Violent Level 3 sex offender released from Washington facility, placed in family neighborhood without warning

Robert Eugene Lough, 66, a sexually violent predator, was released from the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island on July 9, one day after a King County judge approved his release. According to the Washington State Sex Offender Registry, Lough is now living in the 37200 block of West Lake Walker Drive Southeast.

The move came despite Lough’s extensive criminal history, refusal to participate in sex offender treatment, and experts’ warnings that he remains predisposed to violence.

Lough was convicted in 1986 of first-degree rape and first-degree attempted murder after attacking a woman he met at a Renton bar. Court documents state that Lough persuaded the woman to enter his van before driving her away from the area. He then raped her, strangled her until she lost consciousness, and attempted to stab her to death. The victim regained consciousness along the side of a road hours later and was discovered by a passing motorist. She was hospitalized with severe trauma, including at least 15 internal wounds, two black eyes, and a fractured eye socket. Surgeons were forced to remove a portion of her colon, and the attack reportedly left her with permanent internal injuries.

Lough later attributed the attack to his use of cocaine and heroin, reportedly describing himself during an evaluation as a "monster for five minutes."

He was also accused of molesting one child in 1971 and another between 1972 and 1977, as well as raping his former wife in 1985. His criminal record includes additional violent and drug-related offenses dating back to 1973.

After completing his prison sentence, Lough remained confined under Washington’s civil commitment system. A jury concluded in 2015 that he met the state’s legal definition of a sexually violent predator, and he was sent to the Special Commitment Center.

Court records reportedly show that Lough accumulated approximately 70 disciplinary violations while confined, including an assault in 2024 and threats against staff members in 2025. He was also convicted of third-degree assault following an incident at McNeil Island in 2010.

In 2023, Lough was allegedly found with a cellphone containing possible child sexual exploitation material. The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said it never received a referral for potential charges stemming from the alleged discovery.

According to FOX 13, King County prosecutors had previously fought to keep Lough confined. Yet despite his previous behavior, experts retained by both prosecutors and the defense recently concluded that, while he remains predisposed to future violence, he no longer meets the legal standard for continued confinement as a sexually violent predator because he is not considered likely to commit another sexually violent offense.

That finding required the state to release him from the facility without conditions.

The controversy follows years of clashes between Washington officials and local communities over the placement of sexually violent predators released from McNeil Island. Washington Democrats passed legislation in 2021 establishing what lawmakers called "fair share principles" for housing sexually violent predators granted conditional release. The policy was intended to distribute those offenders among counties rather than concentrating placements in a limited number of communities.

The law also gave offenders the right to develop discharge plans and petition for placement in Less Restrictive Alternative outpatient programs. Those placements differ legally from Lough’s unconditional release, which followed experts’ determination that the state could no longer confine him as a sexually violent predator.

The earlier policy nevertheless generated fierce opposition from residents and law enforcement officials over the placement of high-risk offenders in unsecured residential facilities. In 2023, officials in Thurston County raised concerns about a planned Tenino-area home that lacked fencing or armed security. Residents near that facility similarly complained that they learned of the plan shortly before it was scheduled to open.

Enumclaw had already been identified as the location of a residential facility housing at least one Level 3 sex offender. A nearby resident said in 2023 that families had not been adequately informed about plans to place additional offenders in the home.

That Enumclaw facility previously housed sexually violent predator Steven Knapp, who was transferred there under a Less Restrictive Alternative placement in January 2023. The home was located among families with young children and next to a school bus stop, but nearby residents said they were not notified before his arrival.

Knapp was returned to McNeil Island in July 2023 after violating the terms of his supervised release. The Washington Department of Corrections said Knapp had been found with a wooden dowel sharpened at one end, which he claimed he needed for self-defense after alleged harassment from community members. Officials also discovered undisclosed text messages between Knapp and a former Special Commitment Center resident who had been unconditionally released and was reportedly driving past the property.

Former Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed portions of a 2023 bill that would have required advance notification to affected communities and tribal governments before a sexually violent predator was relocated into their area.

The latest release has renewed those concerns. Residents are calling for a public meeting with law enforcement and prosecutors to explain the decision, the lack of notification, and why no charges were pursued over the alleged material discovered on Lough’s phone.

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