Overview
- The California Department of State Hospitals proposed housing Michael Cheek at the Valley Inn, 970 Main St. in Watsonville, with 111 Ocean St. in Santa Cruz as a backup site.
- City leaders, police, and the Santa Cruz County District Attorney say they will fight the plan in court, and Watsonville plans a town hall to gather community input.
- Officials say the motels sit near youth sites, including Ramsay Park, and warn a hotel setting hinders room confinement and leaves guests unaware, with Watsonville’s police chief questioning a reported 24/7 guard plan.
- Under California’s sexually violent predator law, placements must be more than a quarter-mile from any K–12 school, and the court is taking public comments through April 27 ahead of a May 22 placement hearing.
- Cheek, 74, was convicted of a 1980 rape and a 1981 assault on a 15-year-old and was later designated a sexually violent predator, and a 2024 Aptos placement attempt was withdrawn after the property owner rescinded the agreement.