Aptos beach house owner reverses decision for renting to rapist

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) — A plan to place a sexually violent predator in an Aptos beach house fell apart this week. Convicted rapist Michael Thomas Cheek was slated to be released from a state psychiatric hospital and begin living in a one-bedroom house at 204 Forest Drive.

On August 26, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office publicly announced the state’s plan for Cheek to reside in Aptos near Rio Del Mar Beach. Community outrage erupted on social media as the news circulated quickly between local residents.

Just 48 hours after the 204 Forest Drive address was made public, the homeowner rescinded her agreement to rent to Cheek through Liberty Healthcare of California, prosecutors said.

The Department of State Hospitals contracts with Liberty to supervise, monitor, and select housing locations for all sexually violent predators (SVP) when they are released from state custody for outpatient treatment. A judge must approve a proposed home address before an SVP can be released from custody and move in.

“The District Attorney’s Office had significant public safety concerns with the proposed
placement made by Liberty and are pleased that the property will no longer be considered,” prosecutors wrote.

Liberty filed a letter in court this week, writing, “On August 28, 2024, the homeowner contacted Liberty staff requesting to rescind her agreement to rent to Mr. Cheek; subsequently rendering the property unavailable for placement. The homeowner has returned the holding money paid for the property. Liberty respectfully requests to withdraw the aforementioned property from consideration by the Court.”

The homeowner was identified as Gina Buccieri-Harrington, Lookout Santa Cruz reported . It’s unclear if the homeowner realized who she was renting to when she initially entered an agreement with Liberty, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Byers told Lookout . “Scorn of her neighbors” could have also caused her to pull out from the plan, Byers told Lookout.

Currently, there are no new proposed home placement locations for Cheek, the DA’s Office said. “Cheek continues to receive patient sex offender treatment through the Department of State Hospitals in a locked psychiatric facility,” prosecutors wrote.

Cheek, 72, is originally from Concord. In 1980, he attacked and raped a 21-year-old-woman at gunpoint on Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz. Cheek escaped from custody in 1981 and raped a 15-year-old girl at gunpoint.

Cheek completed a decades-long prison sentence in 2017. When his prison term ended, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney successfully petitioned to have him declared an SVP. Cheek completed a two-year sex offender treatment program at a state prison hospital in 2019. Since then, state officials have struggled to find a suitable place for Cheek to live.

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