A sexually violent predator whom a judge refused to release in Pauma Valley has a new location where a judge could release him–in Jacumba Hot Springs.
The proposed placement of Joseph Bocklett, 75, was announced Sept. 11 by the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force in a press release.
A hearing is set for Monday, Oct. 26 in San Diego Superior Court at 9 a.m., but it will be open for public comment only via Zoom online or by phone.
Most of the courts are still closed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Judge Howard Shore rejected a placement for Bocklett on Aug. 4 in Pauma Valley.
Almost all sites that are usually considered for an SVP release is in the backcountry, so it was almost predictable that a location in East County would be considered again.
County Supervisor Dianne Jacob has long complained that rural East County was “the dumping ground” for release of SVPs.
The release sites are based on low population rates. The release said Jacumba Hot Springs’ population in 2010 was 561. The population of nearby Boulevard is 315 in the 2010 census.
Borrego Springs is the only other location where a judge has released an SVP on a long set of conditions. The state Department of State Hospitals has proposed the Jacumba Hot Springs location.
Members of the Pauma Valley Band of Mission Indians and others asked Shore not to allow Bocklett to live there. Shore said there was a nearby business and a residential community nearby which he cited when he vetoed the placement.
Bocklett is currently housed at Coalinga State Hospital after he finished his prison sentences. The District Attorney’s office said he was convicted of molesting three girls.
People can write letters to the judge, but they must be submitted by Sept. 23.
The letters can be mailed to SVP Release/SAFE Task Force, 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, 92123.