tion to the law. She said he will be homeless in the Oak Harbor area, but she has no idea where he will be camping out. The former Navy man doesn’t even have a friend’s couch to stay on.

Among state’s most dangerous

Summiel will be monitored under a program reserved for the state’s most dangerous sex offenders. A new strategy authorized by Gov. Chris Gregoire last fall authorizes GPS monitoring for registered sex offenders who are considered most likely to reoffend. Summiel will have to wear a GPS device, which keeps track of where he’s been. The information doesn’t give law enforcement real-time information about his whereabouts, but the data has to be downloaded periodically.

A problem, Lee said, is that the GPS device must be recharged daily, which could be a difficultly for a homeless man. She said Summiel will have to come into the Department of Corrections office in Oak Harbor each day to recharge the battery, but she’s not sure what will happen on weekends.

Brown said one of Summiel’s former victims, who is now an adult, still lives in the community and his family is upset that the offender is returning. But the sheriff admits that Summiel probably wouldn’t pose an imminent danger to the man.

“He’s not a violent person,” Brown said. “He’s what I call a professional groomer.”

Summiel was convicted of child rape in the second degree in Island County Superior Court. He was originally charged with 34 different counts of sex crimes for allegedly having sexual relationships with a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, as well as possessing child pornography.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Summiel used extensive grooming techniques, including buying gifts and giving out cash.

Summiel is under community supervision through the Department of Corrections for three to four years. The Department of Corrections End of Sentence Review Committee has rated Summiel as a Level 3 sexual offender, which means he is considered a high risk to reoffend. He has not had sex offender treatment and is not required to do so.

Summiel is scheduled to get out of prison and move to Oak Harbor May 5.

“It’s hard to feel sorry for a high-risk sex offender,” Brown said, “but I do feel sorry that we aren’t giving him the best opportunity to succeed.”

You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.