OLYMPIA - The state Attorney General's Office filed a petition Tuesday to civilly commit a Grant County sex offender and prevent his upcoming release from prison.

The petition filed in Grant County Superior Court seeks to prevent the release of Rickey Powell, 29, who was convicted of three sexually violent offenses against young children since 1996, according to the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

He is currently housed at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary and unless a judge finds probable cause to believe he meets the definition of a sexually violent predator, Powell is scheduled for release Sunday.

The state's Sexually Violent Predator law allows the state Attorney General's Office to petition for the civil commitment of violent sex offenders who, because of mental abnormality or personal disorder, are proven likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if released.

The AGO Sexually Violent Predator Unit alleges Powell suffers from both mental abnormality and a personality disorder that cause him to have serious difficulty in controlling his dangerous behavior. The unit's attorneys also allege this makes him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence unless confined in a secured facility, likely the state's Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.

"The Attorney General's Office works hard to prevent the release of dangerous sexually violent offenders into our communities," Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.

If a judge finds probable cause to believe Powell may be a sexually violent predator, a civil commitment trial will be held. Either a judge or jury would decide whether or not Powell meets the sexually violent predator criteria.

In 1990, Washington became the first state to pass a law permitting the involuntary civil commitment of sex offenders after they have served their criminal sentences.