'Sexually Violent Predator' To Move To SWR Assisted Care Facility

MENIFEE, CA —A convicted child molester deemed a violent predator may take up residence in Sun City upon his release from a state hospital this July, prompting outrage from neighbors, according to the Menifee Police Department.

Police planned a town hall meeting at the Civic Center/Webb Hall at 10 a.m. Wednesday to address the community's concerns about 69-year-old Lawrence Phillip Moff. Moff has been convicted of sexually assaulting three boys over the course of decades and is considered a sexually violent predator, according to Menifee Police Department. Neighbors, who are already living with 39 registered sex offenders residing within a mile radius, contend it's too dangerous to place Moff within their midst.

Menifee police officials said they want to hear residents' concerns

"Sexually Violent Predator Moff has been at Coalinga State Hospital since being released from prison for a Riverside County conviction," Menifee Police Department said in a written statement. "Protecting the safety and well-being of the community is the Menifee Police Department's top priority."

Moff was last convicted in 1997 of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old boy in Riverside County. He served 11 years at a Riverside prison for that offense before being relocated to the Coalinga state-run mental hospital in San Bernardino County. Doctors at that facility have recommended Moff's "conditional release" to a small assisted care facility in the 26000 block of Fountain Bleu Drive in a Sun City neighborhood.

As soon as they learned the court's plans, Menifee police notified immediate neighbors of that facility. Sarah's Good Life Assisted Living — the facility located at the address offered by the Menifee Police Department — caters to "those suffering from memory loss, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia and to those "who need assistance with the activities of daily living." There are no other known sexual offenders living at that address, according to the Meagan's Law Website. If released to that area, Moff would be the 40th registered sex offender within a mile radius of that address.

Sun City community members shared their immediate concerns that a sexually violent predator was slated for their city, according to the Menifee Police Department's Facebook Page.

"My home is less than 5 minutes from this address," one Menifee resident wrote. "Not all of Sun City is 55 plus and my neighborhood is mostly families. We have kids everywhere riding bikes and going to the park and playing in the fields. This is terrifying."

One resident said the facility is "about a mile from my house. Absolutely terrifying."

Moff would befriend the parents of young boys at church, according to Menifee Police Chief Pat Walsh. His first conviction was in 1978 when Moff was found guilty of molesting two young boys under the age of 8 in Los Angeles County. Moff was initially charged with child molestation, sexual perversion and sodomy but ultimately pled to one count of child molestation. He was also convicted in 1997 of lewd and lascivious acts upon a Riverside County 9-year-old and served 11 years in prison for that offense.

Coalinga State Hospital is known for its Sexual Offender Treatment Program, according to the state Department of Public Health. Patients must acquire "pro-social skills, reducing their risk of re-offending," according to the hospital's website. "Participants may be released to the community from which they came, when and only when, the Superior Court is convinced they no longer pose a threat to society."

Upon release, they will receive close community treatment and surveillance.

Still, neighbors are not convinced his release would be safe for their children or the elderly who live in that assisted care facility, according to Reydine Eccles who commented on the department's Facebook page.

"I don't think he should be going into an Assisted living home. I don't care that his past offenses have been children (which is bad enough) a lot of your assisted living homes have seniors that have Dementia and or Alzheimer's," Eccles wrote. "My Mom is in such a facility because she can no longer live in her home She needs 24-hour care. The cost of such a facility is not inexpensive."

Walsh has asked all commenters to weigh in with their concerns over email if they cannot attend the community meeting.

Menifee police will share the community's response with the Riverside Superior Court in a hearing on July 29. Email your concerns or comments to: info@menifeepolice.org.

Will you attend the community meeting? Let us know in the comments or by emailing your concerns to your Patch Editor.