A convicted sex offender from Spokane — already found guilty of molesting a 12-year-old girl — was repeatedly arrested and released in Clallam County. Now he’s charged with raping another child. Meanwhile, local officials move mountains overnight to provide “security” for themselves against public criticism. The contrast should outrage every taxpayer and parent in this county.
Clallam County is once again learning too late what happens when the system values comfort over accountability.
CC Watchdog first reported on Avonte Trevon Abram in early August after he failed to register as a sex offender, was arrested, and released by the prosecutor three days later.
Last week, Abram — a convicted sex offender— was booked again into Clallam County Jail.
This is a man who molested a 12-year-old girl in 2018. That conviction alone should give any community pause. But Abram isn’t even from here. He’s registered out of Spokane’s 99201 zip code — more than 300 miles away.
In 2024, he was again convicted — this time for failing to register and possessing firearms — and was ordered by a Spokane County court to forfeit his weapons. Yet somehow, he landed in Clallam County, failed to register here, and was swiftly released.
One concerned citizen saw the problem coming and wrote to the Sheriff’s Office:
“Can you please tell me why sex offender Avonte Abram is not registered in Clallam County? He was recently booked for ‘failure to register.’ He molested a 12-year-old when he was 21. Since he was released by the prosecutor here and is likely receiving services, shouldn’t he be required to register — and shouldn’t the public be informed?”
That warning went unheeded.
And now, just two days ago, Abram was booked into Clallam County Jail again — this time for a felony bench warrant, Communicating with a Minor for Immoral Purposes, and Rape of a Child in the Third Degree.
This is important to understand: A repeat sex offender, not from this county, was released — and now another child has been raped.
Under RCW 9A.44.079, Rape of a Child in the Third Degree means sexual intercourse with a victim aged 14 to 15 when the perpetrator is at least four years older. It is one of the most preventable crimes imaginable when known offenders are properly supervised and monitored.
Abram remains registered with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office as a transient. Yet here he was, walking free in Clallam County — cycling through our revolving jail door until another innocent child paid the price.
So why is this happening? Why are we offering “services” and soft landings to predators while our children are paying the price?
Because here, in Clallam County, power protects itself — not the public.
Hurt Feelings Before Felons
Consider this: After a critical public comment at a meeting, Charter Review Commissioner Jim Stoffer requested security in a July 16 email to county officials — not because of threats or violence, but simply to shield himself from public criticism. The response from county leadership was immediate.
Within hours, County Commissioner Mark Ozias, Sheriff Brian King, and Administrator Todd Mielke had arranged taxpayer-funded private security for Stoffer. By the next day, the plan was in motion. Charter Review Chair Susan Fisch thanked them personally: “Thank you for working on this so quickly,” she wrote.
So, when a politician’s feelings are at stake, the system moves in a single day.
But when a child’s safety is at stake? The same system looks the other way.
Meanwhile: Another familiar name resurfaces
Also this week, Guy Jay Ralph Jr. — a convicted sex offender with a long record in Oregon and Washington — was again arrested in Port Angeles.
His rap sheet includes robbery, assault, sexual abuse, and multiple failures to register.
On October 12, he was booked for DUI-drugs — the same charge that had landed him in jail in June — and he was released the next day.
On October 30, one day after our last story about Ralph, he was arrested again for Obstructing a Law Enforcement Officer and Physical Control of a Vehicle While Under the Influence. He was released again the following morning.
This is not a system protecting the public. It’s one that recycles predators through our neighborhoods, over and over, with full knowledge of who they are.
A Question Every Citizen Should Be Asking
When Charter Review Commissioner Jim Stoffer can get private security within 24 hours to avoid public scrutiny — but a convicted child rapist can enter and leave our jail like a revolving door — who is our county government really serving?
These are not isolated mistakes. This is a pattern — one that leaves parents afraid, victims forgotten, and predators emboldened.
If we can’t even keep a known sex offender from preying on another child, then the question is no longer about policy or politics. It’s about moral failure — and the soul of this community.
