Proximity to schools investigated for housing sex offenders in Santa Cruz County – Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ – Michael Cheek’s recent hearing questioned the suitability of the rental properties selected for the court-ordered release of a sex offender.

Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Nancy de la Peña ordered Friday that the address of the residential property, provided by Liberty Healthcare Corp., the Department of State Hospitals’ contractor, remain secret from the public while the investigation continues. Cheek’s defense attorney and prosecutors disagree on whether the property chosen is too close to a school and whether the facility even qualifies as a school, de la Peña said.

A person released because of a sexually violent offender designation cannot be placed within a quarter-mile of a public or private school that offers instruction in kindergarten or any of grades 1 through 12, according to state law. A family’s November 2021 proposal to establish a residential school near a rental property in Bonny Doon blocked a previous housing opportunity.