Washington mother sentenced for taking a bat to sex offender

[depakid]

Source: AP



A judge in Tacoma has sentenced a 40-year-old mother to three months in jail for taking an aluminum baseball bat to a convicted sex offender. The News Tribune reported Tammy Lee Gibson waved at her two daughters and her sister as she was led from the courtroom to begin serving her sentence.

Before her sentencing on Friday, Gibson told Pierce County Superior Court Judge Susan Serko that laws are needed to keep convicted sexual predators away from children.

Court papers said Gibson saw fliers announcing that William Allen Baldwin, a 24-year-old Level 3 sex offender, had moved into a nearby trailer park to live with a relative. Gibson went to the address June 16, 2008, and knocked on the door. Baldwin answered and Gibson accused him of molesting her children. Baldwin hadn't, but Gibson hit him with the bat.

In January, she pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree assault. She initially was charged with second-degree assault and felony harassment, which could have meant an eight-month jail sentence if she'd been convicted. Deputy prosecutor Sunni Ko and Gibson's lawyer, Karen Campbell, had agreed to the three-month sentence. "I think it's a fair resolution," Campbell told the judge.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/washington_mother_sentenced_fo.html

[thejokerwasme]

1. He didn't molest the kids or just said that he didn't?

I am not in favor of violence, but it certainly is understandable if the guy did what she claimed.

[RollWithIt]

26. He didn't, she just went after the guy from the poster....

She clearly has some mental issues.

[midnight]

37. This is why the system we use is wrong.

[ORDagnabbit]

2. if the law will not take care of offenders then vigilantes will. I believe this will happen in all

areas.

[RollWithIt]

27. He didn't molest her children

She just picked his name off a list.

[mike_c]

28. I believe he had been punished under the law and was innocent...

...of any further offense. What do you want, permanent punishment?

[midnight]

36. I wonder why other criminals don't have posters up about them.

[frebrd]

49. Exactly......

They don't put up posters about murderers who move into your neighborhood!

[Taverner]

3. Did he do anything?

That's my question

If she's a crazy who sees it her mission to take out all convicted sex offenders, then fuck her

If he actually did what she said he did, fuck him

[depakid]

6. Not according to the police

From the looks of it, she simply snapped at the notion of him being around.

[Taverner]

7. Then fuck her

Just because they fucked up doesn't mean they don't deserve the same protection that they ran against earlier...

[Drunken Irishman]

4. They both look like creeps.

But what do you expect from trailer park trash?

Not to say everyone who lives in a trailer is trash, but the trash in the trailer park...is well...bad.

And I grew up in a trashy neighborhood, albeit my house was in a fourplex and not a trailer park.

Same difference, though. A lot of trashy drugies and gang members. Pfft, I'm ranting here.

[Kolesar]

5. Woman beats off would be rapist

Page B 1

[Lost in CT]

47. Please tell me that isn't a real headline. nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. Why doesn't this stupid article tell us what this guy had done

That he is a "Level-3 sex offender" means nothing to me. What crime was he actually convicted of?

Bad journalism.

[struggle4progress]

48. You can locate him here by last name search:

http://ml.waspc.org/Offender.aspx

RCW 9A.44.083
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9A.44.083

[acmavm]

9. Where to start???

<snip>
What is the definition of a Level III sex offender?
These offenders pose a potential high risk to the community and are a threat to re-offend if provided the opportunity. Most have prior sex crime convictions as well as other criminal convictions. Their lifestyles and choices place them in this classification. Some have predatory characteristics and may seek out victims. They may have refused or failed to complete approved treatment programs.

http://ml.waspc.org/FAQ.aspx

<snip>

So, did he do this? I can't bring up the article. My computer just won't allow it.

Anyway, what do people think we should do about this shit? I understand the fear of sexual predators very well. But when do these people quit serving their sentence? I know that laws like the Polly Klaus have a good reason for existing, although I have to admit I'll never understand why that guy was out on parole anyway.

And what about the poor jerks who got put on the list because they had the bad luck to hook up with a little sweetie who had I.D. that said she was legal, but a birth certificate that says she wasn't?

I don't have a firm opinion on all this because I can't make heads nor tails out of it. But if this guy didn't molest her kids, then she didn't get half of what she deserves.

[Withywindle]

10. I wonder about that too.

Is he actually a child molester?

Or did he just get caught pissing in an alley by the wrong prude? Did he have a 16-year-old girlfriend when he was 19 in the wrong state?

These days, people keep using that word "sex offender." I don't think it always means what you think it means.

