The Department of State Hospitals says a sexually violent predator should be released in Jacumba, not Borrego Springs as the agency initially suggested.
On Wednesday, the DSH proposed that diagnosed pedophile Gary Snavely, 49, be placed at 45612 Old Highway 80 in Jacumba, a town with fewer than 600 people, according to the 2010 census.
In 1987, Snavely was convicted of molesting two girls between the ages of 8 and 9 in Orange County. The molestations included fondling and oral copulation, according to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.
The DSH originally proposed that Snavely’s home be in Borrego Springs, but they withdrew the suggestion earlier this month after the landlord rescinded his offer to rent the property. The man currently renting there had no idea it was the possible location for a sexually violent predator.
Before the new location is approved by the court, the public will get to comment on the proposed Jacumba home. Comments can be sent either through the sdsafe@sdsheriff.org email, by phone at 858-495-3619 or by mail addressed to SVP Release/SAFE Task Force, 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA 92123.
A hearing about the placement, which is about 1.2 miles from Jacumba Elementary School, is scheduled for Dec. 19 at 9 a.m. in San Diego Superior Court.
Snavely served a three-year prison sentence for his 1987 conviction, but a patrol violation landed him back behind bars, the DA’s Office says.
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After his release, he was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender in San Diego in 1996, for which he served 16 months. Two years later, the DA’s Office won a petition to civilly commit Snavely to the state hospital as a sexually violent predator.
A judge granted Snavely’s petition for conditional release in Aug. 2014.
