State officials this week proposed a sexually violent predator be placed in Campo where he would live under supervision if a judge approves the location.
The California Department of State Hospitals recommended Wednesday that Alan James be placed at 1138 Custer Road, near Dodd Lane. The location is less than a mile from a community park and a sheriff’s substation.
This is the second time in recent years that James has been recommended for supervision. In 2019, he was placed at a home in Jacumba, however, he violated the terms of his release and went back to a state hospital for treatment in 2020, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
If approved, James would become the seventh sexually violent predator to be housed in a rural San Diego County community.
Alan Earl James
(Courtesy of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department )
A hearing to discuss the suggested placement has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 9 in Department 2204 with San Diego Superior Court Judge David Gill. Public comments will be accepted until Jan. 24 via email at sdsafe@sdsheriff.org, over the phone at (858) 583-7238 or by mail addressed to the SVP Release/SAFE Task Force at 9425 Chesapeake Drive, San Diego, CA, 92123.
“This is your opportunity to support or object to the proposed placement before it is finalized,” the release on the placement read.
Depending on the court’s ruling, comments may be accepted during the February hearing, as well.
James, diagnosed with pedophilia, was convicted in 1981 of one lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 and was sentenced to three years probation and 180 days in jail, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Five years later, he was convicted of committing multiple sex crimes against three children including unlawful sexual intercourse and kidnapping for the purpose of child molest. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 1986.
The crimes were committed in San Diego County.
Prior to his release from prison, the District Attorney’s Office petitioned to have James labeled a sexually violent predator. The office repeatedly petitioned the state over the classification, and in 2007, James was civilly committed to Coalinga State Hospital for treatment.
To be classified by the state as a sexually violent predator, or SVP, a person has to have been convicted of a violent sex crime against at least one victim and be diagnosed with a condition, such as pedophilia, that makes that person likely to re-offend. The designation is reserved for less than 1 percent of the state’s sexual offender population and means those people can be committed to state hospitals long after serving their prison terms.
The District Attorney’s Office opposed James’ petitions for conditional release in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He was recommended for community supervision in 2018 and, a year later, was placed in Jacumba. Then, in 2020, officials with the release program recommended James’ supervision be revoked. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hearing was delayed. Program officials later rescinded their revocation request. The District Attorney’s Office also filed a petition to revoke James’ release, but Judge Gill denied it.
Officials with the District Attorney’s Office said Thursday that when sexually violent predators violate the terms of their release, they are either sent back to jail or a state hospital while the matter is sorted — a process that can take a long time. The office confirmed James was returned to Coalinga in March 2020 and has remained there while his supervision and housing was discussed.
