Law enforcement officers went door to door in Borrego Springs this week to inform residents that a sexually violent predator is now living in their community.
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Officials have struggled to find suitable housing for Gary Snavely, 63, who was convicted in 1987 of molesting two young girls. He served several years in prison before being civilly committed to a state mental hospital under a program for those deemed to be sexually violent predators, or SVPs.
He was deemed suitable for release into the community, with strict monitoring and outpatient treatment, in 2022, but finding a place to house him has been difficult. Last year, a location was found in Julian, but the owner later revoked the offer.
The California Department of State Hospitals ultimately selected the Borrego Springs location, a home on Running M Road, as appropriate, and it was approved by a San Diego Superior Court judge.
Sheriff’s officials did not give an exact date of Snavely’s release, saying only that it happened “on or before” Wednesday. Snavely, who has a lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender, is not wanted by law enforcement. Rather, the law permits residents to be notified about sex offenders who frequent an area.
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“The purpose of this notice is to allow members of the public to protect themselves and their children from sex offenders,” sheriff’s officials said Wednesday.
“This notification is not intended to induce fear; rather it is our belief that an informed community is a safer community. Use of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass the subject or any other person will not be tolerated and may result in prosecution.”
Snavely has been conditionally released into the community before. In 2008, then again in 2015, he had been living under supervision in Jacumba when he violated the conditions of his release and was returned to the hospital.
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