McNeil Island resident unconditionally released, moves to Enumclaw

Published 3:30 pm Friday, July 17, 2026

A McNeil Island resident was recently unconditionally released and moved to Enumclaw.

A King County judge ruled on July 8 Robert Eugene Lough, 66, to be released from the center after both the prosecution and defense argued he was not considered to “meet the criteria as a sexually violent predator,” court documents read.

The grassroots group Save Our Children — Enumclaw burst into action after learning of Lough’s relocation; the group was formed in 2023 when a McNeil Island Special Commitment Center resident Stevan Knapp was moved to Enumclaw in government housing, causing a local uproar.

Knapp was moved back to McNeil Island later that year. Officially, it was due to safety concerns and increased poor mental health, although Knapp also violated his release agreement at least four times in “minor” ways, officials said.

There are some key differences to both incidents, but some important similarities as well.

One of the biggest differences is that Knapp was moved into Less Restrictive Housing (LRA), government housing leased from locals to better assess if Knapp could be re-intergraded into society.

Lough, however, is a free citizen, and according to the Washington State Department of Local Services, his “unconditional” release means he has no restrictions on where he can live or visit.

In both cases, much ire stemmed from the government’s lack of communication with community members and the lack of ability for locals to comment on the re-location of both Knapp and Lough.

“When an individual once determined by the courts to be a Sexually Violent Predator is returned to the community after years of confinement, the public deserves a clear understanding of how that decision was reached, what evidence supported it, and what protections remain in place,” Cathy Dahlquist, former sate representative and co-founder of Save Our Children — Enumclaw, said in an email. “Transparency is essential to maintaining public confidence and ensuring that community safety remains the foremost priority.”

Lough was still required to register as a sex offender, which is likely how Enumclaw residents determined he was now living in the 37200 block of W Lake Walker Dr SE, notably a 15-minute drive from Enumclaw’s city limits and not near schools or parks, with exception to Nolte State Park.

Save Our Children — Enumclaw also allege Lough is under Department of Corrections supervision, but the Courier-Herald has been unable to independently verify this, or determine how such supervision may affect Lough’s unconditional release.

Given his history of violence, Jessica McCoy-Storton, another co-founder of Save Our Children — Enumclaw, said Lough is even more dangerous to the local community than Knapp was.

“We need keep people safe… Regular people. Regular people who have regular jobs who have a family,” she said. “I just do not get that we are the ones scrambling to try and understand how we got to the place we’re in right now.

“I’m speechless,” McCoy-Storton added.

The Courier-Herald does not typically report on the relocation of registered sex offenders to Enumclaw, as their relocation is legal and no crime is committed, but the city’s history with McNeil Island residents necessitates an exception.

Due to local concerns, the King County Sheriff’s Department is hosting a virtual meeting on Thursday, July 23, at 7 p.m.

A link will be provided next week.

Dahlquist encourages locals to contact the King County Sheriff’s Department for additional information, including an explanation of the condition’s of Lough’s release and current Department of Corrections supervision.

Lough’s release comes after a June 2025 Seattle Times investigation which found gaping issues with McNeil Island and its program and staff.

According to the Times, the commitment center offers at little as 90 minutes, and no more than two hours, of group treatment weekly for its general population, far less than what is considered acceptable by state officials and national experts.

Residents told the Times that they decline treatment due to issues with the programs, and residents and staff said it’s hard for residents to get consistent care or treatment due to a high turnover of providers.

Lawmakers introduced a bill in January requiring McNeil Island residents to show remorse for their crimes before they’re released, but this could ruin against constitutional rights.

The Courier-Herald was not able to contact Lough directly before publication.

PERSONAL AND CRIMINAL HISTORY

Lough has a history sexual criminal allegations and was found guilty of first degree rape and first degree attempted murder in 1986 after raping his victim and then stabbing her multiple times through her vaginal entrance.

The state petitioned to have Lough committed to McNeil Island in 2009, and was confined to the island pending the commitment trial. He was officially admitted in 2015.

Prior, Laugh was alleged to have sexually molested a minor in 1971, when they were both minors.

A male cousin also alleged Lough to have sexually molested from 1972 to 1977.

Lough’s ex-wife claimed she was raped in 1985.

