Placement of San Diego’s Sexually Violent Predators Proposed in Poway

POWAY, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The California Department of State Hospitals has recommended placing a sexually violent predator in Poway, and a public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for next month.

Department officials recommended that Merle Wakefield, who was convicted of sexual assault in the 1980s and 1990s, be placed at 15720 Sycamore Canyon Road, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced Monday. Wakefield’s parole was ordered by San Diego Superior Court.

Although the placement was proposed, it was not completed. A hearing is scheduled for August 9 in Central Court in San Diego.

The Sexual Assault Crime Enforcement Task Force (SAFE) is accepting public comments on the proposed placement by email, phone and mail through July 22. The task force and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office will then submit comments to the court.

Information on how to submit a comment can be found on the sheriff’s department website.

In May 2021, a judge rejected Wakefield’s placement in a home in the Mount Helix neighborhood near El Cajon. Two months later, state hospital officials proposed that Wakefield be placed in Borrego Springs. But that hearing was canceled after a judge granted a request by Liberty Healthcare, which operates the parole program, that Wakefield complete additional treatment.

“Neither the Sheriff’s Office, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, or the SAFE (Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement) Task Force is responsible for the selection of the proposed site,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release. “This selection process is the responsibility of DSH and the San Diego Superior Court.”