SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – A judge today rejected placing a sexually violent predator poised for conditional release at a home in the Mount Helix neighborhood, saying the residence was located in a densely populated neighborhood and in close proximity to children.
District Attorney Summer Stephan and many community members, particularly those living in the Mount Helix neighborhood, opposed the placement of the two SVPs.
The District Attorney’s Office was not involved in the case besides ensuring that the DA’s and the public’s grievances were made known to the court before the ruling.
The Department of State Hospitals are responsible for locating and recommending housing placement for SVPs who have been directed to the area for continued treatment.
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – A judge today rejected placing a sexually violent predator poised for conditional release at a home in the Mount Helix neighborhood, saying the residence was located in a densely populated neighborhood and in close proximity to children.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Albert Harutunian III said the home at 10957 Horizon Hills Drive, which was proposed by state hospital officials to house 64-year-old Merle Wade Wakefield, was “not what the legislature intended for SVP placements.”
Wakefield, who is currently housed at Coalinga State Hospital, is classified as a sexually violent predator, a designation for those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them likely to re-offend. According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Wakefield was convicted of sex crimes in 1981 and 1990 and served prison terms for each crime.
–As part of its ongoing investigation of a data breach at Atascadero State Hospital that was identified on Feb. 25, 2021, the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) today announced the discovery of additional data that had been improperly accessed during the same data breach.
The additional data accessed consists of:
Personal information including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth, and driver’s license numbers of 80 individuals;
The date of birth and last four digits of the social security numbers of approximately 20 individuals;
Immigration information of 38 individuals; and
Health information related to employment, of approximately 81 individuals who are either employees, former employees, or DSH job applicants who never became DSH employees.
Merle Wade Wakefield
MOUNT HELIX (KUSI) – A judge today rejected placing a sexually violent predator poised for conditional release at a home in the Mount Helix neighborhood, saying the residence was located in a densely populated neighborhood and in close proximity to children.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Albert Harutunian III said the home at 10957 Horizon Hills Drive, which was proposed by state hospital officials to house 64-year-old Merle Wade Wakefield, was “not what the legislature intended for SVP placements.”
Wakefield, who is currently housed at Coalinga State Hospital, is classified as a sexually violent predator, a designation for those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them likely to re-offend. According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Wakefield was convicted of sex crimes in 1981 and 1990 and served prison terms for each crime.
MOUNT HELIX (KUSI) – A judge today rejected placing a sexually violent predator poised for conditional release at a home in the Mount Helix neighborhood, saying the residence was located in a densely populated neighborhood and in close proximity to children.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Albert Harutunian III said the home at 10957 Horizon Hills Drive, which was proposed by state hospital officials to house 64-year-old Merle Wade Wakefield, was “not what the legislature intended for SVP placements.”
Wakefield, who is currently housed at Coalinga State Hospital, is classified as a sexually violent predator, a designation for those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them likely to re-offend. According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Wakefield was convicted of sex crimes in 1981 and 1990 and served prison terms for each crime.