Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark is contesting a state proposal to transfer Michael Thomas Cheek, a 74-year-old convicted rapist, from a locked psychiatric facility to a taxpayer-funded rental home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The property, valued at more than $800,000, is situated within a few miles of a Girl Scout camp and local schools, a proximity Clark describes as obviously concerning.
Clark told Fox News Digital that the rugged terrain of the proposed location could hinder deputy response times if Cheek were to commit another offense. He noted that the community is tight-knit and not necessarily the easiest place for law enforcement to reach quickly. "It's not necessarily the easiest place for us to get to, you know, if and when something were to happen," Clark said.
The sheriff also raised concerns regarding the reliability of electronic monitoring systems in the area. He pointed out that mountain communities often experience power outages during the winter, and cell connectivity in the region is extremely poor. Clark questioned the effectiveness of monitoring tools without electricity and the ability of residents to call for help if they suspect criminal activity due to poor cell service.
In 1980, Cheek was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman with a firearm. Later, after escaping custody at the Contra Costa County jail, he forced a 15-year-old girl into sexual acts under threat of a gun. Following these convictions, he was classified as a sexually violent predator. Although he completed a sex offender treatment program at a psychiatric facility in 2019, two previous attempts to place him in Santa Cruz County had failed.
Clark argued that Cheek has no other ties to Santa Cruz County besides having victimized people there. The sheriff stated it is unfair for a county where someone was victimized to bear the burden of housing them in one of the most expensive places in the country to live. A Superior Court judge is scheduled to hear arguments on Cheek's proposed housing on Oct. 30. Fox News Digital reached out to Cheek's attorney for comment.