The Attorney General’s office is asking a Whatcom County Superior Court judge to decide if a 38-year-old man, set to be released from prison, should be committed to an island for sexually violent predators.
Jake Unick was convicted of two counts of attempted kidnapping in the first degree with sexual motivation, one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count of harassment in 2014, according to a press release from the AG’s Office. His charges stem from four separate incidents in a two-week period between February and March 2013 when he attempted to kidnap three children, including a 2-year-old, and attacked a 24-year-old woman.
Unick is set to be released from prison on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The Whatcom County judge will have to determine if the allegations made against Unick are enough to confine him to McNeil Island prior to trial, according to the release. Then, a jury trial will be held to determine if Unick can continue to be detained.
A probable cause hearing for commitment will be held in early September, according to the AG’s Office. As of Tuesday, Sept. 3, no hearing had been scheduled yet, according to online court records.
The AG’s Office argued following an assessment of Unick’s risk to the community and likelihood of committing future violent crimes, he had a “well above average risk” — meaning he would be highly likely to reoffend.
McNeil Island is located 3 miles into Puget Sound, across from Steilacoom. The Department of Social and Health Services runs the Special Commitment Center, a confinement facility for sexual predators, according to the Department of Corrections. Those who are committed to the facility are done so at the end of their prison sentence by a judge.
The Special Commitment Program has run since 1990 when Washington became the first state to pass a law allowing the involuntary civil commitment of sex offenders after their prison sentence.
The center provides specialized mental health treatment, according to DSHS.
However, a recent investigation by the Seattle Times found DSHS doesn’t track, nor is it required to, if the treatment program improves public safety. The program doesn’t have independent audits or enforceable state standards for the quality of care residents receive while there.
As of August, there were 183 sexually violent predators in the special commitment program, according to the AG’s Office.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
