Sheriff seeks community input on placement of sexual predator near Turlock

All that stands in the way of the release of convicted child molester Kevin Scott Gray near Turlock is a July 1 court date before Judge Carrie M. Stephens of Stanislaus County Superior Court.

If Stephens revoked Gray's release from California Department of State hospitals in Coalinga, as she did earlier this year when he was scheduled to be released to neighboring Merced County, it would essentially mean waiting for the next evaluation of Gray or his neighbor. legal challenge.

“It’s worth getting started,” Stanislaus County Prosecutor Jeff Laugero said. “And if not us, then who?” I'm going to keep kicking, kicking and kicking.

A site visit to the home believed to house Gray and another sexually violent predator — Timothy Weathers, 60 — is expected to take place Friday.

“When they're looking for a site, there are a number of entities that have to be involved, and our office is one of them,” Laugero said. “And one of our special victims prosecutors, who has been involved in these cases, attends these site assessment meetings.

Representatives from the Turlock Police Department and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office will also participate in the site visit, checking whether the home is too close to a school, its proximity to bars and other factors.

Sheriff Jeff Dirkse recorded a public safety announcement Friday in which he released an email address – [email protected] – and asked members of the public to share their concerns, as well as any information they may have about homeschooling in the area.

“The State of California is seeking to release a sexually violent predator into our community,” Dirkse said in the video. “He is currently scheduled to be released in the unincorporated area of ​​Stanislaus County, west of the Town of Turlock and north of West Main Avenue. The exact address is still confidential, but it is within 300 meters of a bar, and alcohol is one of the things that triggers pedophilia.

Gray, 72, admitted to molesting 25 children and committing 1,000 acts of indecent assault against female victims ages 8 to 11, according to court documents.

In 1974, Gray pleaded guilty in Los Angeles County to one count of child molestation and was sentenced to 36 months of formal probation.

Five years later, in Park County, Wyoming, Gray was convicted of one count of sexual contact with a minor, as well as burglary with intent to commit a felony. He was sentenced to four years in state prison and credited with 14 months for time served at the Wyoming State Hospital.

In 1986, Gray was convicted in Stanislaus County of committing lewd acts with a child under the age of 14 (an 11-year-old girl Ceres) and received an eight-year sentence. Finally, in 1993, he was convicted of two counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

In 2002, Gray committed to DSH, and in 2007, hospital staff decided he would stay there indefinitely.

Gray petitioned the court for parole in November 2019, citing a report from June of that year by Douglas Korpi, Ph.D., stating that Gray could be treated safely and effectively in the community, according to court documents .

Four months later, Harry Goldberg, consulting psychologist for the state, reported that Gray was likely to engage in sexually violent behavior again.

Also in 2020, it was reported that Gray was in possession of a USB drive containing approximately 1,000 deleted – then recovered – images of children in underwear.

Court documents further show that Goldberg reaffirmed his opinion that Gray was likely to re-offend in reports filed in 2022 and 2024. However, Goldberg went on to say that Gray could be released on parole since the National Parole Program (CONREP ) “would be able to protect the community as long as the Defendant is under surveillance.”

“Doctors are doctors,” Laugero said. “And I assume they are experts in their field, as far as diagnosis and treatment. But I don't know if they're experts in determining what constitutes adequate community protection. And this is where we wonder what criteria they are using.

Under state law, sexually violent predators must be released into the county where they lived at the time their crimes were committed, unless extraordinary circumstances dictate otherwise.

In 2020, Stephens ruled that extraordinary circumstances existed and Gray could be released outside of Stanislaus County. Earlier this year, Gray was scheduled to be released to Ballico – a rural Merced County community just outside of Turlock. However, days before Gray was scheduled to be released, Stephens reversed her decision, paving the way for the July 1 court date.

Parole requires monitoring and supervision that includes individual contact by supervisory staff, specialized treatment for sexual offenses, random drug and alcohol testing, monitoring, polygraph examinations and active GPS tracking, according to the DSH website.