A sexually-violent predator has been ordered to return to a state hospital after he admitted to violating terms of his release, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced Thursday.
Gary Snavely, 49, will be sent back to treatment at Coalinga State Hospital, a mental health facility in Coalinga, Calif., about 315 miles north of San Diego.
According to Dumanis, Snavely, a diagnosed pedophile, admitted to violations including misuse of medications and failing to remain appropriately clothed at all times while in public view on his property in Jacumba.
He also “failed to report any and all instances of sexual thoughts and fantasies involving sexual deviance to treatment staff,” Dumanis said.
Snavely was removed from his home and taken into custody on July 2 by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department on allegations that he violated his terms of release.
With his admission to those allegations Thursday, he agreed to revocation.
Dumanis said there are no new victims linked to Snavely.
Snavely’s record is marked with multiple prison sentences, releases, violations and court-ordered treatments dating back nearly three decades.
Up until his arrest on July 2, Snavely had been living at 45612 Old Highway 80 in Jacumba – about a mile away from Jacumba Elementary School.
He was placed in the residence on Feb. 20 under a conditional release in a move approved by Judge Louis Hanoian. That same judge sent ordered him back to the hospital Thursday, the DA’s office said.
Prior to Snavely’s move to Jacumba, 10 letters opposing the placement of the sexually-violent predator in the neighborhood were submitted, including one from San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
Local
Following his July 2 arrest, Jacob said she was not surprised to hear Snavely – whom she referred to as a “monster” – had violated the terms of his release. She said he did not belong in the community.
Snavely was convicted in 1987 of molesting two girls between the ages of eight and nine in the Orange County area. He served three years in prison for the crime and was then placed on parole. He violated the conditions of his parole and was sent back to prison.
Snavely was released in 1996. While living in San Diego, he was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender, the DA’s office said. For this, Snavely was sentenced to 16 months in state prison.
Before his release from prison in 1998, the DA’s office filed a petition to civilly commit Snavely as a sexually-violent predator. He was ordered to undergo treatment at a state hospital.
In 2008, the court granted Snavely’s request for conditional release. Months later, however, he was ordered back to a state hospital for misusing medication – a violation of his terms of release.
In August 2014, a judge granted Snavely’s request once more for conditional release, and he was placed in a house in Jacumba.
