100+ show to speak against Richard Stobaugh placement in Manila

A public community placement hearing on the potential release of convicted sexually violent predator Richard Stobaugh was held at the Humboldt County Superior Court on Wednesday.

The court date ultimately resulted in two future hearings: A motion to continue proceedings was granted and scheduled for July 14, wherein more public comment can be heard by the judge.

A separate court date has also been set for May 21 to entertain evidence, presented by Senior Deputy District Attorney Whitney Timms, that Stobaugh had been in possession of child pornography while at Coalinga State Hospital in 2018, which the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office told the Times-Standard might allow the judge to vacate a previous ruling that made Stobaugh’s release an eventuality.

More than 100 community members from Manila and throughout the Humboldt Bay attended the hearing, crowding into the hallways outside courtroom No. 1 waiting to be heard.

“The community came out with a very strong voice that we are concerned about public safety — and that frankly should be the No. 1 concern of the court in making a determination if and where to release Mr. Stobaugh,” Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads told the Times-Standard. “My hope is that it was heard loud and clear.”

The proceedings adjourned around 11:30 a.m., with many community members unable to have their say. Stobaugh has been slated to be released into the community of Manila via the California Department of State Hospitals’ (DSH) Conditional Release Program (CONREP) as per a 2023 judge’s ruling. He currently resides at the Coalinga State Hospital in Fresno County.

After the selection of a prospective location in Manila by the DSH and their subcontractor Liberty Healthcare last month, 30-days notice was given to local law enforcement and the public for a period of comment that culminated in Wednesday’s hearing.

Preliminary meeting

At an 8:30 a.m. preliminary meeting of the court in which Stobaugh’s attorneys had planned to file a motion to continue, Judge Kaleb V. Cockrum told the court and Timms that he was currently in the process of combing through hundreds of pages of public comments submitted to the court by the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office the previous day.