Registered sex offenders with histories of child rape and molestation are being arrested for new crimes — including burglary and theft — only to be released back onto our streets within hours. Small businesses face smashed windows and lost revenue while residents wonder who is truly being protected. In Clallam County, the revolving door of justice isn’t just frustrating — it’s endangering families and destroying livelihoods.
Tucker Kahler: A Pattern of Quick Releases
Tucker S. Kahler was arrested Saturday by the Sequim Police Department for driving with a suspended license and released just two hours later.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because CC Watchdog reported in January that Kahler had been arrested for the same offense by the Port Angeles Police Department — and released two hours later.
In February, he was arrested again for driving with a suspended license and violating a protective order.
Now Kahler is back in jail, this time facing charges of theft and residential burglary. He was arrested Monday and remains incarcerated as of this publishing.
Kahler is a registered sex offender listed as “transient” in Sequim.
He was convicted in 2020 of third-degree rape of a 14-year-old girl after providing her with alcohol. He also has a prior conviction for first-degree child molestation of a 7-year-old boy in 2010.
In 2019, he was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender after providing false information about his whereabouts while living out of a silver Subaru.
What will it take? This repeat offender keeps getting arrested and released back into the community after only hours in jail.
Joshua Mirka: Another Transient Sex Offender Back Behind Bars
Joshua Mirka is back in jail, arrested for theft, malicious mischief, and burglary.
If the name rings a bell, CC Watchdog reported on him last year when he was arrested and released for criminal trespass.
Mirka, 48, is a transient registered sex offender living in the Port Angeles area. His convictions include third-degree rape and indecent liberties from 1997 and 1998.
According to MyClallamCounty.com, detectives believe Mirka may be connected to a string of recent coffee stand burglaries near Port Angeles.
He was booked into jail on a burglary charge after a break-in at Coffee Cottage.
That’s one more small business struggling in a county where crime feels permissive. Owners face repairs, lost revenue, and the daily insecurity of operating in an environment that seems to prioritize offenders over employers. These businesses pay taxes — yet local government often fails to deliver the safe environment needed to generate that revenue.
This isn’t Coffee Cottage’s first ordeal. In December, CC Watchdog reported that the business was forced to shut down temporarily after workers arrived to find both windows smashed.
Security footage led to the suspected offender, Hector Olivarria-Garcia, being identified.
What Happened Saturday Morning in Port Angeles
On Saturday at approximately 3:00 AM, Port Angeles Police Department officers responded to a burglary in progress at an apartment complex. K9 officers located a reporting party who said an unknown person was inside breaking doors.
Officers found two apartments with forcibly kicked-in doors. Inside one unit, they encountered a subject who did not live there and had no permission to be present. The suspect showed signs of intoxication.
Damage was extensive: broken chairs, an overturned dresser and bed, scattered items, a damaged water heater area, a torn shower curtain, and kicked-in doors. The suspect reportedly chased the reporting party at one point. Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies assisted at the scene.
The suspect was arrested and booked on two counts of residential burglary (felony), one count of malicious mischief (felony), and one count of malicious harassment. Follow-up confirmed no prior relationship with the victims. The case has been referred to the Prosecuting Attorney.
What Is Going On in Clallam County?
Just this Sunday, CC Watchdog covered a woman who reviewed her security cameras and discovered a repeat offender attempting to enter her condominium while she slept.
She filed a police report and wanted to press charges, but Michael Severson was merely trespassed for three years — only to later assault two gas station attendants.
Mitch Zenobi recently updated his Facebook followers about the failed prosecution in this county.
On film, he was assaulted by an eco-activist protesting a timber sale in the Elwha Watershed. Zenobi told DNR police that he wanted to press charges, and DNR forwarded the case to the prosecutor. According to Zenobi, the Clallam County Prosecutor’s Office decided not to pursue it. “They don’t prosecute their buddies,” Zenobi told viewers.
Add that to the roughly $10,000 in damage caused to public property—filmed and widely reported—involving eco-activists and local Democratic Party figures like Tim Wheeler, Peter Stedman, and Lisa and Keith Dekker.
DNR police investigated, identified the individuals, and recommended charges after the group removed survey markers and flagging from a timber sale area. The case was referred to the Clallam County Prosecutor’s Office but was ultimately sent to the Kitsap County Prosecutor for an independent review. Despite video evidence, public admissions, and documented costs to taxpayers, no charges were filed. It’s been a year with no resolution.
Two-Tiered Justice in Clallam County
What’s emerging is the appearance of two levels of law in Clallam County. On one tier, certain individuals and organizations seem to receive what locals have dubbed the “Clallam Concierge Service” — rapid response, thorough investigations, and aggressive prosecution. Habitat for Humanity gets an arrest and swift felony charges when a coffee table is stolen from their thrift store.
Well-connected campaign supporters, such as the Eberles, and League of Women Voters activists like Norma Turner appear to benefit from attentive handling and priority treatment when they engage with local authorities.
On the other tier are the average taxpayers and small business owners who fund the system but increasingly feel unrepresented and ignored. They watch repeat sex offenders and transient criminals released within hours, eco-activists causing thousands of dollars in documented public damage walk free, and their own reports of burglary, theft, or harassment met with minimal follow-through.
These residents keep paying their taxes, supporting local services, and trying to build lives and businesses here — yet they sense that the justice system does not work equally for everyone. This growing perception of selective enforcement erodes public trust and fuels the frustration voiced at town halls and online. When government appears to protect the connected while leaving ordinary citizens to fend for themselves, the social contract begins to fray.
Ask Yourself an Honest Question
At a public safety town hall earlier this year, attendees were asked: How many of you feel as safe as you did four years ago? Out of 172 people, only three raised their hands — one being Commissioner Mike French.
Do you feel safer than you did four years ago?
Clallam County residents deserve a justice system that protects victims and law-abiding citizens first — not one that cycles dangerous repeat offenders back onto our streets with minimal consequences. Accountability starts with consistent prosecution and meaningful sentences.
The community is watching.
Today’s Tidbit: A Pricey Performative Parking Program
A derelict truck and camper, surrounded by piles of garbage, sits parked on North Blake Avenue in Sequim — directly in front of Trinity United Methodist Church.
That same church is home to Clallam County’s $118,000 safe parking program— a taxpayer-funded initiative that provides just three designated safe parking spaces.
The irony is striking: the county spent six figures to create a small program inside the church lot, yet the problem is literally parked just outside the parking lot, in plain sight of the “solution.”
So what exactly did taxpayers get for $118,000? Three reserved spots while illegal camping and junk-filled vehicles continue unimpeded right next door?
This is the perfect symbol of Clallam County’s approach to homelessness: expensive programs that fail to deliver visible results while residents and businesses are left dealing with the consequences.
When will county leaders admit that performative parking programs aren’t solving the problem?
