Level III sex offender Steven Matthew Arnold, 21, resides in Kitsap County and has registered with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) as a transient with no fixed address, according to KCSO. Arnold is required to check in with the sheriff’s office once a week.

The sheriff’s officed releases sex offender whereabouts to inform the public not to incite fear. The sheriff’s office has no legal authority to direct where a registered sex offender may or may not reside and unless court-ordered restrictions are in place, registered offenders are constitutionally free to live wherever they choose, according to KCSO.

Arnold was convicted in 2002 of first-degree rape of a child for sexually assaulting two juveniles between the ages of 9 and 12 who were known to him. He was 15 years old at the time of the offenses.

Because Arnold is a transient, no community meeting is scheduled.

Abuse of information provided through the sex offender notification process in order to intimidate, harass or threaten registered offenders will result in an investigation and the filing of criminal charges against the perpetrators, according to the sheriff’s office.

KCSO Community Resource Officer Deputy Pete Ball is available to assist communities in establishing block or neighborhood watch programs and to provide the public with information on personal safety. Ball may be contacted at (360) 337-7074.

For further information on registered sex offenders in Kitsap County, contact KCSO Detective Doug Dillard at (360) 337-5617.