POWAY, Calif. (KGTV) — A public hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 9 after the California Department of State Hospitals recommended releasing a sexually violent predator into the Poway community.
According to a press release from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the superior court ordered the conditional release of Merle Wakefield, who was convicted of sexual assaults in the '80s and '90s.
DSH recommended Wakefield be placed at 15720 Sycamore Canyon Road in Poway.
The Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force is accepting public comments ahead of the hearing, between July 8 and July 22, and they'll be presented to the court and DSH in a formal response.
"This is your opportunity to support or object to the proposed placement before it is finalized," the press release states. "The District Attorney's Office and the SAFE Task Force will submit your comments to the court for the court's consideration."
Comments about the recommended placement can be submitted via email to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, or you can call 858-583-7238. Comments can also be submitted via mail here: SVP Release/SAFE Task Force, 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA 92123.
The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 9 at the San Diego Superior Court, Department 1704, located at 1100 Union St., San Diego, CA 92101. Oral comments may be accepted, depending on the court's ruling.
The sheriff's department emphasized the decision to recommend the location of where sexually violent predators will be released rests with the superior court and DSH, not the sheriff's department, SAFE Task Force or DA's office.
According to the DA's office website, Wakefield was first convicted and sentenced to state prison for child molestation in 1981. In 1990, he was convicted and sentenced again for forceful rape. The superior court labeled him as a sexually violent predator in 1998, and he was committed to DSH for sex offender treatment and confinement, the DA's office website states.
He was recommitted twice to DSH, once in 2000 and again in 2009, for an indefinite term. In February 2020, a DSH evaluator's yearly review of Wakefield indicated he could be safely released into the community under the supervision of the CONREP Conditional Release Program.
A wider panel and judge approved Wakefield's request for conditional release in Dec. 2020. Two prior locations for Wakefield's conditional release have been rescinded: Horizon Hills Drive in an unincorporated area of El Cajon and Yaqui Road in Borrego Springs.
If you'd like to learn more about the process regarding the legal designation, treatment and release from confined facilities of sexually violent predators, visit the DA's office website or the DSH website.
