Kevin Coe, the man known as Spokane’s South Hill Rapist from the 1970s and 80s, may finally get his chance at freedom.
Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services says Coe will receive a hearing on October 2 in Spokane to determine whether he stays in custody or is released after four decades in prison and then civil commitment.
Coe was convicted of four rape counts in 1981. Three of the convictions were thrown out in 1984. Coe was retried in 1985 and convicted of three rape counts. Two of those were reversed in 1988. After Coe finished his sentence on the remaining conviction, the state Supreme Court, in 2006, ordered him confined to a state facility for sexual offenders at McNeil Island, where he lives today.
In its letter to state legislators, DSHS says two state officials have evaluated Coe and believe he no longer qualifies as “a sexually violent predator.” They say he should be released and assigned to an adult family home in the Seattle area.
Two eastern Washington legislators say they’re not happy about the news.
Sen. Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) is upset that Coe may soon be freed, but he’s also angry that the agency informed legislators, but apparently not the general public.
“For someone that committed so many terrible crimes in our region, it’s just wrong and it’s almost as if DSHS doesn’t want the victims to know or their families,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have known except for the release,” said Sen. Shelly Short (R-Addy). “It makes me wonder if the public’s notification will be just the minimum necessary in order to minimize the outcry. The agency has got to know that there will be immense opposition.”
She says she was “mortified to say the least” about the decision to place Coe in an adult family home. She calls it “completely irresponsible.”
Schoesler says he will look to change the law to make it more difficult to release serious offenders from state prisons and civil commitment facilities.
“There is a very small number of people that refuse treatment, refuse to admit guilt, that should never see the light of day. I’ll be exploring the options of what we can do to make sure that DSHS doesn’t dump these people who shouldn’t be dumped into any area,” he said.
