SANTA ANA – A man was sentenced today to life in state prison without the possibility of parole plus an additional eight years in state prison for murdering his mobile home park neighbor by stabbing him to death and assaulting a second victim two days later. Robert Eugene Vasquez, 36, San Juan Capistrano, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of special circumstances murder by lying in wait, one felony count of aggravated assault, and sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a deadly weapon and causing…
Read MoreCategory: California
National RSOL Conference: One-Day Pass Now Available
One-day passes are now available to attend the national RSOL conference to be held in L.A. starting Aug. 30. The cost of the pass is only $50 and can either be purchased online at www.nationalrsol.org or at the door. “National RSOL is providing this opportunity in order to allow maximum participation in the conference,” stated Janice Bellucci, CA RSOL president. “It is a wonderful opportunity for people who can only attend one day of the conference.” There will be a wide range of presentations by individual speakers and panels at…
Read MoreMonterey County deputies probe shooting of sex offender
Monterey County sheriff’s deputies grappled with a mysterious double homicide followed by the shooting of a convicted sex offender late Sunday and early Monday. Around 10:30 a.m. Monday, sheriff’s deputies and Salinas police officers found convicted rapist Donald Crisp, 58, seriously wounded by gunshots near the address listed as his residence on the state’s registered sex offender website. Full Article
Read MoreSex offenders routinely released from California jails, records show [with video]
Stockton, California (CNN) — Convicted sex offenders and other felons in California are systematically walking free, despite continuously violating their parole. It’s the result of laws meant to alleviate California’s overcrowded prisons and jails. Two years ago, county judges all across the state lost their authority to send convicted felons back to prison for parole violations. Instead, they must send them to county jails. Full Article / Video
Read MoreSheriff’s deputy accused of rape, soliciting bribes while on duty
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy accused of raping women and soliciting bribes while on duty is due in court Wednesday morning. ___ ___ ___ , 28, was arrested at his home Monday night without incident after a nearly three-year investigation. ___ , a seven-year department veteran, was most recently assigned to patrol duties at the Palmdale Station. Full Article
Read MoreNew girl blamed to teen bullying suicide case
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A new classmate has been implicated in the death of a 15-year-old girl who committed suicide after saying three boys sexually assaulted her and circulated photos of the abuse online. Audrie Pott hanged herself in September, about a week after passing out drunk at a party at a friend’s house in Northern California. The 15-year-old said boys she had known for years took off her clothes and sexually assaulted her, including writing and drawing on intimate parts of her body and taking cellphone photos of their…
Read MoreNo Justice: Sex Offenses, No Matter How Minor or Understandable, Can Ruin You for Life
The collection of laws and restrictions that regulate people categorized as “sex offenders” has been punctuated by names such as Megan, Jessica and Adam. These are the names of children, all victims of heinous crimes that sparked high-profile campaigns aimed at creating “get tough on crime” legislation. Today you can go online to your state’s Megan’s Law website, where all convicted sex offenders are required to register, and probably find clusters of red dots on the map of your neighborhood, each dot representing an individual convicted of a sex crime.…
Read MoreCA RSOL Challenges El Dorado County Ordinance
California Reform Sex Offender Laws (CA RSOL) filed a lawsuit today challenging the El Dorado County ordinance that prohibits all registrants from entering the county’s parks, schools and other areas where children congregate. The lawsuit requests that the court declare that the ordinance is unconstitutional and prohibit the county from enforcing that ordinance. “It is important to stop the El Dorado County ordinance as it prevents all California registrants from visiting most recreational areas at or near Lake Tahoe,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of CA RSOL. “The ordinance also prohibits…
Read MoreHofsheier, 311.11 and Equal Protection
From 2006: Hofsheier Decision (Equal Protection) From 2012: Case that said 311.11a cases weren’t subject to the Hofsheier Motion because there is no violation of the Equal Protection doctrine
Read MoreOrange County Ordinance Legal Battle Continues
The Court of Appeal will hear oral argument in the Hugo Godinez case on July 22 in Santa Ana. At issue in that case is whether the Orange County ordinance which prohibited all sex offenders from entering public places such as parks, beaches and hiking trails is preempted by the state constitution. The court’s decision is expected within 30 days. The Orange County ordinance, which was passed in April 2011, is currently not in effect due to a decision by a three-judge panel of the Orange County Superior Court. If…
Read MoreTo help ex-cons, ban the box
The most telling predictor of whether an ex-offender will reenter the community as a law-abiding and productive member, or whether instead he or she will return to jail or prison, is employment. Former inmates with steady jobs have fairly high success rates. For those who can’t find work, prospects are dismal. Full Article
Read More[UPDATED] Sex offender awarded custody of 6-year-old girl
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A judge in Oklahoma City awarded custody of a child to 55-year-old _____ _____, who is a registered sex offender from Bakersfield. The child is _____’s 6-year-old daughter. The ruling left the girl’s mother bewildered, she said. Full Article More on this story: Registered sex offender has daughter taken away after bullet arrest
Read MoreSex offender law affects past plea deal
A 2004 state law requires the names and addresses of all registered sex offenders to be made public. On Monday, the state Supreme Court ruled that the law could apply to a Bay Area man who admitted molesting a child in 1991, when sex offender registrations were confidential. Full Article
Read MoreAppellate Justices Amend Sex Entrapment Ruling Against Huntington Beach Police
A California Court of Appeal that last month rebuked a Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) sting operation targeting adults in pursuit of minors for sex on Craigslist has refused a California Attorney General’s office request to reconsider its decision, but nonetheless softened it stance in the case. Full Article
Read MoreDoe vs Harris Decision
“… requiring the parties’ compliance with changes in the law made retroactive to them does not violate the terms of the plea agreement, nor does the failure of a plea agreement to reference the possibility the law might change translate into an implied promise the defendant will be unaffected by a change in the statutory consequences attending his or her conviction. To that extent, then, the terms of the plea agreement can be affected by changes in the law.“ 6-1 Decision
Read MoreDon’t want mug shot online? Then pay up, sites say
After more than seven years and a move 2,800 miles across the country, ____ ____ thought he’d left behind reminders of the arrest that capped a bitter break-up. That was, until he searched the Internet last month and came face-to-face with his 2006 police mug shot. Full Article
Read MoreTrio of sex offenders arrested in Santa Rosa registration sweep
Only three of 46 people contacted by police Wednesday had not followed state sex offender registration laws or were violating probation terms, Santa Rosa police said. Officers from several agencies joined Santa Rosa police during the all-day effort to make sure sex offenders registered in the city were complying with the law, Sgt. Terry Anderson said. Full Article
Read MoreSan Juan Man Guilty in Vigilante Murder of Sex Offender
A jury has convicted San Juan Capistrano resident Robert Eugene Vasquez of murdering his neighbor in what prosecutors described as a vigilante killing. He was also convicted of almost killing a second San Juan Capistrano man two days later, as he was hiding out from the police. Full Article
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