PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A sexually violent predator will soon be released as a transient in Placer County following a judge’s ruling, but law enforcement is fighting back.
Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo says William Stephenson is not someone who can be trusted to live freely among the public and poses a great threat to the community due to his criminal history.
Stephenson’s history of sexual violence began in 1985 when he was sentenced to 31 years in prison. He was released in 2014 and was caught with child porn three years later.
"Throughout these proceedings, the Placer County District Attorney's Office has been vehemently objecting to his release because of public safety. This is an individual who has served 31 years in state prison as a very violent sex offender,” said Placer County Chief Assistant District Attorney David Tellman.
The district attorney’s office is adamant they don’t want him to be released, much less as a transient, particularly because it means he won’t have a stable address.
Back in March, he was initially set to be released in Amador County until the Amador County Sheriff’s Office fought against it.
"When we were initially notified, we learned that the Department of State Hospitals — and specifically Liberty Healthcare who they contract under the SVP (the Sexually Violent Predator program) — never really followed the law. They never gave us the proper notifications or allowed us to have the input,” said Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman.
Liberty Healthcare is the provider overseeing the program, and there’s concern over their ability as a third-party to safely monitor the convicted sexual predator.
"It's major red flags right there with having a contracted healthcare provider almost doing some type of law enforcement services. They really couldn't tell us how they were going to monitor Mr. Stephenson,” said Redman.
The Placer County District Attorney’s Office is now calling for an audit around issues involving transient releases of sexually violent predators.
"We're concerned that when he's released this time, he'll repeat and continue to violate any terms that the court might order on him,” said Tellman.
Stephenson currently lives in a state hospital. His next hearing is set for Sept. 1.
