Other LanguagesPORT ORCHARD — A Kitsap County jury has decided that repeat sex offender George Edward Hancock, Jr. is a dangerous predator and must be confined in the State’s Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island. In the interest of public safety, prosecutors from Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Sexually Violent Predator Unit (SVP) have been fighting since July 2014 to prevent Hancock’s release into the community.
Hancock, 49, was convicted of indecent liberties against a child under age 14 in 1982 and first-degree rape of a child in 2000. After serving a 14-year sentence for the 2000 conviction, he was scheduled for community release in July 2014. Before his release, the Attorney General’s Office filed for his civil commitment. Since then, he has been detained at the Special Commitment Center while awaiting trial.
The trial began on February 9th and ended on February 26th with the jury’s decision that Hancock is a Sexually Violent Predator. Assistant Attorney General Erin Dyer was the lead prosecutor for the state.
“The Attorney General’s Office works hard to protect our communities from sexually violent predators,” said Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “I’m especially proud of the entire prosecution team for their dedication to this case over the past seven months.”
Under Washington’s civil commitment law, prosecutors had to demonstrate Hancock suffers from specific mental abnormalities and/or personality disorders that cause him to have serious difficulty in controlling his dangerous behavior and make him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence unless confined to a secure facility.
In 1990, Washington became the first state in the nation to pass a law permitting the involuntary civil commitment of sex offenders after they have served their criminal sentences. The Attorney General’s SVP Unit was established shortly thereafter.
The AGO SVP unit is responsible for prosecuting sex predator cases for 38 of Washington’s 39 counties (King County being the exception). In Fiscal Year 2014, the unit tried 14 cases, won nine civil commitments and secured one recommitment. Three trials ended in hung juries (meaning the offender remains detained pending a new trial), and one trial involved an offender who was found by the jury to not meet the criteria to be committed as a sexually violent predator.
As of October 2014, 294 sexually violent predators are in the state’s Special Commitment Program.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is working hard to protect consumers and seniors against fraud, keep our communities safe, protect our environment and stand up for our veterans. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
Contacts:
Peter Lavallee, Communications Director, (360) 586-0725; PeterL@atg.wa.gov