A man convicted of kidnapping and rapes starting in 1980 is eligible for release but won’t be placed in Santa Cruz County because of community opposition, the District Attorney’s Office last week said.
Michael Thomas Cheek, now 74, was convicted in 1980 and 1981 of sexual assaults in Santa Cruz and Lake counties and was deemed a violent sexual predator in 1997, according to authorities.
After his release from prison, he was committed to a state hospital for treatment as a sex offender. In 2019, he was declared a candidate for conditional release. A 2024 attempt to place him in the Emerald Hills area of Redwood City in San Mateo County was not approved.
On April 6, Liberty Healthcare of California, under contract to the State Hospitals Department, proposed placing Cheek at a motel in Watsonville or one in Santa Cruz.
Watsonville police said they were concerned that Cheek would be near several schools, parks, and organizations serving children.
“After speaking directly with the motel owner, we discussed the significant challenges this would create for the neighborhood, parents and their children, nearby community-based organizations, and the broader community,” Watsonville Police Chief Brian Shab said in statement.
On April 9, “Liberty advised that the placement was no longer viable,” prosecutors said.
The property owner told Liberty, “that the decision to withdraw these locations was based on community opposition,” according to the DA’s Office.
“Our office had significant public safety concerns with the proposed placement made by Liberty, and we are pleased that these properties are no longer being considered,” District Attorney Jeff Rosell said in a statement,
Cheek was convicted of kidnapping, rape, and forcible oral copulation in Santa Cruz County in 1980, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced to prison but escaped from jail in Contra Costa County and raped a 15-year-old in Lake County, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to additional time in prison.
“In 1997, when that prison term neared its end, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney successfully petitioned to have him declared a sexually violent predator (SVP) under the Sexually Violent Predator Act,” according to the DA. “Subsequent to that finding Cheek was committed to the Department of State Hospitals for sex offender treatment.”
In a statement, the City of Santa Cruz said it understands that the State Hospitals Department “is still pursuing housing options for Mr. Cheek in Santa Cruz County” and will monitor the issue.