[cbs8.com – 4/15/21] Neighbors in El Cajon are livid, after learning that ten registered sex offenders are now living together in one house in their kid-friendly community. Calling it “a living nightmare,” these parents say they are now fearful for their children’s safety, and are demanding answers from the state. According to California’s Megan’s Law website, the crimes these registered sex offenders living here are convicted of range from sodomy with a minor under age 18, to lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14. Dozens of El Cajon…
Read MoreTag: California
ACSOL Urgent Action Alert for CA (April 14 deadline!): Support CDCR Repeal of Its Prop. 57 Exclusions
[ACSOL] The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is proposing the repeal of its categorical exclusion of individuals required to register as sex offenders from early parole consideration. According to the proposal, most registrants in custody will be referred to the Board of Parole Hearings for early parole consideration no later than July 1, 2021. “If CDCR’s proposed repeal becomes final, thousands of registrants who have been denied early parole consideration for more than four years will finally receive the benefits of Proposition 57,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice…
Read MoreAction Alert for CA: Support for the release of Mr. Badger to San Diego County by April 9
San Diego County residents are fighting the supervised release of Douglas Badger, a 78-year-old registrant designated as a sexually violent predator, to a community in that county. A judge previously granted Mr. Badger’s release from Coalinga State Hospital provided that he is able to find housing. “ACSOL requests that members of the registrant community state their support for the release of Mr. Badger to San Diego County,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The deadline for doing so is April 9.” San Diego County will conduct a public meeting on…
Read MoreCA: East County neighbors angered over plan to house sex offender
[fox5sandiego.com – 4/2/21] EL CAJON, Calif. – Residents in unincorporated El Cajon are pushing back ahead of a hearing this month that could place a man convicted of multiple sexual assaults in a supervised home in their neighborhood. A hearing will be held next month to determine whether to place Douglas ____, a 78-year-old man convicted of several sexual assaults, in a supervised home in unincorporated El Cajon. (Provided) The hearing is scheduled for April 20 after California’s Department of State Hospitals recommended 78-year-old Douglas ____placed in a home on…
Read MoreCA: Sexually Violent Predator Must Move Out Of Napa, Court Rules
[patch.com – 3/30/21] NAPA COUNTY, CA — As a result of a hearing Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, a convicted sexually violent predator living in Napa County must be transferred to San Francisco County, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced in a news release. Charles Leroy _____, 76, was released in September 2020 to live at 4018 E. 3rd Ave. in Napa County, where for six months he lived in close proximity to two schools and within a one-mile radius of 62 children, the Napa County District Attorney’s…
Read MoreAction Alert for CA: Make Calls Now That Senate Rules Committee Advanced Senate Bill 615
[ACSOL] UPDATED NEWS: CA Senate Bill 615 Temporarily Suspended The California Senate Rules Committee advanced Senate Bill 615 by assigning the bill to the Senate Public Safety Committee. Although the Public Safety Committee has not yet set a date for consideration of SB 615, the deadline for the committee’s consideration is April 30. “It is now time to start calling the five members of the Senate Public Safety Committee and to state your opposition to Senate Bill 615,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Each call will take one minute…
Read MoreCA: California May End Archaic ‘Spousal Rape’ Distinction in Punishment
[nbclosangeles.com – 3/22/21] California is one of 11 states that still distinguish between spousal rape and rape, after Minnesota most recently eliminated the exception in 2019, according to proponents. The law currently requires anyone convicted of rape to register, but those convicted of spousal rape must register only under certain circumstances such as if the spouse was sentenced to state prison. It wasn’t until 1979 that a husband was first prosecuted in the United States for raping his wife, Stanford University law professor and sociologist Michele Dauber said. Though all…
Read MoreAction Alert for CA: Oppose Senate Bill 615 by Writing
UPDATED NEWS: CA Senate Bill 615 Temporarily Suspended Please write to oppose California Senate Bill 615, which would harm the LGBTQ community! Senator Melissa Melendez (Republican, Riverside) has introduced a bill, that if enacted into law, would significantly reduce the benefits of former Senate Bill 145, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (Democrat, San Francisco). Specifically, the Senate Bill 615 would require anyone convicted of committing certain sexual acts with a minor more than three years younger to register as a sex offender. The existing law, established in former Senate Bill…
Read MoreCA: Old age not reason enough to release sex offender, state court rules
[sfchronicle.com – 3/16/21] Earl _____ has had multiple convictions for child molesting, the last one in 1988. After being held for 20 years in a state mental hospital awaiting a verdict on whether he should be confined as a “sexually violent predator,” _____ argued that, at age 74, and with no record of violence for many decades, he is too old to be dangerous. A state appeals court was unpersuaded. “While a person may ‘slow down’ with age, it does not necessarily follow that interest in sexual deviancy slows down.…
