The Island County Sheriff’s Office has announced that a level 3 sex offender is being released from the state Department of Corrections today and will be homeless in Oak Harbor.

Nathan Thomas Marion Evans, 28, was sentenced to 29 months in a state prison for raping a 12-year-old girl in Whatcom County in 2001, and for two other felony charges. He was released in 2003 for those crimes but is being released again for other non-related charges Saturday, Nov. 13, Island County Sheriff’s Det. Laura Price said.

Although Evans is not wanted by law enforcement at this time, state law requires that police notify the public when a sex offender moves into the area. Evans was classified in 2003 as a level 2 sex offender, but based on his history and other assessments, Price said he is now considered a level 3, which is the highest level to reoffend.

“That’s not uncommon for people with huge histories,” Price said.

Evans has a criminal history in Washington that stretches back to 1995 when he was convicted of seven felony forgery charges. In 1999, he was convicted of taking a motor vehicle without permission, and for forgery again in 1999. He was convicted of robbery in the second degree the same year, and with two counts of possession of stolen property in 2001.

In 2004, he was convicted of nine gross misdemeanors for attempting to elude police, and in 2007 he was charged with a misdemeanor for failing to register as a sex offender but was not convicted. The following year in Arizona however, he received a felony conviction for the crime.

According to Price, the notification is not intended to increase fear but to adhere with state law and keep the public informed. A public meeting has been scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the Oak Harbor Public Works meeting room, located 1400 NE 16th Ave.