SKAGIT COUNTY, WA - A Washington man who was released from a civil confinement facility for sex offenders is having yet another run-in with the law, this time involving images depicting child sex abuse.
Alan Lewis Meirhofer, 71, is facing federal child pornography charges after a Skagit County teenaged boy allegedly found child sexual abuse imagery on his phone when the boy borrowed it, according to a Wednesday news release from the Department of Justice. The teen also found photos of himself and his friends sent in a group chat from Meirhofer. The boy's mother alerted police to the discovery in March of 2021. Meirhofer was taken into custody at that time, and his electronics were seized pending investigative review.
Review of these items led police to discover at least 12 images of child sexual abuse linked to Meirhofer, and he was placed in federal custody in July of this year.
The accused had been allegedly inviting teen boys to his home and providing them with "gifts" in the form of alcohol, marijuana, clothing and cash, according to prosecutors, who allege this was to gain the trust of the children.
Meirhofer was released from Washington's McNeil Island Special Commitment Center in 2017. The site is intended for the continuing detention of sex offenders deemed an ongoing risk to public safety, even after the detainees have finished their prison sentences. Meirhofer's previous criminal convictions include charges of rape, burglarly, burglarly while armed with a deadly weapon, and assault in the second degree.
When released from McNeil Island, Meirhofer was classified as a level 3 sex offender- one deemed to possess the highest risk of reoffending.
The Democratic-controlled Washington state legislature has acted to move offenders away from the civil confinement facility, with a 2021 law requiring communities across the state to accept quotas of former confinees. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has further vetoed legislation that would require the state to provide forward notification of the placement of sex offenders in communities, according to The Post Millennial.
Meirhofer could face a 15-year minimum federal prison sentence and 20-year maximum if convicted on his later charges. He's yet to enter a plea in federal court.
Alan Lewis Meirhofer, 71, is facing federal child pornography charges after a Skagit County teenaged boy allegedly found child sexual abuse imagery on his phone when the boy borrowed it, according to a Wednesday news release from the Department of Justice. The teen also found photos of himself and his friends sent in a group chat from Meirhofer. The boy's mother alerted police to the discovery in March of 2021. Meirhofer was taken into custody at that time, and his electronics were seized pending investigative review.
Review of these items led police to discover at least 12 images of child sexual abuse linked to Meirhofer, and he was placed in federal custody in July of this year.
The accused had been allegedly inviting teen boys to his home and providing them with "gifts" in the form of alcohol, marijuana, clothing and cash, according to prosecutors, who allege this was to gain the trust of the children.
Meirhofer was released from Washington's McNeil Island Special Commitment Center in 2017. The site is intended for the continuing detention of sex offenders deemed an ongoing risk to public safety, even after the detainees have finished their prison sentences. Meirhofer's previous criminal convictions include charges of rape, burglarly, burglarly while armed with a deadly weapon, and assault in the second degree.
When released from McNeil Island, Meirhofer was classified as a level 3 sex offender- one deemed to possess the highest risk of reoffending.
The Democratic-controlled Washington state legislature has acted to move offenders away from the civil confinement facility, with a 2021 law requiring communities across the state to accept quotas of former confinees. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has further vetoed legislation that would require the state to provide forward notification of the placement of sex offenders in communities, according to The Post Millennial.
Meirhofer could face a 15-year minimum federal prison sentence and 20-year maximum if convicted on his later charges. He's yet to enter a plea in federal court.
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