# California sheriff fights plan to house convicted sex predator near Girl Scout camp

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/california-sheriff-fights-plan-to-house-convicted-sex-predator-near-girl-scout-camp/
- Published: 2026-10-23T11:00:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-23T12:42:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-sheriff-fights-plan-house-convicted-sex-predator-near-girl-scout-camp
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Sheriff Chris Clark opposes Cheek’s proposed move to Santa Cruz County.
- The rental home is near a Girl Scout camp and schools.
- A judge is due to hear arguments on 30 October.

## Summary

California officials are considering moving convicted rapist Michael Thomas Cheek, 74, from a locked psychiatric facility to a rental home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Sheriff Chris Clark opposes the plan, citing the home’s proximity to a Girl Scout camp and schools, difficult access for deputies and concerns about monitoring Cheek in an area with unreliable power and mobile coverage.

Cheek was convicted in 1980 of raping a young woman at gunpoint, then escaped from jail and raped a 15-year-old girl at gunpoint. Classified as a sexually violent predator, he completed a treatment programme in 2019 after two earlier housing proposals in Santa Cruz County failed. A Superior Court judge is due to hear arguments on the proposed placement on 30 October; the home is valued at more than $800,000.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.