A hearing was held in Orange County Friday afternoon about whether Lawtis Rhoden, a sexually violent predator, should be located to Twentynine Palms, a city where he has no ties at all. When the judge announced she had not yet analyzed multiple documents that had been submitted to her for review, the outcome of the hearing was clear. Managing editor Tami Roleff explains…
Friday’s hearing to determine whether sexually violent predator Lawtis Rhoden should be released from a state hospital to live in Twentynine Palms began with the judge stating that she had not yet analyzed multiple documents that had been submitted to her—some that had been submitted as late as Friday (May 21)—and that she anticipated having a ruling next week.
After going over his history, including the fact that he’s been incarcerated for 34 years, and has been in a state mental hospital for the last 15 years, the judge stressed that six mental health evaluations found that Rhoden could be released and treated in the community. The judge also stated that the organization in charge of supervising Rhoden if and when he was released had searched for housing for him for years in Orange and Los Angeles counties and was unable to locate any place in those areas where he could live.
The judge then heard comments from the District Attorney’s office, the Sheriff’s Department, including Captain Lucas Niles from the Morongo Basin station, Congressman Jay Obernolte, Supervisor Dawn Rowe, Frank Luckino, Dan Mintz, and McArthur Wright from the City of Twentynine Palms, from the school district, and many neighbors and their children, who all expressed their opposition to relocating the sexually violent prisoner Lawtis Rhoden to Twentynine Palms. Several of the neighbors said they had been sexually assaulted in their past, and would suffer extreme anxiety if Rhoden was re-located to their neighborhood.
After three hours, the judge continued the hearing to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27.
