I Like Meat  @Brewin4u  @keri555 Well "I Like Meat" it would heavily depend on the case. For instance if the released offender is a 19-yr old kid who got branded for messing around with a 17-yr old in a consensual sort of way thats one thing but if its a 45-yr old who preyed on innocent children, well can't say I would tolerate that person "rehabilitated" or not. The act of harming children is disgraceful and any person who commits the crime should pay for their actions for the remaining days they consume oxygen. Just because the legal system protects them doesn't mean I will.