The number of persons required to register in California continues to decrease according to a report from the CA Department of Justice (CA DOJ) presented during today’s meeting of the CA Sex Offender Management Board. Specifically, the number of registrants has decreased by 108 persons during the month of February to a new total of 108,432. “Although the reason for the smaller number of persons required to register was not disclosed during the meeting, it is believed that the decrease is due to an increase in the number of petitions…
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CA: Wasco State Prison: Sex offender killed in cell
Source: bakersfield.com 3/16/22 Wasco State Prison officials reported a convicted sex offender was killed in his cell on Tuesday, according to a news release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Scott ____, 59, is believed to be the victim of a homicide, according to the release, after he was found unresponsive in his cell shortly after 5 p.m. Prison officials identified his cellmate Eugene Stroud, 44, as the suspect. Gunter, who came to Wasco from San Diego County, began serving a two-year sentence Feb. 23 for failing to…
Read MoreCA: Contra Costa County Grants Registrant’s Petition
Source: ACSOL Contra Costa County granted yesterday a petition filed on behalf of a registrant convicted of PC 288(a) in 1986. This is the second known petition granted by Contra Costa county so far. The first petition granted in Contra Costa county took place on December 2, 2021, for a different registrant convicted of the same offense. In both cases, the District Attorney did not object to the petitions. “Many courts in California are granting petitions filed by or on behalf of eligible registrants,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. …
Read MoreCA: Tiered Registry Law Presentation Focus of CASOMB Meeting
Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) today listened to a lengthy, in-depth presentation regarding the Tiered Registry Law and its implementation. The presentation was delivered by attorneys Michele Kumaus of the San Diego Public Defenders Office and Ana Santiago of the San Diego District Attorneys Office. According to the attorneys, a total of 143 petitions for removal from the registry have been filed on behalf of registrants in San Diego County. Of that total, 69 have been granted and 11 have been denied. The remaining petitions are…
Read MoreCA: Residents in ‘shock’ after convicted sex offender moves into Poway neighborhood
Source: fox5sandiego.com 2/12/22 SAN DIEGO — Residents in the Arbolito neighborhood are concerned for their children’s safety after a convicted sex offender moved into their neighborhood without any notice to the community. Convicted sex offender, Spicer ____, was sentenced to eight years in state prison in 2017 for kidnapping, contact with a minor to commit a sexual offense and unlawful possession of an assault rifle. A concerned parent, who did not want to be identified due to safety concerns, told FOX 5 Spicer ____is living with his mother on Poway…
Read MoreLawsuit Challenges Tiered Registry Law Provision
A lawsuit was filed this week in Sacramento Superior Court challenging the application of a tiered registry law provision that has resulted in individuals being assigned to Tier 3, the highest tier, even though their felony conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor. Specifically, the lawsuit is seeking relief for an individual convicted of a felony violation of Penal Code Section 288.2 that was later reduced to a misdemeanor. According to the lawsuit, the individual should not have been assigned to Tier 3 or to any tier, but instead should have…
Read MoreCA: California domestic violence advocates ask Gov. Newsom to spend more on prevention programs
Source: fresnobee.com 2/14/22 A coalition of 100-plus crisis intervention agencies is once again appealing to the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom to set aside funding in next year’s budget to pay for programming found to prevent sexual and domestic violence. Although California has a budget surplus, Newsom did not set aside money for this work in his January budget proposal, something that did not sit well with coalition leaders. “Despite significant investments in policing and criminalization as a response to rising concerns about public safety, the governor’s budget ignores…
Read MoreCASOMB Issues Annual Report for 2021
Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) today issued its annual report for calendar year 2021. The report is more than 30 pages long yet devotes less than one page to implementation of the Tiered Registry Law which became effective on January 1, 2021. According to the report, the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) “has diligently worked to ensure that the (agency)…is sufficiently staffed to handle the increase in terminations that result from granted petitions.” This assertion, however, is inconsistent with the experience of registrants whose petitions…
Read MoreCA: California Senate aims to limit ‘junk science’ in courtrooms
Source: apnews.com 1/27/22 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Wednesday moved to deter the use of what a legislator called “junk science” in the courtroom and give those convicted with questionable expert testimony a way out of prison. Senators approved changing the state’s definition of false testimony to include expert court opinions based on flawed scientific research or outdated technology, or where a reasonable scientific dispute has emerged over its validity. Expert opinions that aren’t based on bona fide research, peer-reviewed studies or other science would not satisfy the…
