Newberry Springs community effort successfully halts placement of sexually violent predator
The community of Newberry Springs is celebrating this evening as an Orange County court returns a verdict that sexually violent predator Lawtis Rhoden will not be placed in Newberry Springs. California’s 8th District has faced a long battle against the placement of the sexually violent predator in the area, with U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R- Hesperia), San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus, and San Bernardino District Attorney Jason Anderson leading a community-wide charge to stave off proposed placements in both Newberry Springs and Twentynine Palms this year.
“California’s 8th District is not a dumping ground for other county’s sexually violent predators,” said Rep. Obernolte. “San Bernardino County has made their voices heard loud and clear on this issue, and our ability to come together and speak with one voice against this placement has helped to keep our community safe. I want to thank District Attorney Jason Anderson and Sheriff Shannon Dicus as well as their teams for fighting alongside me to oppose the placement of this predator in our district, and I applaud everyone who attended community meetings, submitted opinions to the Sheriff’s department, and came to court several times in Orange County to testify. We could not have been successful without the whole community’s involvement.”
Rep. Obernolte joined several local officials and community members to testify in a court hearing in September against the tentative relocation order of sexually violent predator Lawtis Rhoden to Newberry Springs. This followed a similar court hearing he testified at in May to oppose a tentative placement in Twentynine Palms.
Rhoden has no ties to San Bernardino County and had previously been convicted of crimes in Orange County and Los Angeles County, among others. He has served multiple prison sentences for convictions of child rape and has a long history of targeting children.
Newberry Springs’ rural location and unincorporated status meant the San Bernardino County Sheriff would have been required to devote substantial resources to policing this one individual while the department is already working hard to combat the rise in dangerous large-scale illegal marijuana cultivation in the area.