Michael Stanley, who cut off monitoring bracelet to flee Alberta, guilty of rape in US

A jury in King County, Washington found Michael Stanley guilty of second-degree rape and first-degree burglary with sexual motivation.

Stanley, 51, was arrested on Feb. 28, 2015 in connection with the charges.

On Monday, the jury will be asked if there was an aggravating factor which would allow the judge to set a higher minimum point for his sentence.

“It allows the judge to go above the standard range as the minimum point of his sentence.”

“This aggravating factor is that the defendant committed this crime shortly after after being released from custody on another matter,” Hugh Barber, senior deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, said.

Barber said Thursday’s decision was a relief because of the nature of the crime and Stanley’s history.

“The victim in this case is now 70 years old and she’s an amazingly devout woman. This was a really, really scary thing.”

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“If you look at Mr. Stanely’s criminal history it starts, as far as our records, way back in 1984 in Alberta and just continues on,” Barber told Global News.

“It’s satisying and relieving that the jury made a decision that, at the very least, will keep him in prison for a number of more years, the least of which would be probably 20.”

READ MORE: More unconfirmed sightings of high-risk sex offender in Sask 

The high-risk sex offender was the subject of a manhunt across Saskatchewan and Alberta in October 2013.

He cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet in Lloydminster on Oct. 1 and crossed the border into the United States on Oct. 7.

READ MORE: Wildrose slams justice minister for ‘letting Michael Stanley roam free’ 

At the time, officials in Canada did not ask to have him extradited even though he was wanted Canada-wide on a number of charges.

Stanley lived in Edmonton after serving a 32-month jail term for assault and forcible confinement. He has a long criminal history of violent and sexual crimes on both sides of the border and has been known to take children from playgrounds.

With files from David Giles, Global News and The Canadian Press