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By Miriam Raftery
August 27, 2021 (Borrego Springs) – A hearing on the proposed placement of sexually violent predator Merle Wakefield has been posted to February 22, after Liberty Healthcare/CONREP withdrew its request to place him at 1575 Yaqui Road in Borrego Springs.
Supervisor Jim Desmond posted on the Borrego Sun newspaper’s website, “Liberty Healthcare/CONREP is currently no longer seeking to place SVP Wakefield at this property. This is a major victory for Borrego Springs and the surrounding areas. I will continue to fight against the placement of any SVPs in Borrego Springs and will continue to protect our unincorporated area.” Wakefield was convicted of sexual assaults dating back to the 1980s and 1990s.
The San Diego Sheriff’s department confirms that Superior Court Judge David M. Grill has granted Liberty Healthcare CONREP’s request to release the property that had been held as a potential placement for Wakefield, after Liberty informed the court on Aug. 23 that it is requested Wakefield complete an additional six months of treatment as an in-patient at the Department of State Hospitals before he can be released into the community.
The placement hearing previously scheduled for September 13, 2021 has been cancelled.
A further hearing to review the status of a potential placement for Wakefield has been scheduled for February 22, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. in San Diego Superior Court, Department 2204, with Judge Gill.
For more information about the legal designation, treatment and release from confined facilities of sexually violent predators, visit the San Diego County District Attorney's website by clicking here. You can also visit the Department of State Hospital's website by clicking here.
To learn more about the SAFE Task Force, click here.
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