SEATTLE — A high-risk sex offender who recently fled Canada has registered with local authorities in the Seattle area, officials said Friday.
Authorities had located Michael Sean Stanley in the Seattle area on Thursday and said he would be arrested if he failed to register within three days. King County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cindi West said Friday that Stanley followed through with that process, reporting to the sheriff’s office that he was homeless.
Because of his housing status, Stanley will have to check in weekly at the local courthouse, West said.
Stanley has a long history of sexual offenses against women and children and had been missing since Oct. 1, when he left Edmonton and cut off his electronic-monitoring bracelet in Canada. Officials issued a public alert describing Stanley as an untreated, violent offender who posed a significant risk.
His case stirred fear in Canada, as schools in several west-central Saskatchewan communities locked their doors and kept children inside after police got multiple, unconfirmed sightings of the Edmonton man.
Eventually, Stanley managed to reach the U.S. border, and officials allowed him to enter the United States after determining he was an American citizen and not the subject of an extraditable arrest warrant.
Authorities say he isn’t being arrested because Canada has decided not to seek his extradition and Stanley is not wanted for any crimes in the United States.
Law enforcement officials in the Seattle area were working with Canadian counterparts Friday to verify whether Stanley is required to register and determine how he should be classified.
“We know where he is, and we’re going to closely monitor him,” said Detective Renee Witt, a spokeswoman with the Seattle Police Department.
Stanley was released from jail in Canada in April 2011 after completing a 32-month sentence for assault and forcible confinement. He recently was sought by Canadian authorities for charges related to removing his bracelet.
Stanley was being monitored by police under a peace bond, which Canadian authorities can get to impose conditions on individuals in the community. His peace bond has 20 conditions, including one ordering him to stay away from children.
———
Follow AP Writer Mike Baker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeBakerAP
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
