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A 47-year-old man who resides in Chehalis has been charged with failing to register as a sex offender.
Jarett Douglas Mortensen has been convicted of the same charge six times previously, with an active case ongoing in Grays Harbor County.
Mortensen on Monday made his initial appearance in Lewis County Superior Court to face the new charge. He appeared via video feed from the Lewis County Jail, where he has been held since Friday, Nov. 6.
He’s charged with one count of failure to register as a sex offender, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $20,000.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller, who represents most defendants during their first appearances in superior court, asked for bail no higher than $10,000, noting Mortensen does not believe his original conviction of a sex offense in Oregon would be considered a felony in Washington state.
She said he intends to argue that stance in his defense, as he is doing so in Grays Harbor County where he also faces a charge of failure to register as a sex offender.
Judge Joely Yeager set bail at $50,000, saying she has no confidence in Mortensen’s ability to follow court orders or register as required based on his previous convictions.
Mortensen was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2020, in addition to his pending case in Grays Harbor County. He also has convictions for violating conditions of community custody, bail jumping, second-degree robbery, use of drug paraphernalia and DUI.
Mortensen interrupted as Yeager was making her decision on bail, saying that he is enrolled in college and has never missed a hearing or court-ordered payment.
Yeager acknowledged Mortensen but suggested he take the matter up with the help of a defense attorney at a future court appearance. She noted there are two active warrants for his arrest.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by prosecutors, a Lewis County detective was notified that Mortensen, who is required to register as a sex offender due to a 1997 felony sex offense in Oregon, had been released from custody in Grays Harbor County and had changed his address to a home in Chehalis.
Based on the information, Mortensen was required to register in Lewis County by July 15. His status was updated to “fail to register” on July 29, and he was arrested on a state Department of Corrections warrant on Sept. 27 before later being booked into the Lewis County Jail to face the felony charge.
Mortensen is scheduled to return to Lewis County Superior Court for an arraignment and trial setting hearing on Thursday.
