Concerns over Housing Convicted Rapist Near Girl Scout Camp in California
A sheriff in California is challenging a proposal to move a convicted rapist into a taxpayer-funded rental home near a Girl Scout camp. This plan involves Michael Thomas Cheek, a 74-year-old, being transferred from a secure psychiatric facility to a rental property in the Santa Cruz Mountains, valued at over $800,000.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark expressed serious concerns about this move. He pointed out the proximity of the property to not just the Girl Scout camp, but also schools. The sheriff noted that the area’s rugged terrain could pose challenges for law enforcement in case Cheek reoffends. “The community where he’s being considered for release is quite tight-knit,” Clark stated. “It’s not exactly the easiest place for us to get to, you know, in the event something might happen.”
Clark emphasized that the location of the rental home, just a few miles from places where children congregate, raises significant alarms. He brought up additional worries regarding how Cheek would be monitored electronically. “In our mountain communities, power outages are common during winter. If there’s no electricity, then how effective can electronic monitoring really be?” he asked. “And if cell service is poor, how can people quickly call for help if they suspect something is going on?”
Cheek’s criminal history is severe. He was convicted in 1980 for raping a woman at gunpoint and later escaped from jail to assault a 15-year-old girl similarly. After his conviction, he was categorized as a sexually violent predator.
Though he completed a sex offender treatment program in 2019, previous attempts to place him in Santa Cruz County failed. Sheriff Clark pointedly remarked, “Mr. Cheek has no ties to our county. His only connection is the people he victimized here. It’s completely unfair for us to bear the burden of housing him in one of the nation’s most expensive areas.”
A Superior Court judge is set to deliberate on Cheek’s proposed housing situation on October 30.
