‘There’s really nothing that can be done’: Enumclaw reacts to KCSO meeting about local sexually violent predator
Published 10:15 pm Thursday, July 23, 2026
Editor’s note: This article will be updated with more information about the Q&A session at a later time and in the print edition of this article. A link to watch the meeting will be added when it’s shared by KCSO.
Dozens of Enumclaw residents attended a virtual meeting with the King County Sheriff’s Office about a violent sexual predator moving into their community.
Robert Eugene Lough, 66, moved outside of Enumclaw near Lake Willow Drive on July 9.
His unconditional release from the McNeil Island Special Commitment Center, where the state’s most violent sexual predators are involuntarily committed, and relocation was met with fury from neighbors and the Enumclaw community as a whole.
Lough was found guilty of rape and attempted murder in 1986, and was officially involuntarily committed to McNeil Island in 2014.
His history is filled with sexually violent and non-sexually violent acts since he was young, and while committed, continued to show violent impulses. At one point, he was allegedly found with child sexual abuse material (CSAM, colloquially known as child pornography) while on McNeil Island and assaulted another resident, resulting in another prison sentence. More information about his history can be found here.
Lough’s final unconditional release report noted that he must be released under state law because he no longer met the state’s definition of sexually violent predator. However, the report also said that “[i]t would not be surprising if, upon release, he engaged in future acts of non-sexual violence.”
His final assessment was conducted by experts that were hired by both Lough’s defense and state prosecutors. He currently residents with another person, allegedly a pen pal from when he was on McNeil Island.
Lough’s unconditional release was likely the largest concern of people watching the meeting, asking numerous times if there was any sort of legal recourse to force him away from their community. There was a feeling of helplessness in the room when the meeting ended, as the answer from KCSO was clear: practically nothing.
“It’s hard to accept, but there’s nothing restricting [him] where he wants to live,” Detective Chris Knutson, who represented KSCO at the meeting, said. He added that there are also no restrictions on him being near schools, parks, or anywhere else children tend to congregate.
Two neighbors, who spoke under the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said their lives have completely changed.
“Our daughter rides her bike up and down the road… we don’t let her do that anymore. We don’t let her go unsupervised across the street to her friend’s house,” one neighbor said, adding that many other families with young kids feel the same way. “And then come school time, we’re going to have a lot of supervision out there.”
“We are a community where people didn’t lock doors, and it’s totally changed all of that,” their spouse added.
Mark Dodrill, a concerned community member, said that he doesn’t agree with the court’s decision to release him unconditionally.
“It doesn’t make sense to be evaluated [annually for years] to still be a sexually violent predator and then suddenly not,” he said; Lough was evaluated every year for whether he still met the criteria of a sexually violent predator and should be involuntarily committed. “That doesn’t make sense.”
Candy Dodrill said she left the meeting more frustrated than she came.
“There’s really nothing that can be done, other than to wait for something to happen, which feels very horrifying,” she said.
Although there’s no legal avenue to force Lough from his new home, Save Our Children – Enumclaw plans to flood Enumclaw with posters of his face to pressure his host to make him move away.
THE MEETING
After tech issues kept the KCSO from starting the meeting for half an hour, Knutson gave a short slide presentation and hold a Q&A session. In the meantime, Cathy Dahlquist, co-founder of Save Our Children – Enumclaw answered questions from the audience.
Save Our Children – Enumclaw is a grassroots group that formed in 2023 when McNeil Island resident Stevan Knapp was moved off the island into a government-run Less Restrictive Alternative home outside of Enumclaw, and aimed to pressure the state government to move Knapp out of Enumclaw and close the home so no other McNeil Island resident would move in.
When the meeting officially began, Knutson made it clear that the KCSO have no authority over this situation, and they were simply the messengers giving the Enumclaw community information about the state’s laws about sexually violent predators.
They also talked about Lough’s criminal history and convictions, including an assault that happened while he was committed on McNeil Island; involuntary commitment requirements and processes; and Lough’s release and relocation, which was not determined by the state.
The Q&A session fielded questions about the sex offender registration system; Lough’s mental illnesses that allowed the state to keep him committed; when the KCSO will be committing check-ins with Lough (Knutson say since Lough is in his area, he or another deputy will be checking in on him every 90 days); why the CSAM allegation was not investigated or resulted in charges; if Lough’s unconditional release can be re-evaluated; why Lough was not moved into a government-run Less Restrictive Alternative home off McNeil Island instead of being unconditionally released; if businesses can trespass Lough without him committing a crime (yes); and more.
