MARTINEZ, Calif. -- After months of delays, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge John C. Minney announced Wednesday morning that authorities have proposed a cottage in Bay Point as a new home for convicted sex offender Cary Verse.
The announcement came at a hearing in Martinez to discuss Verse's placement and was overdue in the eyes of Verse, who has lived in three motels and an abbey since his release nearly one year ago.
"A year is a year. That's a lot longer than most convicts stay out of trouble," Verse said Wednesday.
He said the Bay Point home is "very nice" and that he is grateful someone is willing to give him a chance.
"All of my intentions are to continue to be a good neighbor and a good citizen, as I have been everywhere I have lived so far," Verse said.
Verse's proposed new home is one of several cottages on a gated property owned by criminal law attorney Anthony Ashe of Walnut Creek.
Ashe's law firm is on the premises but he said no other tenants currently live there. Eventually, Ashe hopes to have all of the cottages rented, he said.
Ashe is an acquaintance of Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Brian Haynes, who has represented the district attorney's office throughout Verse's placement process.
Ashe said that he offered the housing as an act of public service.
"There was a need because of the changed legislation for someone in Contra Costa County to step forward," Ashe said. "I hope people will be understanding."
A new state law requires that sex offenders on conditional release after undergoing a state mental health program be placed in the community where they lived when they were convicted.
Haynes said that Verse's proposed home is near an elementary school and he is anticipating students' parents will be the most concerned about Verse's possible move.
He said he couldn't blame them.
"No community is going to be happy," Haynes said. "It's hard to explain to parents that Mr. Verse is not a pedophile but that he has other issues."
Verse's string of sexual assaults began in 1988 when, at the age of 17, he fondled a 14-year-old boy at knifepoint. While serving time at a juvenile hall the following year, he escaped with another boy, sexually assaulting him a short time later. Verse spent a year in jail for that offense and, while on parole, received another sentence of three years for the sexual battery of a homeless man in San Pablo. He was chemically castrated before his release from Atascadero State Hospital about one year ago.
Officials have been considering the Bay Point property for a few months. A gag order prevented anyone privy to the address from revealing it to the public.
The gag order was partially lifted on Tuesday and the Contra Costa County sheriff's office and Pittsburg police were notified of the possibility that Verse could be moving to Bay Point, according to Minney.
The gag order was completely revoked Wednesday morning and the public hearing process has officially begun, Minney announced Wednesday.
Verse's move would not become final until the end of a 15-day public comment period. For now, Verse will stay at the San Jose motel where he has been living since March.
Concerned citizens can send written comments on the placement to the Contra Costa County district attorney and sheriff's offices or to the state Department of Health.
Minney said he would also allow public comment at Verse's Feb. 4 hearing, though state law does not require him to do so. The hearing will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez.
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