Quick Take
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark is opposing the proposed placement of rapist Michael Cheek in a Los Gatos property in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark is strongly opposing a proposed plan to place convicted rapist Michael Cheek in a Los Gatos property in a remote area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, he announced in a media release Wednesday morning.
Cheek was convicted in 1980 of kidnapping a 21-year-old woman at Seacliff State Beach and raping her at gunpoint. He escaped custody a year later, and was later convicted of committing a nearly identical crime against a 15-year-old in Lake County.
“The concerns are specific and serious. The home is surrounded by dense forest and steep terrain, with limited road access. Unreliable cellular service and GPS coverage could interfere with electronic monitoring, communication about a violation, and a timely law enforcement response,” Clark said. “Narrow roads, abandoned structures, and recreational vehicles in the area could further complicate a search or apprehension.”
Clark also said that there are schools, a Girl Scouts camp, a church, a public park and nearby neighborhoods where families live, and that routes that run to and from the property pass places where children and families frequently convene.
“Mr. Cheek committed crimes in Santa Cruz County. That does not mean the people he harmed, or the community where those crimes occurred, should be asked to carry the risk of his placement here,” he said. “He has never lived in this county and has no known family or support network here. For survivors of sexual violence, this proposal may bring painful memories back into their daily lives. For families living near the proposed home, it raises serious safety concerns.”
Cheek has been in state custody since 1981 and has been in a Fresno County state hospital. He was cleared for release in 2019, but the state was unable to find a placement for him in a community setting.
Proposals to place Cheek in a Watsonville hotel or Santa Cruz hotel were withdrawn earlier this year after community pushback. A previous plan to release him to a supervised home in Aptos also failed, again due to community opposition. The sheriff’s office asks that those who wish to provide comments send them to SVP@scdao.us or mail them to the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office.
A placement hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30 at 1:30 p.m. in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
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