A Level 3 sex offender has moved into the city, according to a bulletin provided by the Auburn Police Department.

Hipolito J. Cartagena, 54, is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 180 pounds. He was convicted of first-degree rape in King County in 1996.

The Auburn Police Department has released the information pursuant to state law and the Washington State Supreme Court decision in State vs. Ward that authorizes law enforcement agencies to inform the public of a sex offender’s release when the agency believes the release will enhance public safety and protection.

Individuals convicted of a sex offense must register with the Sheriff’s Office in King County. Level 3 offenders are classified as those most likely to reoffend.

Cartagena has served his court-imposed sentence and has advised the King County Sheriff’s Department that he will be living in Auburn. He is not wanted by the police at this time. Police say they have not released the information to provoke fear, but in the belief that an informed public is a safer public.

The Auburn Police Department has no legal authority to direct where a sex offender may or may not live. Unless court ordered restrictions exist, Cartagena is constitutionally free to live wherever he or she choses.

Auburn police will not tolerate abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass a registered sex offender. Further, such abuse could potentially end law enforcement’s ability to do community notifications.