Neighbors rally against WA sex offender home opening in Kennewick
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Neighbors staged a protest on Edison Street against new sex-offender housing.
- State cleared site; it's over 500 ft from schools, parks and registered day cares.
- Operator promised 24 cameras, GPS ankle monitors, escorts and strict monitoring.
About 100 neighbors gathered along Edison Street on Monday to protest a home opening in their neighborhood for sex offenders being released from prison.
They carried signs calling for the safety of their kids.
“We literally have a family right here with very young children,” said Jeffrey Latendresse. “Would you want them in your neighborhood?,’ is what I would ask anybody. I think it’s unsafe because we can only protect our kids so much.”
It’s the latest protest by neighbors upset, angry and frustrated over the sudden news that split-level home at the corner of Edison and Eighth Avenue is being converted into housing for sex offenders leaving a special commitment center on McNeil Island.
The center in Pierce County houses sex offenders who have been committed for treatment of mental health issues that make them more likely to offend again, according to the Department of Social and Health Services.
It’s been determined by state officials that the men are no longer a risk of reoffending and can move into housing where they are monitored.
But many neighbors learned about the plans through a news release posted last week on Facebook and were told there is nothing the city of Kennewick can do to stop the sale of the home for that purpose.
Many living in that area of central Kennewick have pointed out that Edison Elementary School is only half a mile away, and dozens of children walk through the neighborhood to get to school.
“I live just down the street right there, and I have five kids,” Daniel Bauer told the Tri-City Herald on Monday.
His wife, Riana, said they let their child walk along the street, but now they feel like they can’t. They have a son on the Autism spectrum, and she worries that he is at greater risk of being a victim.
“So many of our neighbors have very little kids too,” she said. “It’s just terrifying. You want them to feel safe in their own neighborhood.”
The Kennewick School District sent out a notice to parents on Friday saying they are “particularly concerned about the proximity of this location to established walking routes used by Edison Elementary students.
At this point, the district has no plans to change school operations or walking routes.
State agencies already have approved the location, which needed to be more than 500 feet away from schools, parks and registered daycares.
Joe Field, the man who plans to run the home, has promised that neighbors won’t see the men living there. He runs similar housing in Walla Walla and has had no problems.
Kennewick officials have promised to hold a community meeting that includes police, legislators and Field. It still is in the process of being scheduled.
Sex offender home
McNeil Island is a Department of Social and Health Services facility that houses sex offenders who are found to have a mental health issues that makes it more likely that they will offend again.
The island in the Puget Sound, southwest of Tacoma was once home to a federal prison.
To be released from McNeil Island, experts from the state, prosecution and defense need to determine that the offender is safe.
Field pointed out that many of the people being released from civil commitment already have served a prison sentence and spent time in treatment. At the youngest, they are in their 40s and many are in their 60s and 70s.
In addition, he said of the people released from McNeil Island in the past 20 years, there have only been two cases when people reoffended after they were released. And neither involved violent crimes nor strangers.
When they go into the Eighth Avenue facility, they will largely be confined to the house and a small, fenced backyard, Field said. He promised that neighbors won’t realize anyone is there.
The grounds will be monitored by 24 cameras, and the men will have GPS ankle monitors.
To go anywhere, they will need to apply a week ahead, explain why they must make the trip, what they’re doing there and provide a schedule.
No one leaves the house on any trip without an escort, he said. And they need to call to report when they arrive and when they’re returning. Forgetting any step, can lead to them returning to a DSHS facility.
The homes also are regularly inspected by the state agency.
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 12:34 PM.