Alta placement of sexually violent predator denied by Placer County judge

A Placer County judge on Friday denied the proposed placement of a sexually violent predator in the Alta community, ruling the site was too close to a private school and posed legal and safety concerns.

Following an evidentiary hearing, Judge Garen Horst rejected the state’s recommendation to house William Stephenson at a residence in the 33900 block of Alta Oaks Drive.

The hearing in Auburn centered on the proximity of Little Bear Creative Academy, a private K-12 school that operates within a quarter mile of the proposed home, according to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.

The court found the school met the legal definition required under state law and that Stephenson could not be placed within one-quarter mile of a school due to his criminal history.

In its ruling, the court cited Stephenson’s past offenses, including incidents of indecent exposure to minors, and determined the Alta location was “not a safe or appropriate placement,” according to a statement from the District Attorney’s Office.

Stephenson was convicted in 1991 of sexual battery, oral copulation by force or fear, assault and sexual penetration of a victim with a foreign object by force, according to California’s Megan’s Law database.

Stephenson was last released in 2014 and arrested again 2017 in Roseville for possession of child pornography, according to previous Bee reporting.

“For more than four years, our office has opposed Mr. Stephenson’s release,” District Attorney Morgan Gire said in a prior statement. “We continue to maintain that he poses a risk to public safety.”

The next status hearing is scheduled for March 16 when the court is expected to confirm whether any appeals have been filed and to receive an updated housing search report from the California Department of State Hospitals.