By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office wants residents to know a level three registered sex offender has moved to north Centralia.
Garth D. Snively, 66, now resides on the 1200 block of Logan Street.
Public notification of where registered sex offenders reside is intended to enhance public safety, according to the sheriff’s office. Level three is the designation for individuals deemed most likely to reoffend.
[1]Garth D. Snively
Snively is a clear risk to re-offend, according to the sheriff’s office.
Snively served a prison term after his 1994 convictions for two counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of indecent liberties, according to the sheriff’s office. His victim was an 11-year-old boy he met while he was a Sunday school teacher at a church in Snohomish County, according to sheriff’s detective Jamey McGinty. He is not wanted.
He is among a small portion of offenders who, following his release in 2006, was civilly committed to the Special Commitment Center at McNeil Island where authorities retain offenders in custody for treatment until they are found to be no longer dangerous.
The process comes from the Community Protection Act of 1990,
According to information provided by McGinty, Snively admitted to molesting other boys beginning when he was 12 years old, and over the course of the investigation for his case, disclosed more than 30 victims, and once estimated over 100 victims. Some were related to him.
They were all boys between the ages of 5 and 12.
Snively gained access to many of the victims through social outings including through the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, Big Brothers and his position as a Sunday School instructor, according to McGinty.
Snively is among a small number of individuals who have been granted release from McNeil Island.
McGinty said to his knowledge, it’s the first time the county has had someone move here after getting out from the Special Commitment Center.
There are currently more than 500 registered sex offenders living in Lewis County. Twenty-three of them are designated as level threes.
But unlike others, who only have to register their address, following their time with DOC, Snively has numerous strict conditions.
He was granted what’s called a less restricted alternative release, and is allowed to transition to the community, according to McGinty. He is still under the custody of the state Department of Corrections, according to McGinty.
Snively lives in a home he purchased, according to McGinty.
Among his conditions are, Snively is restricted to his property, except for appointments with DOC and his very intensive sex offender treatment.
“He must be escorted, if he gets permission to leave his house, by qualified chaperones,” McGinty stated in an email exchange today.
Further, McGinty said he has been told Snively will have GPS to monitor his his movement. And he will be closely monitored by DOC, visited frequently, according to McGinty.
Snively moved in yesterday, and registered with McGinty yesterday.
Personnel from the Special Commitment Center have been chaperoning him to his appointments, he said.
Snively is described as a white male, 5-feet 9-inches tall and weighing 290 pounds. He has gray hair but is balding and has hazel eyes.
The sheriff’s office flyer for Snively contains the same language as it does for other registered sex offenders:
The notifications are not intended to increase fear, but rather are made because of the belief an informed public is a safer public.
“Using this public information to threaten, intimidate or harass sex offenders will not be tolerated by the law enforcement agencies of Lewis County,” the flyer states. “This abuse could potentially terminate our ability to release this important information to the public.”
For further details about Snively, check the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office website [2]. Those with questions can contact McGinty or Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Bruce Kimsey at 360-748-9286.