[acmavm]

11. I know. There are quite a few guys who have gotten caught up in this mess.

I really feel for 'em.

Now the clucks that are in their 40s dating 16-years olds, not so much.

[WestSeattle2]

13. Level III's

In Washington State the Level III's are the worst of the worst. No statutory rape guys in that bunch. No one wants Level III's in their neighborhood, period. That said, this woman appears to be as nuts as the Level III perp. No rational thinking person would take a baseball bat into a trailer park to settle things with a convicted felon, especially if you have children at home who rely on you to provide for them. I think society would be better served if both of these characters were off the streets.

[Withywindle]

16. well, they both kind of look like

they belong on the "Faces of Meth" web site. I just didn't want to stereotype by looks - lord knows, mug shots don't usually have flattering lighting.

[superconnected]

31. He is an actual child molester you can look him up here:

http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/ResultDetails.aspx?index=1&x=898E3A28-DA21-4D84-B68E-E53415085A63

If that doesn't work as a direct link then go to this link and enter his name - William Baldwin:

http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx

You can look up any sex offender in the United States there, if you enter their name.

As for this perp:

Convicting Crime: Child Molestation-1 Degree: 0

RCW: 9A.44.083

Convicting Jurisdiction: Snohomish

Level III

--------------

As for LevelIII SO's:

"These offenders pose a potential high risk to the community and are a threat to re-offend if provided the opportunity. Most have prior sex crime convictions as well as other criminal convictions. Their lifestyles and choices place them in this classification. Some have predatory characteristics and may seek out victims. They may have refused or failed to complete approved treatment programs."

---------------

It's said that child molesters molest an average of 100 people in their life time. Judging from my 17yo nephew who has molested 7 that we know about and is only considered a level II molester (after molesting 3 children under 5), I tend to agree with the 100 victims number. That 100 estimate could be very low. They won't keep my nephew in jail and they took his ankle bracelet off last week for good behavior. He can't be trusted for 1 minute with a child. But then, MOST molesters are like this. Level III are even worse. The 17yo's who date a 15yo and get called a child molester are rare. It's the real ones I worry about.

[superconnected]

33. Someone posted a new article about him here too.

He molested a 5yo.

[LiberalFighter]

12. I wonder if the likes of Larry Craig and others are restricted in their residence?

[depakid]

14. Washington state has a major problem with its sex offender laws

The first being that potentially dangerous offenders are cut loose too early without adequate supervision, treatment or employment.

Which leads to cases like this:

Clark County prosecutors have filed an aggravated-murder charge against a homeless sex offender accused of killing a 13-year-old girl in Hazel Dell.

The Vancouver Columbian reports prosecutors will decide whether to seek the death penalty after 30-year-old Darrin Eugene Sanford is arraigned March 11 in Vancouver.

He's accused of stabbing Alycia Nipp during an attempted rape. Her body was found early Sunday in a field near vacant houses.

Sanford was wearing a GPS device that showed he was in the field at the time of the Saturday night attack. The Level Three sex offender was still under state supervision and checked in with his officer on Monday before his arrest.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008792386_webhazeldell27m.html

[acmavm]

35. That's horrible. But that's what I mean by understanding the Polly Klaus

law. Some people can never be let lose again. But how do we weed them out? And how does society intend to deal with any of them if there is no treatment or there is no hope of employment. This is a subject that is beyond my understanding or limited knowledge.

Anyway, the OP's story never did indicated what the hell happened. Did the guy do anything to her kids did she just beat him because of who he was?

edit: I don't know why I typed kill when I know damn good and well she beat him with a ball bat.

[superconnected]

42. How do we weed them out? Easy, since they usually have victim after victim,

the law typically knows all about them by the time they get to murdering a young girl. Just take the files we have now and lock them up. It's rare someone kills a kid who has no past criminal history. Especially if it's a man.

[wickerwoman]

51. I remember some of this from an earlier article in the local paper.

She said she had seen him talking to her daughter earlier but the daughter denied that he had molested her. She went to his house with a bat, forced entry and beat him with it.

He's an actual sex offender and no doubt a piece of shit, but she went way out of her way to beat him in a premeditated and totally unjustified manner.

