Tag: California

CA: San Jose teen’s death hours after scam is part of troubling increase in ‘sextortion’ cases, FBI says

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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…

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CA: San Jose police officer arrested over allegation he masturbated in a family’s home

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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…

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CA: Families protest halfway house for sexual offenders in Fairfield

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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…

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CA: Court Grants Contested Tiered Registry Petition

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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…

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CA: Please tell us your experience working with an America’s Job Center of California to gain employment

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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…

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CA: Senior Anaheim Police Detective Says Sergeant Tampered With Sex Offender Database to Sabotage Her

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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…

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CA: Wasco State Prison: Sex offender killed in cell

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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…

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CA: Tiered Registry Law Presentation Focus of CASOMB Meeting

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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…

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CA: Residents in ‘shock’ after convicted sex offender moves into Poway neighborhood

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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…

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CA: California domestic violence advocates ask Gov. Newsom to spend more on prevention programs

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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…

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CA: Would-be child predator caught by YouTube channel

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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.…

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CA: Incarcerated individuals secure state job offers before leaving prison

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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…

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San Francisco Court Grants Registrant’s Petition

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Source: ACSOL San Francisco Superior Court today granted a petition filed on behalf of a registrant who was assigned to Tier 1.  Local law enforcement determined that the registrant was eligible to petition and the District Attorney did not object to the petition.  The registrant was represented in court by ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Another person has escaped the bondage of the registry,” stated Bellucci.  “We must continue to file petitions in order to maximize the number of people who are released from the registry.’ After a court grants…

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CA: Number of Petitions Granted Continues to Grow

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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…

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Los Angeles Courts Grant Two Petitions

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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…

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CA: Santa Ana minister had child pornography that included children who were ‘weeks old,’ police say

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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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CA: Bay Area rapist ordered by judge to move to this county

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Source: kron4.com 11/15/21 Bonny Doon residents were in tears Monday at the Santa Cruz County courthouse when a judge approved placing a sexually violent predator on their street. Judge Syda Cogliati’s ruling allows convicted rapist Michael Cheek to move into a two-story house at 310 Wild Iris Lane. Shock spread through a packed courtroom gallery at Monday’s hearing. Cheek, 69, is originally from Concord. Cheek was convicted of multiple rapes in Contra Costa County and Santa Cruz County the 1980s. At one point, he escaped from custody and raped 15-year-old…

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