(Tribune News Service) — A retired Air Force veteran in Santa Barbara County has filed a lawsuit against Vandenberg Space Force Base, accusing its commander of denying him access to the installation last year over a 30-year-old child molestation conviction, according to federal court documents. In a lawsuit filed May 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 75-year-old plaintiff Joseph Simonson accused Col. Robert A. Long, commanding officer of Vandenberg SFB, for denying access over the 1992 conviction. Additionally, Simonson said Long denied access to “constitutionally” protected retirement benefits by preventing physical access to the…
Read MoreCategory: California
Number of CA Registrants Continues to Decrease
The number of individuals required to register in California continues to decrease, according to the California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB). During the past two months, the total number of individuals required to register decreased by 532 and the total number of registrants who are homeless decreased by 422. “It appears that the Tiered Registry Law is having the desired effect, that is, it is leading to the removal of registrants who do not pose a current danger,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. In addition, the California Department of…
Read MoreCA: San Jose teen’s death hours after scam is part of troubling increase in ‘sextortion’ cases, FBI says
Source: abc7news.com 5/21/22 SAN JOSE, Calif. — Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site. Ryan Last received a message on a school night in February from someone he believed to be a girl. Within hours, the 17-year-old, straight-A student and Boy Scout had died by suicide, CNN reported. “Somebody reached out to him pretending to be a girl, and they started…
Read MoreSex offender registration continues for ranch manager near Idyllwild
A judge ruled Keith Harper, 72, must register until at least 2025. MOUNTAIN CENTER, Calif. — The former boyfriend of Dia Abrams, the woman who went missing almost two years ago from her ranch near Idyllwild, will have to continue to register as a sex offender. Keith Harper represented himself in court Tuesday in San Juan County, Colorado, where he was convicted 10 years ago of misdemeanor sexual contact for groping two women on snowmobile tours. “I did a year in jail. Misdemeanors are not meant to be a life…
Read MoreCA: San Jose police officer arrested over allegation he masturbated in a family’s home
Source: mercurynews.com 5112/22 A San Jose police officer was arrested Thursday and charged with indecent exposure after he allegedly was caught masturbating in a family’s home while he was responding to a disturbance call. Officer Matthew ____, 32, was arrested Thursday and will be arraigned on a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge on June 22 at 9 a.m. in the Hall of Justice, according to a Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office news release. If convicted, Matthew could face a year in jail and be placed on the sexual offender list…
Read MoreJanice Files Lawsuit that Challenges Denial of Military Base Access to Registrant Retirees
Source: ACSOL A lawsuit was filed today in a federal district court in California challenging the denial of access to a military base of a military retiree solely because he is required to register. The lawsuit claims that the military retiree’s right to due process was violated when he was denied access without prior notice in November 2021 to Vandenberg Air Force Base which is located near Santa Barbara, California. The lawsuit asks the court to require the commander of Vandenberg Air Force base to allow the plaintiff access so…
Read MoreCA: Outrage over sex offender placement plan in Menifee [video]
Source: youtube.com KTLA5, 5/10/22 Senior with 1970’s conviction can’t find housing in desert community because of hysteria caused by him being designated SVP.
Read MoreCA: Families protest halfway house for sexual offenders in Fairfield
Source: dailyrepublic.com 4/24/22 FAIRFIELD — Parents and residents near B. Gale Wilson Elementary School and K.I. Jones Elementary School are outraged to find a halfway house for sexual offenders is right in the middle of the neighborhood where their children go to school. About 25 parents came out Saturday to B. Gale Wilson to march to the halfway house, protesting all the way. Richard Creighton and his wife Evelyn have two little boys and they were stunned to find out about the halfway house. “We live right across the street…
Read MoreCA: Court Grants Contested Tiered Registry Petition
Source: ACSOL In the first known case involving a contested petition, California Placer County Superior Court granted the petition of a registrant convicted of PC 288(a) who had registered for more than 25 years. The Placer County District Attorney asked the court to deny the petition in order to significantly enhance public safety. In this case, the court ruled that the DA’s office “failed to meet their burden that the community safety would be significantly enhanced by the petitioner’s continued registration.” The court went on to explain that its decision…
Read MoreCA: Please tell us your experience working with an America’s Job Center of California to gain employment
Source: Friends Outside of Los Angeles County Friends Outside of Los Angeles County would like to talk with persons who have a sex offense and who are working with an America’s Job Center of California (AJCC) to gain employment. The purpose is to gain information about your job-seeking experience through a 60-75 minute phone or zoom interview. All information is confidential and anonymous. Our overall purpose is to conduct research about promising practices for helping registrants obtain employment. You will be given $500 gift card for your time. Contact Arthur…
Read MoreCA: Senior Anaheim Police Detective Says Sergeant Tampered With Sex Offender Database to Sabotage Her
Source: voiceofoc.org 3/18/22 A male Anaheim Police Dept. supervisor tampered with a sex offender database to sabotage a female senior detective, Laura Lomeli, whom he had singled out and retaliated against after she complained, according to a lawsuit Lomeli filed against the City of Anaheim last month. Lomeli’s supervisor, which the lawsuit identifies as Anaheim Police Sgt. Jeff Dodd, also denied her the vacation time she earned and certain training opportunities despite being “the most senior detective in the unit,” her lawsuit alleges. In her lawsuit, Lomeli also alleges that…
Read MoreCA Stops Registration of Juvenile Offenders
The State of California has stopped the registration of juvenile offenders, according to the CA Sex Offender Management Board. This change applies to individuals tried as a juvenile, not as an adult, who were convicted of a sex offense or sentenced for a sex offense on or after July 1, 2021. The change does not apply to individuals convicted or sentenced of a sex offense prior to July 1, 2021, however those individuals may petition for removal from the registry after 5 years or 10 years depending upon the convictions…
Read MoreNumber of CA Registrant Continues to Decline
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…
Read MoreCA: 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 More