Spokane7
53°
March 3, 2010 in City
Sex predator ordered locked up indefinitely
Ronald Timm is escorted by Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies from the courtroom of Judge Jerome Leveque after the verdict of his civil commitment trial on March 3, 2010.
(Full-size photo)
A jury has decided child molester Ronald Reo Timm should be locked up indefinitely because he’s a predator who poses a danger to society.
The decision was announced this morning.
Assistant Attorney General Tricia Boerger gave the state’s final argument Tuesday before the jury, made up of nine men and three women, began deliberating the future of the 59-year-old sex offender.
Timm was convicted in 1989 of statutory rape and then again in 1996 for first-degree rape of a child. While in prison, Timm told a counselor that he molested 24 children, all ages between 3 and 7.
“He is a predator,” Boerger said of Timm. “He preys on young girls to satisfy his sexual desires.”
To side with the state, the jury in this civil trial must decide that Timm has a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes him likely to reoffend if released from prison.
Timm’s attorney, Tim Trageser, told the jury that people have been coming to the Spokane County Courthouse for more than 100 years to decide cases. But in almost all of those cases, persons are judged after they commit a crime. Only during the civil commitment hearings are juries asked to predict the future.
“The task belongs to you. That’s a difficult task,” he said. “It is a myth to consider the fact that sex offenders re-offend as a rule.”
Timm served his entire 10 year sentence from the 1996 conviction. He has spent the past three years in custody awaiting the civil commitment trial.
“We all know that people choose what they do. They may regret it, but they choose to do it,” he said. “We punish people when they make those choices. But the inability to make those choices never … was considered until it became time to release a man who admitted molesting 24 children.”
Trageser argued that psychologists are trained to treat persons with mental illness and that they should not be asked to predict how an offender may react once released.
“This is a commitment law where it has to be proven that my client is mentally ill. How do you determine that Mr. Timm is one of the few who can’t control his behavior versus those who choose to do what they do?” Trageser said. “I would submit that there is no evidence that he has a mental abnormality.”
Trageser ended his argument by reminding the jury that any decision they make about what Timm may do once released “would merely be a guess. He is now a 60-year-old wanting to get out of prison,” he said. “What are you going to do with him? There is a strong temptation to keep him in (prison) because he is potentially dangerous. But you can’t use this law to do it.”
Closing Geiger: Wise or worrisome? 
yikes on March 03 at 11:30 a.m.
With dangerous sexual predators it should be one strike, you’re out…for good. If they are let out and re-offend the people that let them out should be prosecuted.
misjustice on March 03 at 11:33 a.m.
Finally, Justice is Served!
Now, let’s order restitution for the victims of this perv so that they can start on their journey of healing.
Kudos to the jury in this trial!
MrNatural on March 03 at 12:10 p.m.
Judicial Culling: to remove an animal, especially a sick or weak one, from a herd or flock; something regarded as worthless, especially an unwanted or inferior animal removed from a herd.
Me thinks this is a new and valuable judicial determination applicable to this situation.
My compliments to the jury
jddavis on March 03 at 1:15 p.m.
Fool us once, shame on us. Fool us 24 times, being locked up “indefinitely” is too good for you!
Timm—I’m sure your cell block buddies will console you.
krissy7289 on March 03 at 1:20 p.m.
i was on the jury. it was a touch case to handle. its hard knowing that i helped take a mans freedom, regardless of what he did but knowing that he can never do this again to any child is a great feeling. seeing the reactions of some of the family memebers of some victims was a good feeling knowing they can finally heal. one less preditor off the streets.
madscientist on March 03 at 1:28 p.m.
hank tingler, wake up. this pervert deserves the death penalty. He is being locked up because of past history. we was let out of jail after his first time and did it again. how many chances should he get? one offense of this nature is too many.
DeAna on March 03 at 2:04 p.m.
Thank God I don’t have to worry about my sisters, thier well-being or mental status now that they know HE’S never getting out I know 5 of his victims & thats not including me….. Atleast our court systems good for something…
jddavis on March 03 at 2:37 p.m.
Krissy7289—You didn’t take his freedom, he did. You held him accountable; for that, I am grateful.
kia7479 on March 03 at 3:08 p.m.
as one of his victims myself it is a great relief to finally see that my father is held accountable and that justice has finally been done and that he will no longer be a threat to other little children..this man should have been locked up for good after his 1989 case. i hope to the other victims there is closure and a healing process can finally begin.its a sad case that it took this many victims for him to finally get caught..being locked up for the rest of his life is still too good for this man.
tomday on March 03 at 4:12 p.m.
Toss this scum into general population and lets see how long he lasts. This is one area I have no compassion for. High speed lead therapy works best for monsters like this! Hurt a child the way he did get rid of them.
krissy7289 on March 03 at 8:06 p.m.
i know. thr is talk that if he does treatment and shows true improvment he may b lt out but hearing his past history with prevous treatments i doubt it will ever happen. i hope it doesnt happen. i know it was the best choice, having a child molester locked up and getting another prv off the streets is great. im truely sorry for all of his victims, that they had to go though this and having this take so long. it makes me feel good knowing that im helping save another child from being hurt and tortchered for the rest of therir lives like past victims. its a sad case that made me nause to listen to. i hope all the vitims can finally have peace.
yaknski on March 03 at 8:07 p.m.
