Level Iii Offender Failed Parole, Returned To Prison

Sat., Feb. 27, 1999

By Robin Rivers robinr@spokesman.com

A predatory sex offender living in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood has been sent back to prison for violating the conditions of his release.

Randy Linerud, 40, repeatedly failed to participate in treatment, adhere to a curfew and pay back legal restitution since being released under community supervision in November from Airway Heights Correctional Center.

Those violations forced the state Department of Corrections to revoke Linerud’s early release. The rapist will remain in prison for the next 24 months, said Glen Shaw, DOC community corrections supervisor.

As the number of sex offenders in Spokane County continues to grow, offenders classified as Level III predators - such as Linerud - are being watched more carefully, Shaw said.

The DOC and local police also have joined forces to keep the public informed about what is happening with predators, from initial notifications of which neighborhood they are living in to the circumstances surrounding those who are returned to prison.

“Keeping people informed, that’s our best bet for keeping them safe,” Shaw said.

Police detectives Jerry Keller and Dennis Walter agree. The team tracks sex offenders living inside the city limits and has begun having informational meetings in neighborhoods where predators live.

“We want citizens to always know what’s going on with these guys,” Keller said.

Of the roughly 1,400 registered sex offenders living in the city and county, about 50 are Level III offenders who are considered predatory and at high risk to reoffend.

Linerud was released to a downtown apartment from Airway Heights prison after serving nearly nine years of a 12-year sentence on King County convictions for first-degree rape, third-degree rape and attempted second-degree rape. He moved to a home in the 1900 block of West Mallon in January.

His victims have been adult women. He typically offers a woman a ride, drives her to a secluded area and rapes her.

Linerud is an untreated sex offender, categorized by the DOC as extremely violent.

He began violating the conditions of his release in January and the DOC acted immediately on the reports, Shaw said.

Shaw said that such violations can signal more severe problems including re-offending.

“When they get to that point, our feeling is they’re starting back down that road,” Shaw said. “To the best of our knowledge, he (Linerud) has not re-offended.

“We are as interested in community safety as the citizens are,” Shaw said. “We will do everything we can to deal with offenders before they get to the point of re-offending.”

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