The Recorder, San Francisco

2/2/04

Coco Judge Frees Predator but Won't Release the Details

By Jahna Berry

After an eight-month search, sexually violent predator Cary Verse has finally found a home. But no one is saying where it is.

Verse has been hunting for housing since May 2003, when Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge John Minney ordered that he be released into the community to complete the final phase of his treatment. State officials unsuccessfully looked for housing for months but were turned down by several landlords. In the fall, Verse's attorney hired a consultant who was able to find Verse a place to live.

On Friday, officials knowledgeable about the case refused to talk about a Thursday hearing where Minney reportedly ordered that Verse be released on Feb. 5.

"The hearings are usually open," said Nora Romero, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Mental Health. This time, however, most of the discussion happened in camera, and the court record was put under seal, said Romero, adding that she could not discuss the hearing.

Verse's public defender, Ronald Boyer, also declined to comment.

Verse is the second person to "graduate" from the sexually violent predators program. The first was Brain DeVries, a convicted child molester who was ordered released by a Santa Clara County judge. DeVries also struggled to locate housing before moving into a mobile home outside the prison in Soledad.

Under the 1996 sexually violent predator law, convicts can be confined in Atascadero State Hospital for treatment after they have served their sentences.

Verse, who has been chemically castrated, will continue to be closely monitored after he leaves Atascadero. He will be tracked by a global positioning system, must register with law enforcement, and must continue to undergo therapy.