How many times do we read about a pedophile that recommits after serving prison time? Too often.
Provided by the U.S. Department of Justice,
Bureau of Justice Statistics on Child Sexual Abuse;
summaries of noteworthy research findings:
Sex offender statistics.
60% of convicted sex offenders on parole or probation.
Children and teenagers are victims.
Recidivism rates for crimes higher among sex offenders.
Violent offenders and their victims.
Two-thirds of sex offenders in prisons victimized a child.
Family members of acquaintances most child murders.
Half of women raped were younger than 18
invalid_username on March 03 at 8:16 p.m.
Posters above should research the conditions of civil commitment prior to voicing inaccurate emotion errors.
invalid_username on March 03 at 8:19 p.m.
and I am still here.
hugable on March 03 at 10:58 p.m.
As one of his victims myself it is a great relief to finally see that justice has finally been done..that he will no longer be a threat to other children..this man should have been locked up for good…..i hope to the other victims there is closure and a healing process can finally begin.its a sad case that it took this many victims for him to finally get caught..
SugarShane on March 03 at 11:15 p.m.
They let these guys out to make room for drug offenders.
starvationgulch on March 03 at 11:19 p.m.
I am the mother of two of timms victims, i would like to thank James Budder, and Tricia Boerger for all their hard taxing work and for their very human treatment of the victims and their families. This whole process has put all of us through a hell that only those involved can understand. I would also like to thank the jury for seeing through this pervert and seeing him for what he is and to thank them for the many children that are never going to be Ron’s victims. Sexual predators are very smart people who threaten and scare their victims into a silence that when and if it is every broken will leave lasting affects on everyone, my family and I are living proof of this but with the grace of God maybe today the healing can finally begin for all of Timms victims,
DeAna on March 04 at 8:07 a.m.
starvationgulch is actully the mother of 3 of the victims
Mildlyirritated on March 04 at 12:49 p.m.
Tell me where were the families,friends etc. of these mothers? If they knew what he was why let the women turn to him for help? Getting caught in Mr. Timms web of deceit. Why didn’t they pack them all up and get them away? If they cared as much back then as some seem to now less may have had to suffer. Hell why didn’t anyone pull the mothers and their kids out of the situations they were in? And for youTimm; they get the paper in prison hope you have a big welcoming committe!!!!!!!!
gmama63 on March 05 at 1:04 p.m.
To Mildlyirritated:: Trust me the families and friends
were there and available to help, but its hard to convince a person who was so contriolled by him, to do what was needed. We called CPS, the police, forced one mom to get a restraining order, all to know avail. He still was so manipulative and controling that he scared her to death with his threats. Please dont ever think the families and friends didnt try our best . We finally convince the law to take it out of the control of others and get him off the streets. If you only knew all the heartache we went through, you wouldnt be so quick to pass judgement
spunky12 on March 05 at 3:45 p.m.
Great job by prosecutors to lock up Timm. Molesters are full time con artists who manipulate not just the innocent victims but position themselves favorably with adults to mitigate any disclosure by their victims.
Sexual abuse of children is horrific and not just to the actual victims themselves. Caring adults are devastated when the truth comes out with guilt and remorse for not seeing what the perpetrator was doing to the child and their failure to protect the child.
Another sad but common scenario occurs when the victim discloses the abuse; the adults come to the defense of the perpetrator and in turn attack the victim’s credibility. The adults go on the offensive with either it never happened or “let’s keep this secret in the family”. In our case, we were told “Lie to the authorities and pretend this never happened”. What can and does often happen next, is that the victim is no longer able to withstand this immense pressure. If the victim then capitulates to the pressure and recants, the adults either in denial and/or supporting the perpetrator then joyfully exclaim “See I told you she was lying.” - What? To get attention? Who would want that kind of attention?
In our family’s case when our daughter disclosed her abuse the “let’s bury this faction” led by a perpetrator family member, immediately went on the attack of the victim. What happening? Within 90 days the victim was permanently silenced (death at age 15) as a direct result of sexual abuse by family members.
The police will tell you that while the Mr. Timm’s of the world are extremely dangerous, the ones who are the most dangerous and under the radar, are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers etc. Take this from experience, when the victim discloses, “believe the children” and don’t naively assume (as we did) that the adults will defend and support the victim.
You might ask, what happened to the perpetrators and were they ever brought to justice? Not! They are still out there free to molest again.
revbuckley on March 08 at 10:47 a.m.
It’sgreat he got life. I worked the child sex crime unit in new orleans for 3 years. It was sicking to see a man you just arrested walking free 20 -30 days later on probation. We caught 90% within 4 months in the company of children and busted them again only to see in a few months back on the streets. Now if we could do the same thing to drug dealers the US would be a better place. 98% of drug dealers are going to be repeat offenders. While we are at it send all the people who commit domestic violence in for life to, 99% will reoffend.