SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A judge decided Friday that Michael Martinez, a man classified as a sexually violent predator, will be allowed to move to a home in Borrego Springs.
The order means Michael Martinez, 69, will be relocated from Coalinga State Hospital to a home located at 3406 Running M Road, where he will be monitored via GPS and receive treatment.
CBS 8 spoke to County Supervisor Jim Desmond about why he’s frustrated with the lack of transparency.
"The home where Michael Martinez will be living is run by Liberty Health care. The courtroom was told in the early days that he will be under 24/7 GPS surveillance. He can go out in his yard and get his mail, but he can’t leave the property without a chaperone. The moment this sexually violent predator steps off the property, they will send in the appropriate means and measures," Desmond said.
Residents who live in the community say they are extremely concerned about what liberties he will now have living in the home and if they will be notified.
Martinez is classified as a sexually violent predator, a designation for those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them likely to re-offend. After serving their prison sentences, SVPs may undergo treatment at state hospitals, but may also petition courts to continue treatment in supervised outpatient locations.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Martinez was convicted in four separate cases between 1979 and 2004 for offenses that occurred in San Diego and Los Angeles counties and has been diagnosed with pedophilia and personality disorders. The crimes for which he was convicted include child molestation, annoying/molesting a child, lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14 and annoying a child under 18, according to the DA's office.
San Diego Superior Court Judge David M. Gill, who heard fervent opposition from elected officials and Borrego Springs residents at a prior hearing, visited the property and neighborhood in July. Gill also heard testimony from clinicians and others earlier this year, and approved Martinez's return to the community at the conclusion of that hearing.
Gill said at that hearing that Martinez's conditional release was "supported by all the information I have" and said he was "impressed" with the work of Liberty Healthcare, the agency contracted to operate the conditional release program for SVPs.
Alan Stillman, executive director for Liberty Healthcare, said 55 SVPs have been released over the past two decades, none of whom have re-offended in the program's 19-year history.
At Friday's hearing, the judge originally ordered Martinez' move in date for the beginning of September, but that was moved to September 24.
WATCH RELATED: Judge allows placement of sexually violent predator in Borrego Springs home