UPDATE - Friday, July 12
What was organized as a protest in Poway became a celebration on Friday when Poway Mayor Steve Vaus kicked off the community rally with news that just before the he took to the microphone, he received word that the proposed placement of a sexually violent predator on Sycamore Canyon Road had been rescinded.
“This has been a team effort,” Mayor Vaus told the crowd of approximately 400 community members gathered at Garden Road Park.
He thanked the “Poway family” for their support, including Jeff Grace of Keep RB Safe (which led the effort to get an SVP placement rejected in Rancho Bernardo), Deputy Mayor Caylin Frank, Poway Unified School District Trustee Ginger Couvrette, Chantal Anderson of the Garden Road Elementary School Parent Teacher Association and Emily Richards of Serenity Equestrian Center.
“Let’s remember, this is over now but there may be another time when we have to stand together and say no,” Vaus said. “Not in Poway. Not here. Not now. Not ever.”
Original Article (posted July 8)
The San Diego Sheriff’s department released information on how the public can provide input ahead of a placement hearing for a sexually violent predator. In anticipation of your questions and concerns, we would like to reiterate a few key points:
- The proposed location is just outside City of Poway boundaries (unincorporated San Diego County), although it is identified as Poway in the release due to the postal address.
- The City of Poway is not part of the process for evaluating the proposed placement or release. The San Diego Superior Court ordered the conditional release, and the California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) recommended the placement.
The Sheriff’s Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force is accepting public comment about the proposed placement for inclusion in its formal response to the court and DSH. We encourage the Poway community to share your feedback about the proposed placement via email at sdsafe@sdsheriff.org or by calling 858-583-7238. (View full details in the Sheriff's department news release.)
Comments will be accepted through July 22. The hearing is scheduled for August 9.