[Wizard777]

18. Exactly false accusation of this nature cannot be tolerated.

The over all message of this is a false accusation is better than no accusation at all. In that system anyone can become a sex offender or re-offender. Because it no longer has anything to do with sex offenses. It becomes all about how much hysteria you can incite or how much sympathy you can invoke (as in this case) with the false accusation. The worst part is even if police or prosecutors can prove it was a malicious false accusation. They will not pursue charges against the person making the malicious false accusation. They say it's because they don't want people to feel any apprehension about reporting sex crimes.......even if they never happened. Because even a false accusation is better than no accusation at all. Charging these people with their real crimes has nothing to do with defending perverts. It has to do with defending the truth. But people like the guy that beat with a baseball bat for something he didn't do. They also have to be willing to defend themselves. Personally since this woman has received a lot of sympathy and it benefits that she's not really entitled to. It would be poetic justice for her to get out of jail to find him living in what used to be her home. Because he won a civil suit against her for slander and assault. He was allowed to seize it as an assets because her residence at that time was the County Jail. THEN people might think twice before making false accusations of sex crimes. But until then even a false accusation is better than no accusation at all.

[Cronopio]

15. I'm sure the serious questions will never get asked.

Like, what is the difference between a person who was violent against someone they don't know (Baldwin) and a person who was violent against someone they had just heard about (Gibson)?

Like, what does "innocent until proven guilty" mean in a society that is slowly and collectively becoming unhinged because of distrust of law enforcement and fear of what the other person *might* do?

Like, what does giving a person the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, straighten up, and fly right mean in a society that is increasingly willing to shoot first and ask questions later? Considering that "preemptive defense" is now an acknowledged policy of our own government.

Like, how often are charges of sexual crimes faked against previous offenders because many people will believe those kind of charges without evidence and because it can be made up by the perp to look like social activism?

Gibson has the right to protect her children against an imminent threat, but in her trailer, not his. In any other case, it's the police that should be called in to deal with the situation.

"Before her sentencing on Friday, Gibson told Pierce County Superior Court Judge Susan Serko that laws are needed to keep convicted sexual predators away from children."

No, laws are needed to keep children like Tammy Gibson away from sex offenders, because it's clear they don't know how to conduct themselves in a socially responsible way regarding them. Has she ever taken up her grievances with the current sex offender laws with legislators? My bet is that she has never bothered to.

[Wizard777]

20. The real argument is Perversion v. Perversion.

When it comes to sex crimes, especially against children, this begins a contest. The accusers in their hysterics try to see if they can pervert the concepts of justice more than the accused has perverted concepts of human sexuality. So it's Perversion v. Perversion. Nobody wins a contest to see who can be the bigger pervert. It's really that simple.

[The abyss]

17. Interesting story, thanks for posting!

I am struck by the lack of detail here. I guess if she had been sure she would have delivered a “candy-gram” and simply walked away.

Note: Anyone that has been processed through holding is going to look like shit. People brought in by the “system” will never look like Hollywood actors. They will not even look like yourself reflected in a mirror at 5:am after a bad night on the town.

“I think it is a fair resolution”… wow. There has to be more than meets the eye here.

[dustbunnie]

19. Holy moly, the dude is 7'3" tall!

:wow:

He's back in prison for violating offender registry rules - gave them the wrong address. He was found guilty of molesting a 5-year-old girl, then did it again when he got out. That's why he's level III.

She saw him talking to her 10-year-old and after authorities handed out his pic, snapped.

More details here:

http://www.komonews.com/news/20589369.html

[Wizard777]

23. "Gibson later told investigators Baldwin had not molested her children."

She should have contacted police instead of taking the law into her own hands. If she had known he was a sex offender and ran out the door and beat him while he was talking to her daughter. I might have a totally different opinion on this. I would be inclined to see that as a defensive action instead of a vigilante action.

[madmom]

21. My son just found out there is a class 3 sexual predator living across the

street from him. He has 3 daughters 6, 5 &2.He rents the house, now my question is did the landlord know of this and was he obligated to tell my son before he moved in? Is this reason enough to break a lease? Incidentally this is also less than 1000 feet from school sports fields.

[Whoa_Nelly]

22. Tell your son to inquire with his local police/sheriff department

to make sure that the person living there is a level III.
If it's true, then it's a police/sheriff matter.

[madmom]

24. Yeah, he said he was going to talk to the sheriff. He did check the internet offender site and

this guy is on there.

[Spangle]

38. he is lucky to know

He could have an 'uncaught' molester living there.

Actually, he might have someone else on his street that hasn't been caught yet.

It's better to know, then not know. So the children will know straight up to leave that person alone. It doesn't mean to be rude, or to harrass the guy. But to stay away. Don't trick or treat. Don't go asking for sugar. Etc.

We have an offender on our street. The bus stop is also on our street. Several schools use that stop. When the news broke, we were harrassede by lots of folks coming to let us know he lives on our street. Some folks wanted to move the bus stop.

