SAN DIEGO—A man dubbed the “bolder-than-most” rapist for committing a series of rapes in the 1980s will be conditionally released to a temporary home in San Diego County, a judge has ruled.
Alvin Ray Quarles, who pleaded guilty to four forcible rape counts in 1989, served 25 years in state prison, then spent around a decade afterwards undergoing sex offender treatment at Coalinga State Hospital.
Quarles’ release is part of the conditional release program for sexually violent predators, or SVPs—individuals convicted of sexually violent crimes and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them likely to reoffend.
After serving their prison sentences, SVPs undergo treatment at state hospitals, but may petition courts to continue their treatment in outpatient locations, where they are monitored and must abide by stringent conditions.
Quarles, 62, was ordered conditionally released nearly a year ago by San Diego County Superior Court Judge David M. Gill, but the subsequent search for a housing location for Quarles was unsuccessful, leading a different judge to order a “transient release.”
San Diego Superior Court Judge Marian Gaston ordered Thursday that Quarles be released no later than Jan. 21 to a “non-fixed residence” recommended by Liberty Healthcare, which operates the state’s conditional release program for sexually violent predators. Quarles’ release conditions include 24/7 GPS monitoring, as well as security guards or law enforcement on site on a round-the-clock basis.
The location of the temporary residence was not disclosed during Thursday’s hearing, but Liberty Healthcare was ordered to continue searching for a fixed housing location.
Locating such housing for sexually violent predators has proven difficult due to the many regulations over where they can be housed and the common public backlash over their releases. A state audit released earlier this year said it takes an average of 19 months to find a suitable SVP housing location in San Diego County.
Another SVP, Merle Wakefield, was ordered released on transient status last month after a four-year housing search that resulted in three proposed housing recommendations that were either rejected by a judge or rescinded by state hospital officials. Wakefield was ultimately released in late November to a home in Jacumba Hot Springs on a temporary basis.
In both Quarles’ and Wakefield’s cases, judges ordered that however their housing situations play out, they will not be returned to the state hospital unless they violate the conditions of their release.
Among those who attended court in opposition to Quarles’ release was Stephen Taylor, the husband of one of Quarles’ victims, Mary Taylor.
“Despite him being older now, I think the potential is still there that he can perpetrate [more crimes],” Taylor said after Thursday’s hearing. “I’m really concerned about members of the community who could be at risk.”
Terri Larson, a friend of Taylor’s and member of the citizens group Your Voice Has Power, called Quarles “a monster,” and said the public should be privy to what led state hospital officials to recommend his release.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond also submitted a letter to the court asking for Quarles to remain confined to Coalinga State Hospital.
“Releasing Mr. Quarles into our community—even under supervision—places residents in danger and disregards the trauma still endured by his victims,” Desmond wrote.
