A Level 3 sex offender has registered to live in the 600 block of Meier Road in Winlock, according to a notification from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
John Michael Stafford, 58, is not wanted by law enforcement at this time.
“The individual who appears on this notification has been convicted of a sex offense that requires registration with the sheriff’s office. Further, their previous history places them in a classification level that reflects the potential to reoffend,” the sheriff’s office stated. “The individual served the sentence imposed by the court and has properly notified the sheriff’s office of their current address. The law does not require this offender to do anything other than register … This notification is not intended to increase fear; rather, it is our belief that an informed public is a safer public.”
Stafford is described as a white man with brown hair and eyes who weighs about 175 pounds and stands at about 6 feet tall.
In 1990, Stafford was convicted on four counts of the crime of lewd and lascivious acts with a child in San Diego County Superior Court. The offenses involved Stafford, who was 18 years old at the time, having sexual contact with four boys who were related to him, all under the age of 14, while he was babysitting. He had originally been charged with seven counts, but three were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to a minimal amount of local jail time and five years of parole.
In 2006, Stafford was convicted in Lewis County Superior Court of third-degree assault of a child and was sentenced to 14 months in prison. The crime involved the physical assault of a 15-year-old boy who was not related to him.
Learn more about sex offenders in the area at http://www.sheriffalerts.co.
Anyone with questions can contact Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Detective Kelton Wheeldon or Special Services Chief Gabe Frase at 360-748-9286.
