Justices State Records of Low-level Sex Offenders are Public

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington's Supreme Court says information about low-level sex offenders can be released under the state Public Records Act.

The 7-1 decision Thursday overturns a King County Superior Court holding that found the records were not subject to disclosure. The ruling came in a case involving Donna Zink, a Franklin County woman who requested a copy of the Washington State Patrol's sex-offender database.

The state patrol planned to release the records, but some Level 1 sex-offenders sued, arguing that state law blocked the release of their records. Level 1 comprises those deemed least likely to reoffend. Some of the Level 1 sex offenders were convicted as juveniles and had molested family members, and they argued that releasing the information would make it easy to identify their victims.

But the court disagreed, saying there was no exemption under the Public Records Act that would block the release.