SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - There was a sigh of relief for the City of Poway after it learned a sexually violent predator will not be placed into their community.
This week, the California Department of State Hospitals recommended placing Merle Wakefield at a home on Sycamore Road.
It wasn’t until the final minutes before Friday’s scheduled protest that Mayor Steve Vaus received the news that the state withdrew its proposal.
“I received confirmation that the State Department of Mental Health is withdrawing the proposed placement,” says the mayor.
Merle Wakefield is convicted of sexual assaults in the '80s and '90s. According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s website, his crimes include child molestation and forceful rape. He was labeled as a sexually violent predator in 1998.
Two other locations for his conditional release have also been rescinded, in unincorporated El Cajon and Borrego Springs.
Before Mayor Vaus released the news to community members Friday morning, he told ABC 10News Poway has experienced pain before. They were doing everting in their power to prevent something like this from happening again.
“We know monsters all too well in Poway,” says Vaus. “Chelsea King lost her life to a monster that fell through the cracks. Danielle Van Dam, the same. It's not appropriate for the state to drop a monster right in the middle of Poway, know full well what he has done in the past and what he's capable of in the future.”
It’s unclear where the court or state hospital systems will work to place Wakefield next.