Read MoreCA: Sex offender found dead in suspected homicide at San Quentin State Prison
[ktla.com – 3/10/21] A 66-year-old inmate was found unresponsive in his cell at San Quentin State Prison early Wednesday, and state corrections officials said they are treating his death as a homicide. John Sullivan had served half of his 10-year sentence from Placer County for failing to register as a sex offender, a second-strike. He was found during a head count shortly after midnight and pronounced dead less than 40 minutes later. Officials said they suspect his 28-year-old cellmate in the death. He has not been charged, but was serving…
Read MoreCA: Home Breaking News Failure to Register as Sex Offender Lands Man in Prison for Longer than Original Sentence
[davisvanguard.org – 3/10/21] SACRAMENTO, CA – Local resident Donnell Cox was sentenced Monday to two years in California State Prison here in Sacramento County Superior Court for charges resulting from a crime he was convicted of more than a quarter-century ago. Cox, 57, failed to sign up for the sex offender registry, a felony in California that carries a sentence ranging from 16 months to three years—interestingly, he will be serving a sentence considerably longer than his original sentence. About 25 years ago, in 1994, Cox was convicted of sexual…
Read MoreCA: Carpenters union sues over signs warning about sex offenders
[newsmemory.com – 3/4/21] A carpenters union has filed a lawsuit alleging the city of Irvine has threatened it with criminal prosecution and fines for displaying banners questioning whether local neighborhoods are safe from sex offenders. Read the full article
Read MoreCA: San Diego County Supervisors vote to keep protecting sexual predators in court
[kusi.com – 3/2/21] SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 today against supporting legislation aimed at keeping court hearings for Sexually Violent Predators open to the public. Supervisors Joel Anderson sponsored the proposal backing Senate Bill 248 and voted in favor of it, along with colleague Jim Desmond. The bill would require that court proceedings remain public for the civil commitments of Sexually Violent Predators — or SVPs — offenders convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them…
Read MoreCA: Lawsuit Challenges Halloween Restrictions in Rialto
[ACSOL] A lawsuit has been filed in San Bernardino County Superior Court challenging the Halloween restrictions of the City of Rialto. Specifically, there is an ordinance adopted and enforced by the City of Rialto that prohibits all registrants on Halloween from decorating their front yards and exteriors with “typical Halloween decorations”, from opening the doors of their residence to trick-or-treaters and from leaving on any exterior residential, decorative and ornamental lights. If this ordinance is violated, registrants may be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to up to six months…
Read MoreCA: Los Angeles district attorney faces recall effort less than 3 months into term
[yahoo.com – 2/27/21] LOS ANGELES — A campaign to oust Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón kicked off Saturday evening as pressure mounts over his criminal justice reforms that critics claim have gone too far. Recall advocates, including victims’ families and law enforcement officials, claim Gascón, who ran on a progressive campaign to implement sweeping change in the district attorney’s office, has prioritized criminals over victims since taking office less than three months ago. In an emailed statement, Gascón said that “the pain and trauma of losing a loved one…
Read MoreCA: Lawsuit Challenges Tiered Registry Law Provision
[ACSOL] A lawsuit has been filed challenging a provision of the California Tiered Registry Law that assigns individuals convicted of similar offenses to two different tiers. Specifically, the law assigns individuals convicted of Penal Code 288(a) to Tier 2, which requires a minimum of 20 years registration, and yet assigns individuals convicted of Penal Code 288(c) to Tier 3, which requires lifetime registration. “The only difference between these two offenses is the age of the victim,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “And the current language of the law punishes…
Read MoreCA: Senator Brian Jones introduces bill to prohibit violent sex offenders from getting out of prison early
[kusi.com – 2/19/21] SANTEE (KUSI) – Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) has introduced Senate Bill 445, a measure to stop violent sex offenders from being eligible for early release from prison. Senator Jones joined Good Evening San Diego to discuss his bill. “Violent sex offense victims, and the families of victims, should not have to wonder if their attacker will suddenly get out of prison long before they finish their sentence,” stated Senator Jones. “Right now the law is rigged and forces the Board of Parole Hearings to justify why…
Read MoreCA: ‘Nobody cares about sex offenders.’ COVID deaths spike at state hospital in Fresno County
[fresnobee.com – 2/15/21] A spike in coronavirus-related deaths at a state-run psychiatric hospital in Fresno County has angered and alarmed patients, who blame hospital staff for a massive outbreak that infected hundreds and killed more than a dozen patients over the past six months. One patient who spoke with The Bee said he struggled to bring attention to the outbreak at Coalinga State Hospital in Fresno County. He said he’s been “ignored” and “neglected” for one simple reason — most of the patients in Coalinga are rapists, child molesters, and…
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