UPDATE: The homeowner has withdrawn the Aptos home from consideration for mental health placement. Currently there is no new location being considered.
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Michael Thomas Cheek, 72, convicted of kidnapping, rape, and forcible oral copulation in Santa Cruz County in 1980 and sentenced to prison, then sentenced to additional time for the rape of a 15-year-old in Lake County, is eligible for release and being considered for placement at 204 Forest Drive, Aptos.
The one-bedroom house on the dead-end road south of the freeway is about a mile from Seacliff State Beach.
This recommendation was made in June by Liberty Healthcare of California, Inc. in conjunction with the Department of State Hospitals. Liberty manages specialized treatment and community supervision programs for sex offender treatment on behalf of state departments of correction and mental health.
A hearing before Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Nancy De la Peña will take place at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in Department 6 to determine if that placement is appropriate. While the Court has ordered that no public comment will be taken at the hearing, the public is invited to attend.
Comments can be made in writing by emailing [email protected] or via mail to Superior Court, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. All comments must be submitted by Sept. 24.
In 1997, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney successfully petitioned to have Cheek declared a sexually violent predator under the Sexually Violent Predator Act. Subsequently, Cheek was committed to the Department of State Hospitals for sex offender treatment.
In 2019, the Department of State Hospitals deemed Cheek an appropriate candidate for conditional release and Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Seigel ordered his conditional release to Santa Cruz County.
For several years Liberty Healthcare was unsuccessful in its attempts to find an appropriate placement for Cheek.
Interested residents can watch the Oct. 18 proceedings remotely via Zoom. The link is https://santacruzcourtorg.zoomgov.com/j/1603307728