A placement hearing has been set for Dec. 19 when a judge will rule whether another sexually violent predator should be released with conditions in Jacumba Hot Springs.
The proposed site of a house on McCain Valley Road looks closer to Boulevard on the map and Interstate 8 is nearby.
Thomas Joseph Cornwell, 41, is one of the youngest registered sex offenders to be part of a conditional release program as most other offenders are at least 56 years old. The oldest was an 84-year-old offender who violated rules and was sent back to Coalinga State Hospital.
If approved, he would be released under supervision with Liberty Healthcare, who hires security guards to be present at all times he leaves the house. The Department of State Hospitals recommended release.
Cornwell was convicted of lewd act with with two children in incidents in 2006 and 2008. He received eight years in prison. When he finished that term, the District Attorney’s office had him committed to a state mental hospital for treatment.
Cornwell filed for conditional release on April 5. The DA’s office opposed his release, as does County Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
A 5-day civil trial started on Sept. 13 and it included testimony from multiple doctors and treatment providers. San Diego Superior Court Judge Albert Harutunian III granted the conditional release of Cornwell from the hospital.
The hearing on Dec. 19 will take testimony from people who are opposed or support the release at that location.
Cornwell has been diagnosed with pedophilic disorder and is sexually attracted to both sexes, according to the DA’s office.
Residents are invited to comment on the place to sdsafe@sdsheriff.org or call the sheriff’s department at (858) 495-3619.
People can send letters to SVP Release/SAFE Task Force, 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, Ca. 92123.
An appeals court has stayed the release of another SVP, Alvin Quarles, 56, who was known in the 1980’s as the “Bolder Than Most Rapist.” He was originally allowed to live in Jacumba Hot Springs in 2018, but some problems with the site and protests prevented that from occurring. It is still pending.
