On Friday, Canadian sex offender Michael Stanley registered as a sex offender with the King County Sheriff’s Office. Later he checked in as homeless and provided a general address of First Avenue and Pike Street in downtown Seattle. Many have had questions about why he is listed as a Level 2 and not a Level 3 sex offender, and why he can register his “homeless” address at an area that is close to a day care.

According to sheriff spokesperson, Cindi West, the office has been told that Stanley’s offenses in Canada do not require him to register there.

“In order for us to determine if he needs to register here, we need all the documentation from Canada to see if his offenses there are comparable to offenses here that require registration” she said. “Once that documentation is received, if we do in fact determine that he would be required to register here, then he will be classified to a specific level through the use of the state approved scoring tool.”

He is currently listed as a Level 2, which is the minimum level for an offender registered as “homeless.”

Finally, the most common question the sheriff’s office gets about sex offenders is why are they allowed to live near schools, day cares, etc. Unless the person is being monitored by the Department of Corrections and has a restriction that prohibits them from living near a school, the sex offender can live near a school or child care facility.