Driver Who Crashed into Safeway a Level III Sex Offender?

The information released Wednesday afternoon by the Franklin County Sheriff's Department does not clarify if the man is currently registered in our area, but apparently, the man who crashed into the Safeway in Kennewick is a transient Level III sex offender.

62-year-old Christian V. Searcy was convicted of 1st. Degree Rape in King County in 1987, and in 2013 was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender as required by law. Franklin County Sheriff's information indicates he is a Level III. He is also trespassed from parks and school grounds.

Level 1 offenders are not contained in the WA State active database available to citizens, but when they do move into an area, they are reported by law enforcement to the community. They are considered the least likely to re-offend.

However, Level 3 offenders are considered the most dangerous and most likely to re-offend, according to the state.

Searcy was behind the wheel of a GMC Suburban that Tuesday morning, around 8AM, crashed into the front of the Safeway store on Kennewick Ave. Although he did not cause a significant amount of damage, his vehicle blocked the west entrance. Kennewick Police offered little about his background, but now we have more clarity.

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It is not known if he's registered in Benton or Franklin Counties. KPD Officers said he had apparently spent the night prior in the parking lot in the vehicle. It is not known if it's his, or why he was driving because he has a suspended license. It is also not yet known if he owns the vehicle he was in.

He told officers he was "blind,"  judging from his mugshot it appears he does have some issues with his eyes.

Franklin County Sheriff's officials said once such an offender has completed their mandated terms of sentence, there is no authority to demand where offenders live.

He is considered a transient, according to Sheriff's data.

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