Finally, he was allegedly found to be in possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM, colloquially called child pornography) in 2022 while on McNeil Island.

Non-sexual allegations and crimes include a 1979 bad-conduct discharge from the U.S. Army following an aggravated assault conviction, convictions and (dropped) charges of possession of stolen property, an arrest in Buckley for obstruction and disorderly conduct, and more.

He was also charged with and pleaded guilty to third degree assault while on McNeil Island, and was found guilty and sanctioned for pages of various behaviors in the commitment center, including fighting, theft, refusing searches, possessing a weapon, sexual harassment, and more.

At the same time, it appears Lough’s behavior and participation in various therapy groups and programs increased as he spent more time in the commitment center.

Growing up, Lough reported daily physical abuse, and his younger sister also accused him of physically abusing her for years. Other family members describe Lough exhibiting concerning sexual behavior and was sexually active when he was young.

ANNUAL REVIEW AND RELEASE

The McNeil Special Commitment Center is where some of the most violent sexual offenders are involuntarily committed to after they serve their legal prison sentence if the prosecution can convince a judge they are not safe to be released back into society.

McNeil Island residents can be confined to the commitment center so long as the prosecution can prove they continue to be identified as a sexually violent predator. To be labeled as such, individuals must be diagnosed with a mental abnormality or personality disorder which can lead them to commit sexually violent acts.

When residents are found to not meet those criteria, they must be released under state law.

Some residents, like Knapp, can be released conditionally into an LRA and remain under close supervision.

But others can be released “without any additional conditions imposed by the court, the same as if they were released directly from prison, and occurs when a person no longer meets criteria for civil commitment,” according to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).

According to a June 1 Unconditional Release Evaluation, experts concluded Lough to not have a mental abnormality or personality disorder as defined by state law. but with important caveats.

When he was committed to McNeil Island, he was diagnosed with paraphilia (persistent and recurrent sexual interests, urges, fantasies, or behaviors of marked intensity) and Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Personality Disorder with additional features.

Tests in 2014, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2024 resulted in similar diagnosis.

Lough never participated in any sex offender treatment programs, and would later describe those programs “for repeat rapists and child molesters, and he did not feel that he fit into either of those categories.”

Laugh did participate in some monthly case management sessions and his participation in additional individual and group programs increased over the years. In 2017, he participated with the Power to Change group, which focused on examining behaviors to sex offender treatment.

In 2017, Lough was moved to a low-management placement on McNeil Island; during his work as a custodian at the facility, his work was considered excellent and “among the best” when it came to job performance reviews.

In 2018, he was given “maximum benefits” status.

In the following years, experts disagreed on whether Laugh could be released.

One wrote in 2021 and 2025 that she could not give an opinion on whether he would have serious difficulty controlling his sexually violent urges; another in 2022 and 2023 concluded Lough was “more likely than not” to reengage in sexually violent acts if not confined, adding that placing him in an LRA “was not in the best interest of… Lough nor could conditions be imposed that would adequately protect the community.”

A Conditional Release Proposal was made in 2024, arguing Lough could reside in a private home in Enumclaw owned by “a long-term community support.”

The June 1, 2026 report concluded that he no longer could be diagnosed with a mental abnormality, which required his release under state law.

However, “Lough scored in the average to above-average range of risk for sexual reoffence,” the author wrote.

“I wish to emphasize this evaluation considered two very specific and limited questions,” the report author wrote. “First, is… Lough predisposed to committing criminal sexual acts as a result of a mental abnormality or personality disorder, and, second, does he pose a more likely than not risk to commit future predatory sexually violent offenses. It does not address his likelihood of committing offenses not defined by the law as “sexually violent” (e.g. misdemeanor sex offenses, non-contact sexual offenses) and it does not address the question of whether he is at risk for committing future non-sexual violence.”

Given Lough’s history of violence, included a 2022 assault and the threat of an assault in 2025, “[i]t would not be surprising if, upon release, he engaged in future acts of non-sexual violence,” the report continued. “That is not the focus of [state law]… which asks an evaluator to look only at risk for sexual violence. In that regard… I do not find… Lough to current meet criteria as a sexually violent predator.”

It is unclear if Lough currently residents in the home described in his 2024 Proposed Release Proposal.