Landlord backs out, sexually violent child predator no longer to move into unincorporated Oakley

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11-3-15 California:

OAKLEY -- Just days after a judge ruled that a sexually violent child predator would be allowed to move into a home on the 2500 block of Dutch Slough Road, the landlord who owns the property has now decided he doesn't want a convicted child molester living on his property.

So authorities are working to set a new court date to come up with a suitable location for sexually violent child predator Robert Bates, according to the Deputy District Attorney who is handling the case.

On Friday, Judge Patricia Scanlon ruled that Bates, 51, must move into the Dutch Slough Road home by Dec. 14.

It didn't take long for the news of the property owner's decision to spread among Dutch Slough Road residents, many of whom have been closely following the case. Among them is Rosa Aguilar, 33, who lives with her 5-year-old daughter at a home located roughly 15 feet from where Bates was scheduled to live.

"I am so relieved," Aguilar said after learning Bates would no longer be her neighbor.

Fairfield Neighborhood Relieved Judge Rules Sex Offender Cannot Reside Within Solano County

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4-8-15 California:

A Solano County Superior Court judge decided the fate of a convicted sex offender on Tuesday and that he won’t be able to reside in an upper middle-class Fairfield neighborhood.

Over 120 residents of Suisun Valley packed the courtroom to protest Fraisure Smith, 51, from moving into the Wilotta Dr. area of their neighborhood. Every seat was taken with residents lining the side of the wall.

Smith was convicted of sexually assaulting four teenage girls. His last offense was in Solano County in 2006.

Superior Court Judge Arvid Johnson heard the arguments and then initially told the prosecution, “You made a deal and now you have to live with it.” He was referring to a deal they made 16 months ago. Johnson said this was a misappropriation of funds and is not the proper place for Smith.

The dispute began when a homeowner agreed to rent Smith his $3,200-a-month four-bedroom home with a pool, covered by California taxpayers.

The judge ruled Smith would have to live in another county much to the residents’ relief, though it has not been determined where yet.

Agency chief will tell county about sex offender treatment center

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3-31-15 Texas:

An obscure state agency originally asked the Jefferson County judge about using the former Al Price unit for a new location for "outpatient" sex offenders and its executive director plans to speak at a workshop session at 11 a.m. Monday at Commissioners Court.

Marsha McLane, director of the Office of Violent Sex Offender Management, a stand-alone agency created in the late 1990s, said she had searched perhaps 130 locations to replace two existing residences where 184 sex offenders live.

"It was me," McLane said. "I'm the one who thought of it."

Fred Jackson, assistant to County Judge Jeff Branick, confirmed McLane is on the Monday agenda for a workshop session.

State prisons and other correctional units with lesser security also are home for convicted sex offenders, McLane said.

Proposal to house sex offenders in Jefferson Co. nixed

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3-31-15 Texas:

A former state lockup in Mid-County for wayward kids won't become a kind of "Super Max" halfway house for sex offenders whose sentences have ended but whose prospects for re-offending are high enough to require more treatment, Jefferson County commissioners and state representatives said Monday.

Commissioners Court on Monday yanked the agenda item first published last Thursday that said the court would consider "re-conveying" the Al Price unit to the state.

State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, said he spoke with an assistant in Gov. Greg Abbott's office on Friday to learn more about the state's plans to drop sex offenders from around the state at the former Texas Youth Commission facility on U.S. 69.

The site, near the Jack Brooks Regional Airport, is in Deshotel's District 22.

"I don't know if the state was clear with the county on what it wanted it for," Deshotel said. "I don't see it happening, now that we know about it."

Contra Costa prosecutors move to evict sexually violent predator

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3-16-15 California:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Contra Costa prosecutors are fighting to kick sexually violent predator Charles Christman out of a Walnut Creek neighborhood, claiming too many young boys live nearby, and East Bay police agencies were not properly noticed of a San Francisco judge's residency hearing on the matter.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge is scheduled Friday to consider a motion filed by Contra Costa Deputy District Attorney Andrea Tavenier that contends Christman's home on Walnut Boulevard is surrounded by a "startlingly high percentage of male children," the 71-year-old's "preferred victim type."

Tavenier determined 21 boys between the ages of 2 and 16 live within a 1,000-foot radius of Christman's residence and 32 boys of that age live within a quarter mile.

In addition, Christman's Walnut Creek home sits steps from an elementary school bus stop and "Safe Schools" walking and biking route, less than a mile from Walnut Heights Elementary School, and near Shell Ridge Open Space, she wrote.

3,000 sign petition opposing Smith’s Suisun Valley placement

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3-29-15 California:

FAIRFIELD — More than 3,000 people have an online petition asking that Fraisure Smith not be sent to live in Suisun Valley, says the group Concerned Citizens of Suisun.

The Willotta Drive home where Smith, 51, a sexually violent predator, would live is located 1/3-mile from Solano Community College, which conducts children’s swimming camps in the summer, the petition states.

More than 1,100 signatures were collected in a single day, according to Concerned Citizens.

Smith should not live in a home nicer than 90 percent of the county resides, one petition signer states.

