Police hunt sexually violent predator who vanished after GPS 'tamper mode' alert
A convicted child sex offender was still missing Sunday, two days after his GPS monitor sounded a tamper alert at a San Diego worksite and supervisors arrived to find him gone, authorities said.Merle Wakefield, 69, was working in Rancho Bernardo when his device alerted to "Tamper Mode" at about 3:30 a.m.Friday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.Liberty Healthcare, the state contractor supervising him, responded to the location and found the device removed and Wakefield gone.
The company notified the sheriff’s office and San Diego police.ACCUSED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERER WHO FLED US DURING 48-HOUR PASS HAD ACCESS TO TAXPAYER-FUNDED APARTMENTThe most recent mugshot of Merle Wakefield, who is wanted after disappearing in San Diego County.(San Diego County Sheriff's Office)The sheriff’s office said Sunday it "shares the community’s concerns over Merle Wakefield’s disappearance" and was still actively looking for him."We have been working diligently to locate him," the agency said.
It asked the public to report any sightings or information that could help find Wakefield.CALIFORNIA DEMS TRIGGER OUTRAGE AFTER SIDING WITH CONVICTED CHILD SEX OFFENDERS IN SHOCKING VOTE"It’s been more than 48 hours since Merle Wakefield took off his GPS monitor and walked away.He’s still out there," San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond wrote Sunday on Facebook.
He called Wakefield "a convicted child molester and violent rapist" and accused the state of saying nothing publicly about his disappearance.Wakefield is wanted for violating the terms of his conditional release, the sheriff’s office said.He was convicted in 1980 and 1991 of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and rape by force, according to the agency.
He has been on conditional release since November 2024.MACHETE-WIELDING MS-13 GANGSTER WANTED FOR MURDER WALKS FREE AFTER BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE RELEASES HIM: DHSA 2024 mugshot of Merle Wakefield, who has been on conditional release sinc...