The Sheriff’s Department has identified the Twentynine Palms address where the Orange County Court has tentatively ordered a sexually violent predator to live as 6262 Lupine Avenue. On Friday (March 19), deputies notified about 25 nearby residents that convicted serial child rapist Lawtis Rhoden, 71, may be moved into their neighborhood. In addition, deputies identified bus and bike routes, and measured the distance to schools and shopping centers.
Rhoden has been convicted of raping five girls, aged 13 to 17, between 1969 and 1984 in three states. He was declared a sexually violent predator by a California jury in 2004.
A week ago, an Orange County court found “extraordinary circumstances” existed to authorize relocating him outside of Orange County, and chose Twentynine Palms as a possible location for him to live. San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson has ordered deputies from his Sexually Violent Predator Unit to appear before the Orange County Superior Court on April 16 to oppose Rhoden’s release into Twentynine Palms.
The City of Twentynine Palms will host an emergency community meeting this Thursday (March 25) at 5 p.m. at the Community Services Building on Joe Davis Drive with representatives from the District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Department to discuss the situation and what residents can do as a community to fight this relocation. Residents will have an opportunity to provide signatures at this community meeting to a coordinated effort to reverse this decision. Residents may also write or email the Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office.
Sheriff’s Department at [email protected] or send a letter to:
San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office
303 West 3rd Street, 4th Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0502
Attn: Deputy District Attorney Maureen O’Connell
Twentynine Palms Emergency Community Meeting:
Date: Thursday, March 25, 2021.
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Twentynine Palms Community Services Building
Address: 74325 Joe Davis Drive, Twentynine Palms, CA, 92277.
Virtual Meeting Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6894447393785877007
Community Petition: http://chng.it/CpQBkPBZ