Read MoreCA: California trans child molester, 26, gets 2 years in juvenile facility thanks to progressive DA Gascon
Source: foxnews.com 1/27/22 A Los Angeles County judge on Thursday ordered Hannah Tubbs, a transgender California woman, to serve two years in a juvenile facility after she pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in 2014. Before doing so, the judge criticized far-left District Attorney George Gascon, whose office declined to prosecute the repeat offender as an adult. Tubbs, 26, recently pleaded guilty to molesting the girl in a women’s bathroom eight years ago when Tubbs was two weeks away from turning 18. At the time of the crime,…
Read MoreCASOMB Reports More Registrants, Fewer Homeless Registrants
Source: ACSOL The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) reported today that the total number of registrants continues to grow despite implementation of the petitioning process under the Tiered Registry Law. Specifically, the total number of registrants increased to 108,725 which is 365 more than reported in November 2021. Of that total, there are 19,479 registrants who are in violation for failure to register. The number of people in violation is 333 more than reported in November 2021. CASOMB also reported today that the total number of registrants on parole,…
Read MoreCA: Would-be child predator caught by YouTube channel
Source: LA Times 1/19/22 Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 19. I’m Justin Ray. Warning: This story discusses child abuse. An activist behind a YouTube channel based in California is catching people in the state who are trying to meet kids for lewd acts. His followers have hailed his work and praised him for keeping kids safe, while others in law enforcement and legal experts say he’s putting himself in danger and jeopardizing potential criminal cases. The channel, called CC Unit, has 137,000 subscribers.…
Read MoreAction Alert for CA: Assembly Bill Would Deny Medical Licenses to Most Registrants
California Assembly member Akilah Weber (Democrat, San Diego) has introduced a bill that, if passed, would deny a medical license to anyone required to register as a sex offender with one small exception. The bill number is AB 1636 and it was introduced on January 12, 2022. The small exception would apply to individuals convicted of PC 314, indecent exposure, provided that it was a misdemeanor conviction. “As currently written, this bill will prohibit every person required to register, including those who requirement to register has been terminated, from being…
Read MoreCA: Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez to resign from position
Source: fox5sandiego.com 1/3/22 SAN DIEGO — Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who represents the 80th Assembly District in San Diego, announced Monday she will be resigning from her position. … According to Gonzalez, she will leave her position effective Wednesday and plans to lead the California Labor Federation starting in July. Read the full article
Read MoreCA: Incarcerated individuals secure state job offers before leaving prison
Source: cdcr.ca.gov 12/13/21 Nearly two dozen incarcerated individuals received conditional job offers during a recent hiring event at California State Prison, Solano. The civil service workshop and hiring event for incarcerated individuals was held November 17. Twenty-three individuals received conditional job offers for employment from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) before returning to their communities. “This hiring event is successful thanks to multiple state agencies coming together to improve the lives of others,” said CALPIA Acting General Manager Bill Davidson. “CALPIA thrives through partnerships, and it is rewarding to…
Read MoreCA: Number of Petitions Granted Continues to Grow
Source: ACSOL Contra Costa County today granted the first petition under its consideration. The petition was submitted on behalf of a registrant convicted of PC 288(a) about 25 years ago who had successfully registered for more than 20 years. Prior to today’s hearing, the relevant registration office determined that the registrant was eligible to submit his petition. During today’s hearing, the District Attorney’s office stated it had no objection to the petition being granted. “Today was a great day not only for the registrant whose requirement to register has been…
Read MoreLos Angeles Courts Grant Two Petitions
Source: ACSOL Two superior courts in Los Angeles county have granted petitions submitted on behalf of two different registrants. The first petition was granted on Nov. 5 in the San Fernando Valley court house to a registrant convicted of Penal Code section 243.4 whose tier had not yet been determined. This registrant was represented by ACSOL President Chance Oberstein. The second petition was granted today in the downtown Los Angeles courthouse to a registrant convicted of Penal Code section 288(a) and assigned to Tier 2. This registrant was represented by…
Read MoreCA: Santa Ana minister had child pornography that included children who were ‘weeks old,’ police say
Source: abc7.com 11/18/21 Luis ______ was ordained as a minister in 2018, but it’s unclear whether he’s actually involved in a church or place of worship. A 22-year-old Santa Ana minister has been charged with possessing thousands of images of child pornography, some of which included infants, according to police. Luis ______ was charged with five felonies, including three counts of sale or distribution of obscene matter with children engaging in sex. According to the Santa Ana Police Department, investigators were notified of Luis ______ when they received a…
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