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
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 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 MoreSan Francisco Court Grants Registrant’s Petition
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…
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…
Read MoreCA: Bay Area rapist ordered by judge to move to this county
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…
Read MoreCA: 3 men receive 15 years to life for killing registered sex offender in Redondo Beach
Source: dailybreeze.com 10/28/21 Three men were sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after pleading no contest this week to killing a registered sex offender during a home-invasion robbery in his Redondo Beach apartment in 2017, authorities said. Taylor John Cervantes, 26, of Hawthorne, Myles Jorge Sawyer, 28, and his brother, Brandon Scott Takeo Sawyer, 27, both of Torrance, were handed their sentences immediately after entering their pleas to second-degree murder on Wednesday, Oct. 27, in Torrance Superior Court, Deputy District Attorney Shiraz Khalid said. Charges of conspiracy, burglary…
Read MoreCA: New Phone Scam Targets Local Registered Sex Offenders, Sheriff’s Office Says
Source: lostcoastoutpost.com 10/14/21 The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has recently received reports of a phone scam targeting local PC 290 Registrants. As part of this scam, the caller claims they are from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and tells the victim that due to “new laws”, they are now out of compliance with current PC 290 registration requirements. The scammer tells the victim that they must purchase a pre-paid debit card and make a payment over the phone to come into compliance, or face arrest. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office…
Read MoreCA: Rancho Bernardo Community Council pushes for state to change sexually violent predator placement policy
Source: sandiegouniontribune.com 10/13/21 The Rancho Bernardo Community Council is joining several elected officials in advocating for state-level changes when it comes to placing sexually violent predators in neighborhoods. At its Oct. 7 meeting the council unanimously approved sending a letter to the San Diego City Council, state Sen. Toni Atkins, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and California’s 57 other counties requesting an amendment to the California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 6608. The amendment the council seeks would “allow local government entities to fully participate in the process…
Read MoreCA: Demurrer Hearing Scheduled for December 17 in Resentencing Regulations Challenge
Source: ACSOL The Attorney General of California has filed a demurrer in the pending challenge of regulations issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that prohibit anyone convicted of a sex offense from resentencing opportunities. A hearing regarding the demurrer is scheduled for December 17 at 11 a.m. in Sacramento Superior Court. The challenge to CDCR’s regulations was filed on July 6, 2021, after ACSOL formally opposed the regulations both in an April 2021 letter as well as during two hearings conducted in May 2021. CDCR’s regulations…
Read MoreCA: Second sex offender found in San Mateo County-owned senior housing
Source: smdailyjournal.com 9/21/21 A second convicted sex offender who found a home in a Redwood Shores hotel turned senior housing complex will be relocated after staff and community members became aware of his convictions months after moving into the site. “All of the proper protocols were followed by the organization and they did everything under the law that they can do in regard to this situation,” County Manager Mike Callagy said about the nonprofit Mid-Pen Housing which operates the senior housing facility, Shores Landing. Freddie _____, 64, was convicted on…
Read MoreCA: Long Beach Looks To Ban Childless Adults From Park Playgrounds
Source: losangeles.cbslocal.com 9/9/21 LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – The Long Beach City Council is considering a proposal that would ban adults unaccompanied by children from entering park playgrounds. The motion, which was co-authored by four councilmembers, calls for “kid zones,” which would be designated as “safe spaces” for children at parks, playgrounds and beaches. Only adults who are accompanying a child under the age of 12 would be allowed to enter. The council Tuesday night voted in favor of requesting that the city attorney draft an ordinance that will then return…
Read MoreCA: Sex Offender Who Goes By ‘Mr. Rape, Torture, Kill’ Has Left CA
Source: patch.com 9/4/21 COSTA MESA, CA — Authorities on Friday said convicted child molester Cary Jay Smith is believed to have relocated out of state. However, it’s unclear if Smith, who gave himself the moniker Mr. RTK (rape, torture, kill), has registered as a sex offender in his new state. It is certain that his move was not widely publicized in his new community. Smith stirred widespread outrage last year when he was released from a state psychiatric hospital even though he spent decades vowing to molest again and openly…
Read MoreCA: Sex offender in Marin County will be turned out on streets; unlikely allies say that’s not safe
Source: ktvu.com 8/26/21 SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – A 68-year-old registered sex offender has no time left on his stay at a Marin County hotel and his case manager is making an unusual plea for someone to house his client so that he doesn’t have to sleep in a tent under a freeway. “The day I get released, I’m supposed to be on the street with diabetes,” said Socorro ____, whose first language is Spanish. He is a registered sex offender who served three years in prison after being convicted for…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Uneven Results in Beginning of Petitioning Process
[ACSOL] The petitioning process under the Tiered Registry Law has begun. A quick look at the first 60 days of the process shows uneven results. The best news is that two petitions have already been granted. Both petitions were filed in San Diego County and both petitions did not trigger an objection from the county’s District Attorney. The good news is that court personnel and other government officials at most locations are trying to help registrants who file their own petitions as well as attorneys who file petitions for their…
Read MoreCA: YouTube host leads police to arrest suspected sex offender in EG
Source: egcitizen.com 8/18/21 The Elk Grove police on Aug. 11 arrested a 20-year-old man who allegedly visited Morse Community Park to have a sexual encounter with a minor in a restroom. “Ghost,” who is a YouTube channel host and the anonymous leader of an self-described movement called, Creep Catching (CC) Unit, announced that their decoy operation led authorities to arrest Timothy ___ of Elk Grove. CC Unit targets sexual predators online and then releases their video-recorded confrontations with them on YouTube. They also submit evidence to law enforcement in order…
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