Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued a public warning after a court order led to the release of seven high risk sex offenders in California, days before Governor Gavin Newsom ordered parks and beaches in Orange County closed.
“These kinds of high risk sex offenders are the most dangerous kind of criminal and the most likely to re-offend,” Spitzer said in a statement. He added that the men are trying to avoid detection by their parole officers and said they should not be getting a break.
According to the district attorney’s office, Court Commissioner Joseph Dane ordered the releases during April, even though prosecutors said some of the men had tampered with GPS monitoring devices in the past. Prosecutors also said all seven had allegedly violated parole in recent years.
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said in a statement Wednesday that the jails were not overcrowded and that distancing and quarantine measures were in place. “These inmates were released by court order, and are not in any way connected to the measures I have taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the Orange County Jail,” Barnes said. He added that he opposes efforts that excuse criminal behavior.
The order drew attention because about 3,500 prisoners considered non violent had already been given early release across California because of the virus, according to officials. Local news outlets shared the men’s ages and criminal histories as part of the community warning.
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