A San Diego Superior Court judge has ordered the conditional release of two sexually violent predators to the same residence in Boulevard, the rural East County community that has repeatedly found itself at the center of the state's search for housing for high-risk sex offenders. Michael Poulsom and Reynaldo Delrosario are slated to be placed at 2135 McCain Valley Road, according to officials, and the public now has until September 24 to submit comments on the plan.
The release was ordered after the California Department of State Hospitals recommended conditional release for both men, as reported by Times of San Diego. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office issued a public notice about the pending placements, but the department was careful to note that it did not choose the site. The Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office and the SAFE Task Force all said they did not select the placement location, according to the same report — that responsibility falls to the Department of State Hospitals, which handles the placement-location selection process.
Poulsom was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 in both 1990 and 1995, per the outlet's reporting. Delrosario's record includes convictions for annoying or molesting children in 1986 and 1998, along with convictions for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 by force or fear in both of those same years. San Diego Superior Court must still approve the selection of the placement before either man moves in.
A Familiar Address for East County
The McCain Valley Road property sits off Interstate 8 in Boulevard, an unincorporated backcountry community whose population was recorded at just 315 residents in the 2010 U.S. Census, according to a San Diego County District Attorney release. The area has a small population, and the release discusses local law-enforcement jurisdiction.
This is not the first time the address has drawn state attention. The same parcel was floated for sexually violent predator Michael Joseph Martinez in 2018 and for Thomas Cornwell in 2019, according to the District Attorney's office and reporting from the Times of San Diego, which noted that backcountry residents and county officials have long contended that rural East San Diego County is disproportionately selected as a placement site for sexually violent predators.
That frustration was reflected in a proposal Supervisor Jim Desmond planned to introduce, seeking local veto authority over sexually violent predator placements, according to KPBS. The reports also describe concerns about law enforcement in rural placement areas.
Why Housing Takes So Long — and Costs So Much
The delays are not unique to Boulevard. Housing searches for the Conditional Release Program can be lengthy. State spending on the program was reported at $6.6 million in fiscal year 2018-19 and $11.5 million in fiscal year 2022-23.
Much of that spending flows to Liberty Healthcare Corporation, the Pennsylvania-based company that holds the state's sole contract for finding housing and supervising sexually violent predators on conditional release. The Department of State Hospitals has paid Liberty Healthcare more than $93 million under various contracts and extensions through 2025, according to iNewsSource, despite state efforts to attract competing bidders.
The state distinguishes between sexually violent predators on conditional release and those who are unconditionally released. Conditional release includes outpatient treatment and 24-hour GPS monitoring, while opponents have raised public-safety concerns.
State Law Shapes Where — and How — Offenders Are Watched
Placements like this one unfold under state law, while proposed conditional releases can include 24-hour GPS monitoring.
The legal path to conditional release runs through California's Sexually Violent Predator Act, which provides for civil commitment at state psychiatric facilities after prison sentences end. The act describes a civil, rather than criminal, process and includes procedures for conditional outpatient release.
Housing shortages have pushed San Diego courts toward unconventional solutions before. The search for permanent housing has posed challenges for state officials.
How to Weigh In
The SAFE Task Force will accept public comments through September 24 for inclusion in its formal response to the court and the Department of State Hospitals. Comments can be emailed to [email protected], phoned in at 858-583-7238, or mailed to SVP/Release/SAFE Task Force, 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA 92123.
Residents can also speak in person before Judge Theodore Weathers at a hearing set for October 15 at 9 a.m. in Department 1702 of San Diego Superior Court, 1100 Union St., in downtown San Diego. The District Attorney's Office and the SAFE Task Force will submit the public comments collected to the court for consideration ahead of that hearing.
