Police nab sex offender

A 34-year-old Bainbridge man was arrested at the Department of Corrections office in Poulsbo last week, on charges of failing to register as a sex offender.

Although registered as an offender in King County, the man had been living on Weaver Road for several months and had not notified the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, police said.

The deception was discovered Jan. 28 when the man was arrested for drunk driving and other traffic offenses as he drove off the ferry from Bainbridge to Seattle.

He gave troopers a Bainbridge Island address, which they flagged as suspicious because of his registration in another county.

When the suspect went to see his probation officer in Poulsbo last Wednesday, Bainbridge officers were notified and he was arrested and taken to the Kitsap County Jail. He apparently had been living on Bainbridge Island for several months.

A check of the King County Sheriff’s Office sex-offender registry did not list the man among Level 2 or Level 3 offenders, suggesting that he was registered in the category of those considered least likely to reoffend.

Teen drinking party busted

A teen drinking party took a potentially violent turn over the weekend, when a neighbor reported a prowler on the grounds of a nearby residence and said he was arming himself with a shotgun to protect his family.

Officers responded to complaints of racing vehicles around a home on North Tolo Road just after 10 p.m. Friday.

The reporting party believed the activity involved youths, and that parents were away from the residence.

Police found youths drinking at the home. One admitted to having friends over and said the party got bigger than intended.

One minor was found to be extremely intoxicated and had to be given a medical evaluation before being released to a parent. Other youths were released to adults. The case was referred to the juvenile prosecutor for possible charges of underage drinking and furnishing alcohol to minors.

When police arrived at the scene, a number of youths fled the residence on foot, apparently leading to the 911 call from a neighbor reporting that a prowler was on his porch.

Officers checked the area around that home but found no one.

Fire damages island home

A Lovgreen Road home was damaged in a blaze Monday afternoon, fire officials said.

The residence, a double-wide manufactured home in the 8500 block of Lovgreen Road, was occupied at the time of the fire, but the residents escaped unharmed.

The blaze started outside the home, but fire officials Tuesday declined to release other information, including the extent of damage.

Loving pastor at Rolling Bay

The Rev. Linda C. Loving will begin her role as interim pastor at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church on Feb. 19, following the retirement of the Rev. Dick Middleton last summer.

Loving has been a pastor for 20 years, serving in Illinois, California, and Minnesota. Most recently, she served as senior pastor at House of Hope in St. Paul, Minn. At that time, she was one of three women holding the position of senior pastor for congregations numbering over 1,000 in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.

She holds a master of divinity degree from McCormick Theological Seminary and an undergraduate degree in theater from the University of Michigan.

Before becoming a pastor, she worked for 10 years in hospital administration.

The congregation of Rolling Bay welcomes all who would like to hear her preach.

The church is located at the corner of Valley Road and Sunrise Drive. Services are at 8 and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Puddings add to food bank

When the last spoonful of sweet, soft bread pudding was scooped up and the tasting crowd had gone, all that remained were four winners and $632.53 for Helpline House.

The first Pro-Am Bread Pudding Bake-off hosted by Island Gallery attracted 19 entrants and nearly 300 tasters last Friday night.

“We were packed,” said Island Gallery’s Susan Roth.

Bobbie Morgan’s “environmentally friendly” amaretto bread pudding – made with organic ingredients – took top honors as Best of Show, and the gold medal in the amateur category followed by Lee Fickle’s chocolate bread pudding.

Among the professional entries, Stephanie Ahlquist of Stephanie’s, Of Course catering struck gold with her concoction of brioche, pecans and island blackberries. A caramel apple bread pudding by Metro Market Cafe took silver.

Morgan says her award-winning pudding recipe is from City Councilor Deborah Vancil. She tasted it at a meet-and-greet when Vancil ran for office. Stephanie Harris had baked it.

“Debbie and Stephanie have been serving each other (this recipe) for 20 years and I was just the beneficiary of it,” Morgan said. “So the medal is shared among the three of us.”

– Tina Lieu