Tag: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office

HOLLYWOOD—On Wednesday, September 4, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office disclosed that Christopher Hubbart will be released from the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) and a hearing to determine his placement will be held in October.

In March 2023, the Santa Clara County Superior Court against objections from the LADA’s Office granted the conditional release resulting in Hubbart coming back to Los Angeles. The Santa Clara Superior Court determined that Los Angeles County is to be Hubbart’s domicile, setting the stage for his potential release to the Los Angeles County area.

The decision transfers the responsibility of housing Hubbart to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which will make the final decision as to where he is placed. Once Santa Clara County Superior Court granted conditional release, DSH and Liberty Healthcare, a health and human services management company, started the search for appropriate housing.

“Continuing to release sexually violent predators into underserved communities like the Antelope Valley is both irresponsible and unjust,” said District Attorney Gascón. “Repeatedly placing these individuals in the same community shows a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of our residents. Our deputy district attorneys will persist in opposing Mr. Hubbart’s placement in the Antelope Valley. We must demand more from our judicial system, ensuring decisions serve the best interests of our communities while exploring alternative locations for these placements.”

In 1973, 1982 and 1990, Hubbart, known as the “Pillowcase Rapist,” was convicted in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties for a series of rapes and other sex crimes in the region.
Before his release, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office sought his civil commitment as a “Sexually Violent Predator” under the Sexually Violent Predator Act, resulting in his commitment to the Department of State Hospitals in 2000.

He would use pillowcases to muffle the screams of his victims. He admitted to more than 40 rapes during 1971 and 1982, several of those rapes transpired in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2014, Hubbart was released from Coalinga State Hospital to a home in the Antelope Valley. He has been required to wear a GPS ankle monitor since his release and adhere to random searches and a strict curfew.

The LADA’s Office notes on its website when an inmate who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense (qualifying conviction) is within six months of being paroled from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), they will be referred to the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) for a mental health evaluation by at least two experts who will opine whether the inmate meets the sexually violent predator (SVP) criteria.

In addition to the qualifying conviction, the SVP criterion requires a diagnosable mental disorder and the likelihood that the person will engage in acts of sexual violence without appropriate in-custody treatment for their mental disorder.

If DSH determines that an individual meets the SVP criteria, they will be referred to the Sexually Violent Predator Unit of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, who will determine whether to file a petition seeking civil commitment to a secure mental institution under the Welfare & Institutions Code. The SVP Unit is a unit of the Sex Crimes Division comprised of highly experienced and specially trained prosecutors who handle all aspects of the SVP commitments in court.

Once a court or jury finds a person to be an SVP beyond a reasonable doubt, the SVP is committed to DSH, where they can receive sex offender treatment. The SVP will remain committed to DSH until a court determines that they are either ready for community-based treatment (conditional release) under the supervision of DSH’s Conditional Release Program (CONREP) or no longer present a danger to the community (unconditional discharge).

A hearing to determine Hubbart’s placement location is scheduled on October 1 at 1:30 p.m. in Dept. 113 at the Hollywood Courthouse.

By Trevor

WESTWOOD/SANTA MONICA—On January 9, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with Culver City Police Chief Jason Sims and Long Beach Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Don Mauk, announced felony charges in two separate cases.

In the first case, out of Culver City, Marcos Maldonado was charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl at her Culver City home. In the second case, out of Long Beach, Martin Lopez was arrested for impersonating a police officer and accused of sexually assaulting and attempting to kidnap a woman.

“From the day this disturbing and tragic crime occurred, Culver City Police Department Investigators have worked tirelessly to solve this case,” said Culver City Police Chief Jason Sims. “I want to thank all our partners who worked alongside our detectives to ensure this suspect was identified and located as quickly as possible. Thank you to the LA Impact Task Force, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Crime Lab, the UCLA Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for your partnership. I also want to thank the Culver City community, particularly the Blair Hills neighborhood for the continued support of the dedicated men and women of the Culver City Police Department who have worked diligently to seek justice for the victim in this case. We will continue to work in close collaboration with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office through the successful prosecution of this suspect.”

“Our personnel work tirelessly to keep Long Beach safe and to hold suspects responsible for crime committed in our city,” said Long Beach Chief of Police Wally Hebeish. “This arrest is a testament to our commitment to bringing justice to victims and getting dangerous suspects out of our community. We urge anyone who may have also been a victim of this suspect to please come forward and we stand ready to assist the District Attorney in the prosecution of this case.”

Martin Lopez, 54, was arrested, not charged, for impersonating a police officer. It is further alleged that Lopez has previously been convicted of two or more serious and/or violent felonies. He is scheduled to be arraigned on January 24 in Dept. S01 at the Long Beach Courthouse.

On or about December 27, 2023, the victim was leaving a restaurant in Long Beach when she was allegedly approached by Lopez at her vehicle outside of the restaurant. He falsely identified himself as a police officer, showing the victim a badge. Lopez allegedly proceeded to sexually assault the woman under the guise of a “search.” He attempted to unsuccessfully command the victim get into his vehicle. At that time, Lopez was confronted by one of the multiple individuals who witnessed the incident.

He fled the scene and was arrested on January 4, 2024. Hi bail was set at $2,410,000. Lopez could face up to 77 years to life in prison. The case was investigated by the Long Beach Police Department.

Marcos Maldonado, 35, is charged in case 24ARCF00040 with two counts of forcible rape of a child under 14 years; one count of sodomy by use of force – victim under age 14; and two counts of sexual penetration by use of force of victim under 14.

It is further alleged that the offenses were committed, the victim was a child under 14 years of age. It also is alleged that the defendant committed the offenses during the commission of a burglary and engaged in the tying or binding of the victim.

Maldonado pleaded not guilty to all charges at an arraignment on January 8. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 15 in Dept. 31 at the Airport Courthouse.

On December 2, 2023, Maldonado allegedly broke into the 12-year-old victim’s home through an upstairs balcony during the early morning hours where he proceeded to sexually assault her over the course of three hours. He was identified by the victim in a six-pack photo line-up. His bail was set at $1,800,000 at his arraignment.

If convicted as charged, Maldonado will face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case was investigated by the Culver City Police Department.
It is believed that there may be more victims of both Lopez and Maldonado and they are asked to come forward. If anyone has details regarding Lopez they should call 562-570-7368. If anyone has details about Maldonado they should contact 310-253-6302 or email tips@culvercity.org.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On Sunday, August 27, the Beverly Hills Police Department announced that three suspects were arrested and detained in the grand theft investigation that occurred in the 400 block of Rodeo Drive. The names of all of those in custody for the aforementioned crimes have not been released at this time.

Canyon News reached out to the police to find out more about the arrest but did not hear back in time for print.

On August 24, the Los Angeles Police Department notified the public of additional thefts in the area. According to the LAPD website, ORCTF made 11 arrests in four of the nine theft cases currently being invested by the newly Organized Retail Crime Taskforce (ORTC) which includes LAPD, Glendale Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, California Highway Patrol, along with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The following locations suffered at the hands of the suspects taken into custody by the ORTC.

The Versace Store (Beverly Center), located at 8500 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, the Warehouse Shoe Store at 6251 York Boulevard in Highland Park, the Nordstrom store in the Topanga Mall located at 6600 Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park, and the Yves Saint Laurent (The American Brand) located at 889 American Way in Glendale.

The ORTC encourages the public to get involved and report any information known on other retail thefts that you may know about in the area by calling the ORCTF, Detective Arnold at (818)374-9420.

During non-business hours or on the weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).

By Sharon