Spokane7
61°
May 19, 2009 in City
Sex offender moves to Valley
Man has history of kidnapping, forcing girls into prostitution
A man with a history of devil worship who kidnapped girls and forced them into prostitution has moved to Spokane Valley.
Danny “Triple 6” Walter Schertz, 61, has been living at a motel on East Sprague Avenue since arriving from San Antonio on May 1, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Schertz is a level 3 sex offender, the classification considered the most likely to reoffend. He said in a brief telephone interview that he moved here from Texas to be closer to his daughter, Gypsy A. Neff, a Spokane woman who triggered the rewrite of the city’s prostitution ordinance when her 2001 conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court.
The two are paying the weekly rate at Maple Tree Motel and RV Park, 4824 E. Sprague Ave., a hotel employee confirmed.
Schertz spent nine years in a federal prison following a cross-country trek with a 16-year-old girl he kidnapped in Mississippi and pimped at truck stops from Tennessee to California, documents show.
His 1996 conviction on kidnapping and transportation of a minor for immoral purposes followed years of arrests for similar crimes dating to 1967 and stretching across at least three states.
Because he’s considered transient and likely to reoffend, Schertz is required to check in with the Sheriff’s Office’s sex crimes unit at least once a week until he establishes a permanent residence.
Schertz has fulfilled all conditions of his previous sentence and is not suspected of any wrongdoing. He left Texas late last month after completing five years of supervised probation.
But the Sheriff’s Office notifies the public as a matter of routine each time a level 3 sex offender registers at a new address in Spokane County.
“Obviously with him it’s necessary to let the public know,” said sheriff’s Detective John Grandinetti.
Schertz has tattoos covering his body, including the satanic phrase “Hail Set” across his forehead.
His interest in Satan led him to Mississippi, where he met the girl he kidnapped, according to a 1995 Los Angeles Times article. Schertz planned to set up a satanic church there but met three children who wanted to run away and set out with them for Memphis, Tenn., according to the article, which cited FBI investigative reports.
One returned to Mississippi, the article said, leading to Schertz’s arrest by federal agents as he was on his way to visit his wife at a strip club where she worked in the San Bernardino, Calif., area.
That article cites federal court documents that say Schertz gave the girl a “slave bracelet” and forced her to get a satanic tattoo while controlling her with threats and talk of his satanic powers. The two became intimately involved as Schertz was using a trucker call radio to advertise the girl as a prostitute, according to the news accounts.
Schertz returned to Oxford, Miss., where a plea deal was struck that sent him to prison in 1996. His prison sentence was his third since his first arrest in San Francisco in 1967 on suspicion of rape, contributing to the delinquency a minor and bringing a minor across state lines for immoral purposes, records show.
In 1976, Schertz was released from a Texas prison after serving five years for aggravated kidnapping with intent and sexual assault.
He was arrested months later in San Bernardino on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and pimping and pandering, but was convicted of only the contributing charge and served 90 days in jail.
The following year, he was sentenced to prison in Minnesota on a charge related to procuring prostitution, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
He was paroled 13 months later in July 1978 but returned twice for parole violations, according to the department.
“He just kind of went from one place to another, and I doubt the states tied it together,” Grandinetti said.
Schertz left San Antonio on April 22, according to the Texas Sex Offender Registry. He was required to check in with the San Antonio Police Department four times a year, which the department said he did consistently.
“Maybe he’s done with this behavior and he’s trying to start over,” Grandinetti said. “Hopefully, he is.”
Meghann M. Cuniff can be reached at (509) 459-5534 or at meghannc@spokesman.com.
Sex trafficking suspects released as probe continues 
Lynne on May 19 at 8:30 a.m.
This just turns my stomach. Why is this man on the streets?
For once I am at a loss of words at how appalling this is…
George_Sands on May 19 at 10:42 a.m.
Prison Pen-Pal candidate for Shellye Stark?
Nick42 on May 19 at 11:05 a.m.
So have we entered the newspaper equivalent of sweeps month or what? Is this really “doing more with less”? I would be hard-pressed to believe that there was not another story out there yesterday more worthy of the column space and this reporter’s time.
Whippersnapper on May 19 at 11:41 a.m.
This man sounds like a horrific crime about to happen—again. I hope people let him know that he’s not welcome here and he should move on.
Thanks to the spokesman-review for letting us know this guy is in Spokane.
junkshovel on May 19 at 5:56 p.m.
Has anyone seen the rap sheets of the current sex offenders in this area?? 90 % of them aren’t even under any supervision or their a transient (meaning homeless), how the heck are we supposed to feel safe with a bunch of sick dudes running the streets and then were going to let another one join our community?? What a horrible human being this guy needs locked up FOREVER….. and the sad part about it is, that he will have to reoffend again before he gets to waste tax payers money to prosecute in hopes he gets put away for good (highly unlikely) sad sad sad
I will do my part to make sure everyone in this town is aware of this monster God Bless America
starsoccer13 on May 19 at 10:58 p.m.
I read this story and it honestly makes me scared to live in Spokane anymore. These type of people need to understand that they are not welcome in our community, And the people of Spokane need to let him know that!!
westside on May 20 at 12:48 p.m.
Whoa!!!!!..This guy’s scary..lock your doors! But then again he is one of several hundred that reside here.
MagistraYgraine on June 10 at 10:45 a.m.
As an official spokesperson for the legal Church of Satan I challenge Mr. Schertz’s allegation that he is a member in good standing with our organization.
While it is possible that he registered under a different name, he most assuredly did not mention his legal status which would have voided his membership.
The Church of Satan’s view on sexuality, our appreciation of sexual freedom for consenting adults demands that we are even more strongly against anyone who abuses others sexually. There is nothing weaker, more cowardly, more irresponsible and utterly disgusting than a sex offender. Mr. Schertz would do well to remember that Satanists do not believe in forgiveness, and we have none for him.
Moreover, one cannot be a member of The Temple of Set and the Church of Satan simultaneously. I cannot speak for the ToS, but even they would agree that these two organizations are mutually exclusive.
Mr. Schertz is the embarrassing sort who is so utterly dull that they need to find unique religions to seem interesting. Sadly, today, sex offenders with tattoos who whine and cry about their rights being abused are a dime a dozen. A Satanist would never find them self in a position like this. They would recognize that they had broken Satanic law, accept that they belong in a pew begging for forgiveness, and cease humiliating a religion that demands more than they are capable of.
Magistra Ygraine
Church of Satan