Spotlight finds high-risk sex offender, forcing him to flee Oregon
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PORTLAND, Ore. – A high-risk sex offender said he's leaving Oregon after KATU News put the spotlight on his whereabouts.
Gordon Michael Strauss was convicted of four rapes since the 1980s and spent a decade in prison. He's known for snatching teenage girls off the streets.
He spent 14 years at an institution in Washington that treats sexual psychopaths, but he wasn't on supervision when he came to Portland last week.
Strauss headed into the Portland Police Bureau's Central Precinct in downtown Portland Thursday afternoon and deregistered as a sex offender living in Portland.
He'd most recently listed his address as "homeless" living in the area of Northwest 9th and Lovejoy in the Pearl District.
"You people runned me out of the state, you should be proud of yourself," he told KATU News after he deregistered. He said he hadn’t been treated fairly.
A computer query by Portland Police Bureau Officer Bridget Sickon returned a list several pages long of sex offenders like Strauss who don’t have a permanent address.
There are 250 to 300 homeless sex offenders in Portland.
Sickon said the rules in Oregon for homeless sex offenders are more lenient than in neighboring states, making it a draw for rapists like Strauss.
"And which ones are the other type, like Mr. Strauss, who’s using his right to register as homeless in Oregon as a way to circumvent being monitored," she said.
As for Strauss, he told KATU News he's dying from lung disease.
"I can't walk fast, and I can't deal with this," he said. "So just do me a favor and let me go."
Strauss' lung disease hasn't been confirmed, but he was observed lighting a cigarette while talking about his condition.
Sickon said Strauss is headed back to Washington, specifically Seattle, where he has family and friends and more of a support network.
To be fair, the times I've met Gordon and talked to him he was a very nice guy... pleasant, insightful in discussions, did not seem like the type that was trying to tell a tall tale or hide anything. Either that makes him more dangerous because he's a likable fellow, or maybe it means he's turned a new leaf over the years? I can't tell or say which, but take it for what you will.
By all means be aware of him and other sex offenders but which is better knowing where they are or not knowing?
 @BigDave I've seen him more than a few times in the Kenmore area of Seattle in the last month. No question its the same guy. He has come into my business, which to protect my business I will not name, but he's been here more than a few times. Only now have I read this though...