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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sex offender quits job after protest

Taryn Brodwater Staff writer

A registered sex offender quit her job at the Sandpoint Library on Tuesday after a patron complained and threatened to picket.

Kristina Patricia Lutes, 42, had been working at the library since Sept. 20 and had done volunteer work at the library as far back as February, said Library Director Wayne Gunter. He said a background check was conducted during the hiring process and revealed that Lutes was a registered sex offender, convicted in 2003 of sex abuse of a child under 16.

Still, Gunter said, the library decided to hire the Sagle woman as a circulation attendant, a job that involves checking out books from behind a counter and returning books to library shelves.

Sue Phelps, a library patron, complained to the library after she saw Lutes checking out books. Phelps said she was concerned that Lutes could have contact with children and that she planned to picket to let people know a sex offender was working at the library. Neither Phelps nor Lutes could be reached for comment.

In a written statement on the library’s hiring practices, Gunter said that the East Bonner County Library District conducts criminal background checks on job candidates with the help of the Idaho State Police and then investigates on its own anything that turns up.

“We received written assurances from professionals involved in the case and statements from our library attorney that indicated that it would be appropriate to hire Kristine as the most qualified person otherwise,” Gunter said. “We were assured there was not any risk.”

In the written statement, Gunter said there is information that the library can’t divulge about its employees and asked for the public’s trust in library officials’ hiring judgment.

“Although fear is often the motivation for human statements and actions, perceptions born of fear are not always accurate and resulting actions can be inappropriate,” Gunter said in the statement.

The Bonner County Daily Bee reported that Lutes and her husband, Richard Brandon Lutes, originally faced more than 40 felony charges in 2002 for sexually abusing a 14-year-old.

The victim told authorities that she had sex with the Lutes at least twice, according to court records.

Kristine Lutes was sentenced to a year in jail and is on probation. Richard Lutes is serving a 10- to 15-year term in prison.