.A convicted sex offender has returned to live in the town he was driven out of last month after an arsonist burned his house. The man, Joseph Gallardo, 35, registered Friday as a sex offender at the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, said Elliott Woodall, a spokesman for the office. Two television crews and a few relatives accompanied Mr. Gallardo.
Washington State law requires sex offenders to register with the sheriff's department in the county where they plan to live. Mr. Gallardo was released from prison on July 12 after serving almost three years for statutory rape of a 10-year-old girl.
Before his planned move to Lynnwood, north of Seattle, the sheriff's office took advantage of a provision in state law and sent out fliers warning residents that a child-rapist would be living in the town.
The leaflets said Mr. Gallardo had a "very high probability of reoffense." Neighbors responded with picketing and rallies. The morning of Mr. Gallardo's release, the house in which he intended to live was set afire.
