Neighbors protest placement of sexual predator in community
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WILTON, California (KOVR) — A small community is raising a big red flag when it comes to a violent sexual predator moving into its town.
Neighbors in Wilton are protesting the placement of a violent sexual predator.
“I don’t want my grandchildren to be exposed to that,” said Carol Schmidt.
Schmidt one of dozens who showed up with signs Monday morning to try and prevent Dariel Shazier from renting a home on La Clair Road.
“We don’t understand it. Why here?” she asked.
“It’s a dead-end private road,” said Cindy Griswold.
Griswold says neighbors knew nothing about it until they found a flyer from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in their mailbox on Dec. 22. They had a week to respond but could not go in person due to COVID restrictions.
“We’ve all sent letters and we’ve heard nothing back from the court as to whether they’ve received our letters or what they are going to be doing,” she said.
Shazier served time in prison and a state mental hospital before moving to Del Paso Heights last year where neighbors raised similar concerns.
Police say he is not on parole but monitored by an outpatient provider. Griswold worries for the 12 children who live on that road.
“It’s too much visual stimulation for a person who has this kind of mental health problem and has reoffended many, many times,” Griswold said.
Others are worried about the small closely-knit community of Wilton, which they feel isn’t a good fit.
“There’s no resources out here. It’s very remote. The kids who live out here often have chores and are unsupervised in the afternoons. It’s just a risky situation,” said Fritz Krauss.
“It takes a long time for law enforcement to get out here when we need them, so were something to happen, it could be a while before we get any help,” said Griswold.
A hearing to discuss the issue is planned for Tuesday morning.
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