Seriously? The kids who walk by his house now, will still have to walk by his house to get to the new bus stop. AT least at this bus stop, if he is hanging out.. those on this street knows what he looks like. Basicly, he can't do it here. I's the safes place for the bus stop. Cause the neighbors KNOW.

I'm not worried about that guy. Cause I got his 'number'. It's the ones that haven't been flagged.. those are the ones I worry about.

[Wizard777]

25. Talking to the police is important. But more important is talking to his children.

They need to know of the dangers the person presents. Do not talk to him. If he tries to approach them to run away screaming help. If he grabs them to pull away in the direction of the thumb and run away screaming help. If he tries any of these things they need to go to the nearest trusted adult and tell them immediately. Teacher, cop, fireman, other trusted neighbor, and of course mom and dad.

[dipsydoodle]

29. Was it a vampire bat ?

:shrug:

[LostinVA]

40. Ha! I thought the headline meant a small flying mammal when I first read it!

[bertman]

30. Right now her batting average is higher than Ty Cobb's, so I hope she'll stop while she's

the champ.

So, this guy was chatting up her 10 year-old daughter in front of their trailer the summer before he actually moved in. This is a guy who molested a five year-old and, according to the other account, did it again--although, I was unsure if it was the same child.

Nonetheless, here is this guy NOW LIVING IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD who is a CONVICTED CHILD MOLESTOR and whom she has seen talking to her own child in HER OWN YARD.

No wonder she went after the asshole with her bat.

[superconnected]

32. Considering that guy is 7'3, she's lucky to have got him. And if you look at my above post

you'll see he is a child molester and is very likely to re-offend.

[bertman]

41. Yep, I saw that superconnected. Makes me feel a lot less judgmental about her taking

"pre-emptive" batting practice.

[bitchkitty]

46. I see now why she felt she had to bring the bat.

Something he said must have set her off. :)

[Skip Intro]

34. What happened to these people?

I can't seem to get past that question.

[depakid]

39. Stories of vigilantism rarely have happy endings

My guess would be that the attorneys and the judge worked very hard to find an acceptible result for the case

[bitchkitty]

43. What's with all the negative comments on their looks?

Is it just because they live in a trailer park? WAKE THE FUCK UP. You're being elitist, which is as bad as being racist, and if you ask me, that's pretty trashy itself.

She just looks like she's been crying, as I would have been. He just looks like some dude you wouldn't look twice at.

The trailer trash comments really bother me. I don't have a home - I'm sick and broke, and waiting for disability. If I could work, there is no work where I live. So right now I'm staying in one of those little bubble trailers in my sister's backyard. Come over here and call me trailer trash - I won't take a bat to you, but I'll sit your ass down and explain how you're a piece of shit, and you'll go home and probably commit suicide.

[eilen]

44. Poor people can't afford Restylane and Botox

plus she has no make up and most likely has lead a difficult life.

I dislike comments on looks and judgments on character based on living in a trailer.

A sex offender can live in any neighborhood. I think she had some amazing cojones to go after such a big man with a baseball bat. She really must have felt her children were threatened. He has no business striking up conversations with children. He is Level 3, with known relapse.

I bet the parents of the kids he molested are glad his ass was beaten.

[bitchkitty]

45. Her reaction was way extreme,

but she may have been a victim herself.

I used to work for DHS and was daily subjected (if you type them, if you file them, you have to read them) to the horrible things people will do to each other. But the facts were, at least in our county, that the rate of recidivism was extremely low. Probably due in part to meds and in part to the fact that there was mandated therapy in our laws. Still is, I think.

Still, there are some so sick and so damaged that nothing but castration or prison for life can protect society from them.

[47of74]

50. She should be in prison a lot longer than that

Law enforcement needs to send a message that this sort of crap won't be tolerated. What if she had gotten the wrong address in her head and beat up an innocent person? You start letting people do this sort of shit with a slap on the wrist and sooner or later an innocent person's going to get hurt.

[depakid]

52. I'm sure the judge and both attorneys took that sentiment to heart

This a very trying case. How would you deal with it- as citizens on a jury (not wanting to be there in the first place)?

As mentioned before- and as Washingtonians know, there's a serious public policy problem at hand.

What to do? -surely not the status quo.

Should states follow Oregon's example with the Psychiatric Security Review Board?

Not so sure- it's one of those things we can (and do) debate about.

But one thing for certain- business as usual isn't getting enough results

Which in turn leads people like Ms. Gibson to behave the way she did.