It depends.

Lough was also accused of molesting a child in 1971, and another child between 1972–1977, and accused of raping his ex-wife in 1985.

Aside from sex crimes, Lough has a long history of violent crimes and drug crimes stretching from 1973 to his rape conviction in 1986. He was also convicted of third-degree assault while incarcerated on McNeil Island in 2010.

For years, King County prosecutors successfully argued that Lough should remain confined. However, court records show that on July 8, experts retained by both the prosecution and defense agreed that although Lough remains predisposed to commit violent acts, he no longer meets the legal criteria for a sexually violent predator because he is not considered likely to commit sexually violent offenses.

In court documents, a forensic psychologist wrote, "It would not be surprising if, upon release, he engaged in future acts of non-sexual violence.

Despite that information, the determination that he no longer met the criteria for a sexually violent offender meant the state could no longer legally hold him at the Special Commitment Center, resulting in his unconditional release.

The decision has left many residents questioning both the law and the process that led to Lough’s release.

"It was rather shocking," McCoy-Storton said. "As you continue to read through the documents, you ask yourself how this is even happening so close to home and in a community like Enumclaw with so many families and children."

Records also show Lough was found in possession of a cellphone in 2023 that allegedly contained possible child sexual exploitation material. The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said no charging referral related to that allegation was ever submitted for review.