SAN DIEGO, CA — The county Board of Supervisors Wednesday unanimously voted to formally oppose the placement of three sexually violent predators in rural communities, while also asking for an update on another who remains at large.
In mid-September, a San Diego Superior Court judge ordered Reynaldo Delrosario and Michael Poulsom to be conditionally released to the same residence in Boulevard, an unincorporated neighborhood.
Sponsored by Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond, the measure includes sending a letter to Superior Court Judge Theodore Weathers, asking him to reject the release of Poulsom and Delrosario from state custody and placing them in that community. The county is also requesting that John Phillips, another person deemed a sexually violent predator (SVP), not be placed in Borrego Springs.
An SVP designation applies to those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes a person likely to re- offend.
Poulsom was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 in 1990 and 1995. Delrosario was convicted of annoying or molesting children and lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 by force or fear in 1986 and 1998. Phillips was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child and sexual battery.
The California Department of State Hospitals recommended Poulsom and Delrosario be released, law enforcement officials reported. They will be located at 2135 McCain Valley Road in Boulevard, just off Interstate 8, according to officials.
The county Sheriff's Office issued a news release on Sept. 11 on the pending their placements after an Oct. 15 hearing, during which Judge Weathers will hear public feedback.
"The San Diego County Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's office and the SAFE (Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement) Task Force are not responsible for the selection of this location," the SDSO statement said.
"The selection process is the responsibility of the Department of State Hospitals. The selection by state mental hospitals requires approval by the San Diego Superior Court."
Supervisors on Sept. 1 also formally logged their objection to having Phillips live at 1619 Zuni Trail in Borrego Springs, following an Aug. 24 recommendation by state hospital officials.
Supervisors on Wednesday also directed Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton to formally request that the DSH and its contractor, Liberty Healthcare, "inform the county of the actions they are taking to locate and return (SVP) Merle Wakefield into their guardianship and ... ensure that the other sexually violent predators they are monitoring in San Diego County will not evade the conditions of their parole," according to their board letter.
Wakefield, 69, removed his mandated GPS tracker and fled around 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 25 while on a job under the auspices of the California Conditional Release Program, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Wakefield -- convicted in 1980 and 1991 of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under age 14 and forcible rape -- is wanted for failure to register as a sex offender and violating the terms of his conditional release, which began in November 2024.
Anderson on Wednesday said while supervisors have been on record opposing placement of SVPs in San Diego County, "it's important for us to ratchet up our opposition and express our growing concerns to the Superior Court."
He added that no one knows where Wakefield is right now, and "that should be extremely concerning, not just to the residents of rural communities where these (SVPs) continued to be dumped by the state and their contractor Liberty Health Care, but by all county residents.
"Once these individuals are no longer supervised, they can go anywhere in the region," Anderson said.
Desmond said that SVP placement "is all state-driven," and suggested that residents could also voice their displeasure with those decisions in the Nov. 3 midterm election.
He noted that SVPs have protections through the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which focuses medical privacy.
Desmond said it took two hours for Liberty Health Care to notify the Sheriff's Office after Wakefield took off his monitor, and added he was shocked to learn the convicted felon had a job.
"These people have more protections than the rest of us do," Desmond said, adding that judges say their hands are tied by state policy.
Residents during a public comment urged the board to help protect communities.
Jacumba resident Corbin Winters said there are three SVPs in her neighborhood of less than 200 homes, including one living just two doors down from her who is classified as having an above-average chance of reoffending.
"I don't think this is someone who can be rehabilitated," she added.
Jeff Osborne, chair of the Jacumba Community Sponsor Group, said the SVP placements "(affect) our communities' psychological ability to operate. All of our parents talk about it non-stop."
Tanya Aiau of the Jacumba Community Center said that "everybody is aware that these people are (in Jacumba), and there's nothing we can do. Thank you and help us."
In a statement following the vote, Anderson said he was grateful to his colleagues for "standing with (his) constituents in Boulevard and putting community safety first."
Due to time constraints on Tuesday, the SVP measure was moved to the Wednesday meeting, which normally focuses on land-use issues.
— City News Service
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