Meet the sheriff April 30

Island County Sheriff Mark Brown will speak at a meeting in Oak Harbor April 30 about two registered sex offenders who are moving into the community.

Both of the sex offenders preyed upon teenagers. One of the men is a homeless, Level 3 sex offender, which means he is considered a high-risk to reoffend. The other man has been deemed Level 2, which means he’s considered a moderate risk of reoffending.

Brown, precinct deputies and other officials will discuss the two sex offenders, as well as the laws regarding sex offender registration and tips for keeping children safe. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Oak Harbor

Municipal Shop, 1400 NE 16th Street.

Sidney Summiel, a 43-year-old former Oak Harbor resident, just got out of prison after serving nearly five years for child rape in the second degree. The former Navy man was originally charged with 34 different counts of sex crimes for allegedly having sexual relationships with a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, as well as possessing child pornography.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Summiel used extensive grooming techniques, including buying gifts and giving out cash.

Summiel is under community supervision through the Department of Corrections for three to four years. He will be on GPS monitoring, which keeps a record of where he’s been but doesn’t show his location in real time.

The Department of Corrections End of Sentence Review Committee has rated Summiel as a Level 3 sexual offender, and the Sheriff’s Office concurred. He has not had sex offender treatment and is not required to do so.

Moreover, Summiel will be homeless in the Oak Harbor area. He is required to check in weekly with the Sheriff’s Office and to complete quarterly reports in person.

The other man, 38-year-old Ronald Petricko, is moving to Oak Harbor from Michigan. He was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree and Internet communications with intent to commit a crime.

In 2002, the Michigan State Patrol caught Petricko having sex with a 14-year-old girl in the back of a van parked at a rest area. It turned out that Petricko developed a relationship with the girl over the Internet.

Petricko completed sex offender treatment. He will be on electronic home monitoring until Sept. 11.

Petricko will be living at a home on Wilson Road.

You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.