Early Friday morning, September 25, sexually violent predator Merle Wakefield took off his GPS monitor in Rancho Bernardo and walked away. He was convicted of lewd acts with a child under 14 and rape by force. Liberty Healthcare, the private company the State of California pays to supervise him, was supposed to be watching him. He's still missing.
This is exactly what we've been warning about for years.
And the state wants to place another one. John Phillips, a convicted child molester and designated Sexually Violent Predator, is pending placement in Borrego Springs. Phillips was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child and of sexual battery.
Borrego Springs already has two conditionally released SVPs living there. Jacumba Hot Springs has four. Over and over, the state picks our small, rural communities, where the nearest deputy can be 30 to 45 minutes away.
After what happened Friday, the state cannot keep promising supervision it has just proven it can't deliver. The Phillips placement must be stopped immediately.
These predators do not belong in our neighborhoods. If the state won't keep them locked up, conditionally released SVPs should be housed under supervision on state prison grounds, not next door to our families. That means better monitoring, faster response and lower cost.
If you see Merle Wakefield: Do not approach or contact him. Call 9-1-1 or the San Diego County Sheriff's Office at (858) 868-3200. He is 5'10", about 230 pounds, with brown eyes.