Jacumba Hot Springs residents pleaded with a judge on Friday to reconsider his decision to place another convicted sexual predator in their community.
If 60-year-old Michael Poulsom is placed in the East County community, he would be the 13th sexual predator dumped in the town. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1995 for sex crimes involving children and was committed to a state hospital as a sexually violent predator before his release.
At Friday's hearing, one woman shared her personal story of abuse as a child and expressed her concerns about the proximity Poulsom would have to young minors.
Liberty Healthcare Corp., a Pennsylvania-based group that is managing Poulsom's placement into a supervised home, said it reviewed more than 720 locations for the convict.
It also admitted that because there is no law enforcement near Jacumba Hot Springs, it can take up to half an hour for officers to arrive -- a concern that residents have. They do, however, have access to officers who are available 24/7.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob, whose district includes Jacumba Hot Springs, said in a statement that it is “outrageous and shameful” that the state would dump another sexual predator in the community.
