Judge Approves Psychological Tests For Kevin Coe

SPOKANE – A judge Friday ordered psychological tests on convicted rapist Kevin Coe that the state wants to bolster its case that he is a sexually violent predator.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor says she will order Coe to meet with a psychologist, take a polygraph about his sexual history and another test that measures his sexual arousal, called a penile plethysmograph.

The judge delayed ruling on a state motion for a cheek swab the state wants to confirm that a semen sample taken from a rape victim in 1980 matches Coe’s DNA.

A hearing is scheduled for February 15 on that motion, which Coe’s lawyers oppose.

Coe served 25 years for a single rape conviction stemming from the South Hill Rapist investigations, but was held after his sentence expired in September.

The state is going through a process of committing Coe indefinitely as a sexually violent predator. If convicted in July, he would be sent to a secure mental health lockup on McNeil Island.