close
close
hsuses

Sheriff of Stanislaus speaks out against release of sex offender

Theo

The Stanislaus County sheriff took to social media to call for resistance to the release of a sex offender in a community near Turlock. On Monday, the Kevin Gray case came back to court. “I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the possible release of sex offender Kevin Gray,” began the Instagram post from Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse. Stanislaus County prosecutors were in court Monday morning for a hearing to block Gray’s release, but the judge adjourned the case to July 22 at 8:30 a.m. for further proceedings. Gray served a prison sentence for sex crimes against minors before being booked into a state hospital where he is scheduled to be released, Dirkse said. “The question is essentially whether or not he has been rehabilitated. As sheriff and district attorney, I take the unequivocal view that he has not been rehabilitated and should not be released from our community,” Dirkse said. A group of more than a dozen concerned community members, including Jack Griffith, stood outside the courtroom holding signs protesting Gray’s impending release and advocating for better treatment of sex offenders who may reoffend. “I understand people serving a sentence, but if a doctor says they’re going to reoffend … we need to keep them out of all of our communities,” Griffith said. During Monday’s sentencing hearing, the judge took issue with the release of the possible address where Gray could be released. She called it a violation of a court order, though it was not clear who shared the confidential information. For more coverage of California’s top news stories, click here | Download our app.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff took to social media to call for opposition to the release of a sex offender in a community near Turlock.

On Monday, the Kevin Gray case came before court again.

“I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on the possible release of sexually violent offender Kevin Gray,” began Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse’s Instagram post.

Stanislaus County prosecutors were in court Monday morning to begin a hearing to revoke Gray’s parole, but the judge adjourned the case for further proceedings until July 22 at 8:30 a.m.

Gray served a prison sentence for sex crimes against minors before being admitted to a state hospital, where he is expected to be released, Dirkse said.

“The question is essentially whether he has been rehabilitated or not. My position as sheriff and district attorney is clear that he has not been rehabilitated and should not be released from our community,” Dirkse said.

A group of more than a dozen concerned community members, including Jack Griffith, stood outside the courtroom holding signs protesting Gray’s impending release and calling for better treatment of sex offenders who may reoffend.

“I understand people who are serving a sentence, but when a doctor says they are committing a crime … we need to keep them out of all our communities,” Griffith said.

During Monday’s court hearing, the judge criticized the release of the possible address where Gray would be released, calling it a violation of a court order, although it was not clear who had released the confidential information.

You can find more reports on the most important topics from California here | Download our app.

Related Posts