Quick Take:
The two proposals to place convicted rapist Michael Cheek in hotels in Watsonville and Santa Cruz have been dropped following backlash from residents in both cities, according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.
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The proposals to place convicted rapist Michael Cheek in hotels in Watsonville and Santa Cruz were withdrawn Friday following strong opposition from community members and public officials, according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.
“We’re frustrated that our community had to go through a 72-hour period of worry,” said Alex Byers, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, Friday morning. “We are pleased that this is no longer being considered.”
The California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) proposal asked the Santa Cruz Superior Court to release Cheek from custody and house him in a motel located at 970 Main St. in Watsonville or in a hotel on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz, if the court were to reject the Watsonville location.
Byers said property owners of both locations withdrew their consent from the proposal. The district attorney’s office is not sure what will happen at Cheek’s May 22 hearing, but the court date will not be a placement hearing.
Cheek was convicted in 1980 of kidnapping a 21-year-old woman off Seacliff State Beach and raping her at gunpoint. After escaping from custody a year later, Cheek was convicted of committing a nearly identical crime against a 15-year-old in Lake County.
Cheek has been in state custody since 1981, and has spent nearly 26 years in a Fresno County state hospital. He was cleared for release in 2019, but the state couldn’t find a placement in a community setting. In 2024, a plan to release him into a supervised home in an Aptos neighborhood fell through following objections from public officials and neighbors.
Watsonville city officials credit community members for raising their concerns about Cheek’s possible placement in the area. City spokesperson Michelle Pulido told Lookout that police chief Brian Shab spoke with the owner of the Watsonville motel Thursday afternoon about the challenges residents were going to face if Cheek were to be placed there.
She added the two town halls scheduled for April 13 and 20 have been canceled as a result of the proposal being withdrawn.
The City of Santa Cruz did not immediately respond to Lookout’s request for comment at time of publication.
