Molester moves but doesn't tell
July 3, 2008 · Updated 1:25 PM
A convicted child molester who had been living in Oak Harbor is facing a felony charge for moving without alerting the Island County Sheriffs Office.
Chad Rustad, 22, was charged in Island County Superior Court with failure to register as a sex offender. He pleaded not guilty on Oct. 12.
Rustad was convicted of first-degree child molestation in Spokane County on July 14, 1992. Under state law, convicted sex offenders must register with the sheriffs office in the county of their residence. A convicted sex offender must also notify the department of a change of address within 72 hours of moving.
According to a report written by Island County Sheriffs Detective Errol Ortego, the Department of Corrections put out a warrant on Rustad May 15 after officials discovered that he had moved without notifying them. Rustad was under community supervision with the Department of Corrections because of a burglary charge.
Ortego wrote that he went to Rustads apartment and found it empty. Rustad was later found in the Skagit County jail, but he gave the jail another Oak Harbor address as his residence. Ortego, however, found that Rustad didnt live at that address either, court records show.
On Nov. 16, Rustad appeared in court and said he was ready for trial.
If convicted, he would face up to a year in jail.
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