Public notice has begun for housing a 72-year-old sexually violent predator in Aptos, about a mile from Seacliff State Beach.
The Zoom screen in Santa Cruz County Superior Court in 2021 shows convicted rapist Michael Cheek, who is currently under care at the Department of State Hospitals-Coalinga. The facility specializes in treating sexually violent predators. SANTA CRUZ —
Laurie and Alex Taylor were two Bonny Doon residents of dozens that gathered Tuesday at the Santa Cruz Courthouse. The stepmother–stepdaughter duo and others protested the placement of Michael Cheek — a twice-convicted rapist — at a rental in Bonny Doon. The most recent effort to place Cheek at a home in rural Bonny Doon, as well as prior proposals for San Mateo, San Benito and Contra Costa counties, faced public opposition and ultimately were scuttled. While Judge Syda Cogliati found the San Lorenzo Valley rental appropriate in a November 2021 ruling, the site placement order was overturned in January 2023 at the appellate level due to the formation of a home school near the proposed home.
Cheek served out his prison sentence from 1981 through 1997. Then, Cheek waived his right to a trial seeking an unsupervised release when he told the judge he wanted to be sent to a mental hospital for treatment. The court system deemed him to be a “sexually violent predator” under a then-new state law. Those who complete their prison terms and qualify as violent offenders at risk of reoffending under parole due to a diagnosed mental condition may then be transferred to psychiatric care.
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