The operator slated to oversee a controversial sex offender housing facility in Kennewick has withdrawn from the project, marking a major development in a months-long fight over plans to place sexually violent predators (SVPs) in a residential neighborhood.
Joe Field, who has operated housing for registered sex offenders in Walla Walla since 2017, informed city officials he would no longer be involved with the proposed less restrictive alternative (LRA) facility near 8th Avenue and Edison Street.
“We’re very glad this house is no longer going to be an LRA placement for sex offenders."
Neighbors rally together and stop Democrats from releasing level 3 sex offenders into Kennewick, WA pic.twitter.com/b3F1KZPXCv
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) March 13, 2026
“Isabel Valle will be the contact for the LRA house from here on out,” Field wrote in a message relayed to the City of Kennewick. “I, Joe Field will no longer be associated with this house or LRAs in Kennewick.”
Kennewick City Manager Erin Erdman confirmed Field notified the city of his decision on March 4. Erdman said the property owners—Lydenne Vieira and Isabel Valle—appear committed to continuing the project and may seek another operator.
The property had been under review as a potential LRA site to house up to five Level 3 sexually violent predators, the state’s highest risk classification of sex offenders who have completed prison sentences but were later civilly committed after courts determined they are likely to reoffend without secure confinement.
Most SVPs in Washington are held at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island, a remote facility created to house the state’s most dangerous sex offenders, including serial rapists and convicted pedophiles. In recent years, some individuals held there have been released into supervised community housing through LRAs, a process that has sparked controversy in communities across Washington.
The Kennewick proposal drew intense backlash because the site sits near multiple schools and youth-centered facilities serving more than 7,400 students. Critics also argued the state’s process allowed the property to be purchased before the community or local lawmakers were notified.
Local governments in Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland passed resolutions or moratoriums opposing the proposed placement.
Tri-Cities lawmakers also pressed state officials to intervene. Sen. Nikki Torres (R-Pasco), Sen. Matt Boehnke (R-Kennewick), Rep. April Connors (R-Kennewick), and Rep. Stephanie Barnard (R-Pasco) sent a letter to Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and other state leaders urging them to pause consideration of the placement while the state reviews its LRA siting rules.
Torres credited the Kennewick community with helping derail the project.
“I’m glad it was mainly the constituents that were able to pull this through,” Torres said during an interview on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI. “The community rallied together… Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Nobody wanted this in their neighborhood.”
Torres said lawmakers were only notified after the home had already been purchased, highlighting what she described as a major gap in the state’s notification process.
“We didn’t get any kind of notification… until after the close of the sale,” Torres said. “Then everyone started scrambling asking, ‘Why is this happening? Where is the loophole?’”
She also raised concerns about placing Level 3 offenders near children, noting the proposed Kennewick site sits close to multiple schools.
“These are Level 3 sex offenders,” Torres said. “They should not be placed in communities such as Kennewick.”
Torres added that lawmakers will continue working with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and other state agencies to address the issue and push for stronger restrictions on SVP placements.
“For now we’re very glad this house is no longer going to be an LRA placement for sex offenders,” she said.
Kennewick officials say they will continue working to prevent the facility from opening while maintaining communication with the property owners. Whether the project moves forward could depend on whether another operator steps in to replace Field.