The home where Smith may be placed rents for $3,200 a month and includes a pool.

UPDATE: Jefferson County judge postpones vote on Al Price unit's future after uproar about sex offenders

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3-28-15 Texas:

12News has obtained exclusive new details about the proposed plans for the former Al Price Juvenile Correctional Facility.

Following Angel San Juan's in-depth reporting on Thursday night, 12News HD has since learned that the facility on Highway 69 between Beaumont and Port Arthur is creating such a commotion among local lawmakers because of the type of inmates who could be housed at the facility.
As 12News HD previously reported, the state wants to retake control of the facility in order to house inmates.

State Representative Dade Phelan told 12News HD Friday that certain sex offenders could soon be housed at the complex -- offenders who have already served their sentenced, but remain in custody because judges ruled them "too dangerous" to be released from state custody.

The Al Price unit has sat vacant for almost four years. Fifteen buildings on 50 acres that are costing Jefferson County taxpayers almost $100,000 a year.

California Attorney for sex offender seeking release into community gets more time to prepare for hearing

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See also: Residents express frustration at sex offender hearing

3-27-15 California:

Residents of a quiet west Fairfield enclave and their supporters packed a courtroom in Solano County Superior Court on Friday in anticipation of a hearing into whether a high-risk sex offender would be released into the community.

Those residents and supporters quickly let out a collective groan of frustration after it was learned that attorneys for the sex offender, Fraisure Smith, announced they would need more time to prepare for the hearing. Last week, Solano County prosecutors were handed a large box containing documents related to Smith, and his defense attorney on Friday said he had just received a “considerable amount of discovery,” or documents related to the case.

Visiting Judge W. Arvid Johnson, who is presiding over the matter, rescheduled the hearing for 1:30 p.m. on April 7.

Why Is A Sex Offender Moving Into An Upscale Home Paid For By Taxpayers?

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3-25-15 California:

Neighbors in an upscale Fairfield community are just days away from finding out if a high-risk, sexually violent predator is moving into a house on their street.

They’re telling anyone who will listen that having a man who was convicted of rape and most recently the attempted sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl is an unsafe idea.

His current home is a state hospital, but his proposed next home, funded by taxpayers, is likely pricier than your mortgage.

The house on Willotta Drive boasts four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a fire pit and a pool. The 3,000-square-foot home rents for more than $3,000 a month.

Now Fraisure Smith, a sexually violent predator, could be living in a sprawling Fairfield home paid for by taxpayers.

Which State Is Paying For This Rapist To Live In a Luxury Home?

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3-16-15 California:

There are feelings of anger and frustration as hundreds of people demand to know why a violent convicted sexual predator is going to be released into their upscale neighborhood.

The beautiful, tree-lined street where dozens of children live is a California paradise with peacocks strolling about.

Yet, it is where state authorities have decided to house a "high-risk" convicted rapist named Frasier Smith.

What's also infuriating neighbors is the lovely house in the city of Fairfield, close to California Wine Country, that has been chosen for the sex offender.

It has four bedrooms, and even comes with a pool!

The felon will live there rent-free. Yes, rent-free, with the $3,200- a-month rent being footed by California taxpayers.

Hearing held over housing location of violent sex offender

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3-5-15 California:

SALINAS, Calif. - A violent sexual predator is set to be released from state custody back to Monterey County. But not until a safe place to keep him is found.

Eldridge Chaney Junior was convicted of raping several women in the 1970's and 1980's.

Wednesday marked the first of several hearings surrounding his release back into the community.

The State Department of Hospitals has a contract with Liberty Healthcare, the company that’s tasked with finding the best place for Chaney to live when he is released.

So far, they have gone through about 300 homes and haven't found one that meets the requirements.

Chaney waived his right to appear in court and after a long time behind closed doors, a Monterey County judge ordered Liberty Healthcare to keep looking.

Walnut Creek: Residents upset that sexually violent predator moved into neighborhood

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3-3-15 California:

Residents in a quiet neighborhood were shocked last week -- as were Contra Costa law enforcement officials -- to find that a sexually violent predator moved into a home in the community.

Months after a judge ruled Charles Christman, 71, had to leave his Bay Point cottage because it was too close to an elementary school, the man, convicted of sexually assaulting young boys in the 1980s, moved into a house on Walnut Boulevard near Shell Ridge Open Space.

Residents and the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office only found out after the Sheriff's Office canvassed the neighborhood with fliers announcing Christman's presence. A Sheriff's Office spokesman said Christman notified the office of his move last Wednesday.

The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office was not alerted to the hearing over the move, likely because the case originated in San Francisco and was made by a judge there in conjunction with Liberty Healthcare, the contractor responsible for Christman's care, said prosecutor Andrea Tavenier.

"My guess is that San Francisco County and Liberty (Healthcare) didn't realize they placed Mr. Christman directly along a 'Safe Route to School' path, immediately between two bus stops, and in a residential neighborhood densely populated with children of an age and gender that I understand to be his preferred victim type," said Tavenier, who is working on filing a motion to reconsider.