PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A judge denied the immediate release of a sexually violent predator in Placer County at a hearing on Friday.
William Stephenson was granted conditional transient release into Placer County in July 2023. Stephenson's attorneys said not releasing him violated his due process rights.
The judge said that Liberty Health Care, the group that is supervising Stephenson, has considered more than 1,200 locations in Placer County. However, none of the locations worked out.
"I think the difficulty in placing Mr. Stephenson number one, is that there are few people who want to rent their homes to a sexually violent predator or to the state for those housing purposes. And number two, we really don't know what goes on in the process of trying to find those locations. Although we have over 1,000 locations that Liberty has tried, we don't know if that just means a simple phone call or if that is some in-depth examination of the location," said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire.
Liberty Health Care proposed a new location that could be a suitable option. It's a property in Placer County where Stephenson would live in an RV that couldn't be moved and has a permanent address.
Liberty Health Care will explore that option and provide an update at a review hearing later in September, according to Placer County Superior Court Judge Garen Horst.
If the site is approved, they would need to give the county 30 days' notice.
Dozens of people gathered for the hearing in Roseville, many of them upset about Stephenson's release.
Several departments in Placer County have expressed their opposition to Stephenson’s release and have encouraged the public to attend meetings and write letters to the judge.
District 1 Supervisor Bonnie Gore said Stephenson was released into her neighborhood in 2014 and residents were aware of his status at the time.
“Every resident in our neighborhood knew who he was and what he had done in his past,” said Gore. “We had to keep an eye on him to make sure nothing happened in our neighborhood. We were aware of his presence. Releasing him with a transient status is unacceptable.”
Stephenson was first arrested in 1985 for indecent exposure and then for sexual violence in 1991. He was released from custody in 2014, only to re-offend again three years later.
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