JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, Calif. — A court hearing is scheduled for next month regarding the proposed placement of a convicted sex offender into an East County supervised home. The general public was invited to submit their thoughts regarding the proposed placement starting Friday.
Michael Poulsom, 60, was convicted on three separate occasions -- including twice in San Diego County -- for sex crimes involving children, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
He was sentenced to 15 years in state prison in 1995, but prior to his release date, petitioned to be committed to a state hospital as a Sexually Violent Predator or SVP, a designation for those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder (pedophilia disorder, in Poulsom's case) that makes them a danger to the public. According to public records, Poulsom was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child.
Following a three-day trial regarding his petition for the Conditional Release Program -- or CONREP -- a judge granted his release this summer, and the Department of State Hospitals has proposed placing Poulsom at 45612 Old Highway 80 in Jacumba Hot Springs.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors chairwoman, Dianne Jacob, shared her concerns.
"The state doesn’t care about these quiet, family-oriented communities," said Jacob. "These sex criminals should not be let out at all. But if they are, they should be housed –as other predators have been –on the doorstep of Donovan state prison.”
Members of the public may attend Poulsom's Feb. 3, 9 a.m. hearing at the downtown San Diego courthouse to convey their concerns or questions, or submit public comments through Jan. 17. Comments can be submitted to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, or by calling 858-495-3619.
Comments may also be mailed to SVP Release/SAFE Task Force, 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA, 92123.
