‘We’re all scared.’ Fear of planned sex offender home boils over at forum

Hundreds of angry and frightened people demanded state and local officials stop plans to move sexually violent predators into a new transition home in Kennewick.

But after two hours of heartfelt speeches and some shouting, it remains unclear what impact their cries will have on plans to house sex offenders from McNeil Island in the Eighth Avenue home.

More than 300 grandparents, parents and children packed the Highlands Middle School auditorium on Monday night until it was standing room only. Many wore shirts or carried signs that read: “Keep violent predators away from our children.”

They spoke to a panel that included Joe Field, a private contractor who will run the program, and representatives from two state agencies – the Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Corrections. They also were joined by District 8 legislators and state Sen. Nikki Torres from District 15.

“I am terrified,” a 16-year-old girl, who lives less than quarter mile away, told Field. “I am scared. I’m sure all of these people are scared, despite the yelling, despite the anger, it’s all fear.

“We’re all scared for our families. We’re all scared of what could happen and, because you can’t guarantee our safety, that fear will not go away,” she said.

Speakers pointed out that the neighborhood around the home in the central part of Kennewick had hundreds of children, who would be visible from the house. They pointed out a playground in a yard across the street.

“It’s just the wrong place. It’s right in the middle of heavy traffic for kids,” a woman told Field. “I don’t give a flying word about your Walla Walla homes, and all your history of this and that. We all are here because we’re not for this.”

Field has operated a facility for sex offenders in Walla Walla since 2017 and added a home for offenders being released from McNeil Island’s special commitment center since 2024.

Janette Romero, a community organizer and mother of three, fought back tears as she spoke about a Cowlitz County man who sexually assaulted two young children.

“Now answer me this, are there any kind of safeguards that would make you comfortable (to have these people) living next door to your family,” she said.

Kennewick Mayor Jason McShane added his voice to the chorus of people opposed to the plan. He said he had prepared statements, but he set them aside as he watched a community come together to “fight against things that just don’t make sense.”

“Over the last two weeks, there has become an understanding of what this is, and what’s interesting to me is my children ... all say the same thing, ‘This does not make sense, Dad. Why is this the case?’” said McShane, a father of five.

He urged those at the forum to put pressure on Washington state legislators to change the law that “force these to be able to fit within communities.”

“Our challenge is in Olympia, but it starts right here,” McShane said. “Kennewick’s motto is, ‘Leading the way,’ and it starts right here.”

Security precautions

Field and the officials shared some more information about the program and the process used to ensure safety.

Several attendees asked about the training and staffing and at the home. Field said there would be two staff members there during the day and one person at night. The home could have up to five offenders who finished serving prison sentences and then been in treatment before being approved for release to a transition home, like the one proposed in Kennewick.

They would wear GPS ankle monitors are all times and could only leave the home with supervision, according to Field and state officials.

While Field didn’t explain what training his employees have, he said he looks for people with experience managing houses with sex offenders.

Brandon Duncan, the Department of Corrections’ civil commitment supervision, said told the crowd that before any placement happens, his department puts together a report with recommendations for what rules the offender needs to follow.

He explained that there can be as many as 50 restrictions that need to be followed, and violating any of them could lead to the person going back to McNeil Island.

Duncan and Field both handled questions about what the procedures if someone escapes the facility.

Field said his employees stay with the people in the house and call 911, while Duncan explained that the Department of Corrections monitors the tracking devices all day, every day.

When one is cut off, or a person deviates from where they’re supposed to be, police are alerted, and a fugitive team is sent out to apprehend the offender.

Field said the normal stay for someone leaving McNeil going into a less-restrictive alternative home is about three years.

Why Eighth Avenue?

Several speakers said they couldn’t understand why that neighborhood was picked. Field explained he looked in Benton County and Richland, but he said the more rural locations were rejected, though it wasn’t clear Monday who made that decision.

“You cannot have enough precautions,” one speak said. “We could have a list of a thousand precautions and I still would not sleep well with that (house) in our neighborhood. Everything else is valid, but why are we placing it in a neighborhood? You can hear that there’s a school that close, there’s a playground next door. Why is it in a neighborhood?”

The question remained largely unanswered. State law says the homes need to be “within a reasonable distance to a grocery store, bank, public transportation options and offices for public services and benefits.”

Field’s homes in Walla Walla sit on the border between commercial and residential areas. He said that he hasn’t had any problems with his neighbors there.

The status of his plans for the home in Kennewick remains unclear. Department of Social and Health Services officials have said Field has submitted an application for a contract with the state.

When asked if he planned to move forward with the home, Field said he would.

“This is my profession,” he said. “This is what I do. I have kids all over the neighborhood where I’m at, and it’s never a problem.”

While most people were skeptical of Field’s assertion, he did have one supporter in the crowd.

Ora Rae Ottmar, who is currently the landlord for Fields in Walla Walla, said the men at the facility there have been respectful and “behaved beautifully.”

“Some of them, I still keep in touch with even though they have left the area,” she said. “God did a work in their lives, and they are totally changed and Joe has a good program.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 12:30 PM.