SAFE TEAM INVESTIGATES 111 SEX OFFENDERS

The SAFE Task Force conducted a major investigative sweep of all registered sex offenders in the 92530 & 92532 zip codes of Lake Elsinore, in Riverside County, yesterday, Aug. 12, 2009.

There were 106 designated targets during the sweep. During the course of the sweep, 5 additional registered sex offenders from adjacent areas were checked for various reasons, bringing the total number of attempted or completed status verifications to 111.

Of these 111, 52 were verified via face-to-face contact with SAFE Task Force personnel, 41 were verified via contact with other occupants at the target residence or by neighbors, 14 will require follow-up attempts to verify status and 4 were determined to be out of compliance (criminal filings to follow).

2 arrests were made during the sweep: Edgar Heier (felony violation of registration requirements) and Joseph Fergueson (felony parole violation and possession of child pornography). (8) Parole and (3) probation searches were also conducted.

The sweep also was successful in the disestablishment of what had long been a "sex offender parolee camp" located in the concrete aqueducts running underneath Hwy. 74 at Betty Rd. in the unincorporated area of Riverside County known as Goodhope. In a coordinated action with property owner Cal-Trans, and spearheaded by the Lake Elsinore Station, those residing on the property were given notices to vacate the previous week. All residents had departed prior to yesterday's action, though substantial quantities of physical debris (to include animal and human wastes littering the property) were left behind. Given their prior experience with these matters, Cal-Trans deemed conditions there to represent a breeding ground for disease (such as the MRSA virus) and, consequently, a threat to public health and safety. Cal-Trans employed a private contractor to remove and safely dispose of this debris. Conditions at Hwy. 74 and Betty Rd. have long been a source of complaint from Goodhope-area residents.

In addition to S.A.F.E. Task Force and Lake Elsinore Station personnel, deputy marshals from the U.S. Marshals Service also participated in the sweep.