The judge who earlier ordered the conditional release of the 1980’s “Bolder Than Most” rapist put the release on hold Oct. 26 after officials discovered the residence’s self-described owner wasn’t authorized to rent it out in Jacumba Hot Springs.
The courtroom of San Diego Superior Court Judge David Gill was packed with people opposed to the release of Alvin Ray Quarles, 56, who sexually assaulted 12 women in San Diego from 1985-1988.
However, Gill took no testimony as the issue of the house in Jacumba Hot Springs caused Gill to halt the release. The site will not be re-considered. Quarles remains in a state psychiatric hospital in Coalinga, Calif.
David Forester, the regional coordinator of Liberty Healthcare Corporation which operates the conditional release program, told Gill the property owner “was not permitted to sub-lease the property” to the agency.
The self-described owner co-owns the house on Desert Rose Ranch Road, but the registered owner is the state Department of Veterans Affairs, according to an e-mail Forester sent the judge on Oct. 15, three days after Gill ordered Quarles’ release there.
“The obvious next step is to find another suitable placement,” said Gill, after reading the e-mail into the record.
Forester asked for more time for the agency to find a place where Quarles could live, and Gill set another hearing for Jan. 4, 2019.
Cynthia Medina, who wore a shirt that described her as a Bolder Than Most Survivor, expressed frustration afterwards, saying she wanted to testify and tell the judge Quarles should not be released.
“He almost slipped through the cracks,” Medina said.
Quarles got the nickname because he was considered “bolder than most” rapists because he would attack women and their partners instead of women who lived alone.
Medina and others said they would return on Jan. 4 to speak out against his release.
Deputy District Attorney Jessica Soto filed a motion for Gill to re-consider Quarles’ release on other grounds such as Quarles has not yet finished the four-phase sexually violent predatortreatment program at Coalinga State Hospital.
Gill did not rule on Soto’s motion, and she will be free to argue it again. She also argued the doctors at Coalinga did not recommend his release.
Also Friday, the judge ordered an update on Quarles’ progress in the program. Quarles has finished one half of the treatment program.
“Today’s ruling buys us time and is a small victory in the battle to keep a dangerous predator away from our community,” said District Attorney Summer Stephan in a statement.
“He remains a danger to the public and we stand by the victims and survivors who continue to show courage throughout this process,” she said.
The motion by Soto to reject the Jacumba house also said another sexually violent predator, Herman Smith, lived in another house about a mile away on the same road. Quarles knew Smith from Coalinga.
Quarles was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 1989, but under law at that time, he earned credits that allowed his release after serving half of his term. He has served 25 years, so his prison sentence is over.
He was declared a sexually violent predator and held in a state hospital for the last four years. He petitioned for release. He has been diagnosed with sexual sadism disorder, voyeuristic disorder, and anti-social personality disorder.
County Supervisor Dianne Jacob also was in court and had hoped to testify. “He remains locked up. That’s good news,” said Jacob afterwards.
“This guy is the worst of the worst,” said Jacob. “Let’s hope they can’t find a place to put him. I would encourage people to write letters to the judge.”
Among the people at the hearing was a Santee woman who said she opposes Quarles’ release because he is likely to re-offend. Soto’s motion also asked that Quarles not be released in the area where a nudist camp operates.
Thirteen sexually violent predators have been released in San Diego County. Five were remanded back to Coalinga for program violations, but without new criminal charges. All of the men were over 55 years old and one died of cancer after release.