After neighbors objected, Michael Cheek, set to be released from a state hospital decades after being convicted of the rape of two young women, won’t be placed in an Aptos home.
Michael Cheek
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Attorney for Michael Cheek appeals to California Supreme Court to speed up violent predator’s overdue release
Convicted sexually violent predator Michael Cheek’s long-awaited release continues to face roadblocks. Although Cheek has been cleared for release since 2019, state contractor Liberty Healthcare Corporation has been unable to secure housing him in Santa Cruz County. Cheek’s attorney says he is now appealing to the California Supreme Court for assistance.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County will again push to release sexually violent predator Cheek elsewhere in state
With efforts to find a suitable property in Santa Cruz County for convicted rapist Michael Cheek proving fruitless, Judge Syda Cogliati on Tuesday asked stakeholders to move toward allowing a state contractor to begin searching outside of the county for housing.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Still no housing option for convicted sex offender Michael Cheek following state committee meeting
Michael Cheek’s release remains in limbo as a state-mandate committee did not identify any viable housing options for him at its Thursday meeting. Cheek is due back in court Tuesday, when Liberty Healthcare Corporation — the state contractor trying to find him a home — is expected to bring more options.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Sex offender Michael Cheek denied transient release in Santa Cruz County as efforts continue to place him
“I don’t know why my due process or liberty interest rights are not being considered here,” Michael Cheek told a Santa Cruz court Tuesday. The hearing ended with Judge Syda Cogliati denying his request for transient release, under which the state would purchase an RV for Cheek to call home. Cheek, twice convicted of rape, was cleared by state doctors in 2019 to reenter society under tight watch; Cogliati wants stakeholders to return Sept. 12 with options.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Releasing convicted rapist Cheek to live in RV latest possibility in saga returning to Santa Cruz courtroom
Finding a path for convicted sex offender Michael Cheek back into the community has proved challenging, and on Tuesday, a Santa Cruz County court might consider a measure called “transient release,” under which the state would purchase a recreational vehicle for Cheek to call home. The latest hearing comes after an appeals court ruled that Cheek could not be placed in a house in Bonny Doon. Meanwhile, Cheek’s attorney has argued that continued delays are toeing the line of violating Cheek’s civil right to due process.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Appeals court orders pause on the placement of a sexually violent predator in Santa Cruz County
An appellate court has blocked the placement of Michael Cheek, a man diagnosed as a sexually violent predator, in a Bonny Doon home pending a ruling on the matter. A Santa Cruz judge approved of the placement in November but then issued a stay.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
A judge OKs placement of sexually violent predator in Bonny Doon — shocked residents call it a ‘gross mistake’
Over the objections of prosecutors and neighbors Monday, a Santa Cruz judge approved the placement of Michael Cheek, diagnosed as a sexually violent predator, in a Bonny Doon home. Assistant District Attorney Alexander Byers said he plans to appeal the ruling, and Judge Syda Cogliati agreed to delay the effective date of the decision to give him a chance to do so.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Supervisors: We want more control over placement of sexually violent predators
The board of supervisors voted Tuesday to direct county administrators to oppose taking in sexually violent predators in Santa Cruz County until state law is amended to give local jurisdictions more power in the decision-making process. The move will have no impact on the case of Michael Cheek, a man diagnosed as a sexually violent predator, whose placement in Bonny Doon is facing opposition from residents.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Judge acknowledges unpopularity of sexually violent predator’s Bonny Doon placement, but wants to hear more
Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Syda Cogliati continued the hearing about “sexually violent predator” Michael Cheek’s proposed placement on Wild Iris Lane to Oct. 14. Outside the courthouse Tuesday, community members made their feelings clear with signs such as “Keep Michael Cheek away from our families.”