STATE WANTS TO RELEASE SEXUALLY VIOLENT PREDATOR WAKEFIELD AS TRANSIENT; SUP. ANDERSON LAUNCHES PETITION TO OPPOSE RELEASE

Update November 21, 2024 -- Today Judge Campos approved releasing Wakefield as a transient, despite 800 signatures on a petition opposing this release.

By Miriam Raftery

November 18, 2024 (San Diego) —After three failed attempts to place sexually violent predator Merle Wakefield at homes run by Liberty Healthcare in Borrego Springs, Mt. Helix and Poway, the California Department of State Hospitals now proposes to release Wakefield as a transient.

Supervisor Joel Anderson has launched a petition for the public to sign opposing Wakefield’s release. Wakefield’s placement will be determined by a hearing November 20 before Judge Yvonne Campos.

Wakefield, 67, was convicted of lewd acts on a child in 1981 and violent rape in 1990. He served time in prison and underwent treatment in a state hospital. Diagnosed as a sexually violent predator likely to reoffend, he has been proposed for release locally three times. A judge rejected a proposed placement in the Mt. Helix area; later the state withdrew proposed placement in Borrego Springs and asked that Wakefield undergo additional treatment. A proposed placement of Wakefield in Poway was also withdrawn from the state following a public outcry.

In a letter to Judge Campos, Supervisor Anderson wrote, “As you may be aware, DSH and their contractor, Liberty Healthcare, has targeted the East County communities I represent as their dumping ground for SVPs. Despite the negative impact these placements have had on our communities, the proposed transient release of an SVP is even more concerning for my constituents. The release of SVP Wakefield, without confining him to a specific location where he can be closely monitored, will result in a reduced level of oversight than SVPs conditionally placed in a residence.”

Anderson’s letter revealed, “An audit of DSH’s Sexually Violent Predator Conditional Release Program, completed by the California State Legislature’s Legislative Audit Committee this month, found that fourpercent of SVPs participating in DSH’s Conditional Release Program reoffended after their release and nineteen percent of nonparticipating SVPs reoffended.

In light of the numerous heinous offenses committed by SVPs, transient releases that would prevent an effective oversight process to track and monitor SVPs should be rejected by the courts. Accordingly,I respectfully ask that you fully deny the request by DSH for the transient release of SVP Wakefield.”

San Diego County has 4,207 square miles, yet zero sexually violent predators have been released into supervisorial districts 1, 3, or 4. Wakefield’s release in Poway, the latest failed state placement effort, would have resulted in 70% of the SVPs currently in our region being placed in Anderson’s district 2, with the rest in Supervisor Jim Desmond’s district 5.