Sacramento fought housing predatory rapist — that's when Joshua Tree was considered

Complaints about a convicted rapist's possible relocation to Joshua Tree echo a similar sentiment heard just two months ago and 490 miles away in Sacramento County.

Weeks before Joshua Tree residents even heard of Ross Leo Wollschlager, Sacramento County authorities argued against his proposed move from Ventura County to a home on Excelsior Road in a rural area east of the state Capitol and 3 miles from the nearest housing development.

They cited the 56-year-old repeat rapist's and sex offender's potential threat and his lack of ties to a community where neighbors know each other by their first names and leave doors and windows unlocked, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones wrote in a letter to a Ventura County judge.

"This situation presents opportunities for the exact method Mr. Wollschlager used during his previous sexual assaults," he wrote.

Wollschlager was convicted of crimes in the 1980s and a Ventura County Superior Court judge found in January he was eligible for conditional release and posed no danger while supervised, the Ventura County District Attorney's office reported in a news release. His first conviction came in 1983, when he was 19 years old. 

It added an "exhaustive search" for housing in Ventura County took place before a judge found in March "extraordinary circumstances existed" to look outside the area.

A court spokeswoman would not comment on the ruling.

Joshua Tree says no:Joshua Tree residents oppose convicted rapist's move to town

In 2007:After release, Ross Wollschlager couldn't find a home in Ventura County

Officials zeroed in on a home in Sacramento County before Joshua Tree had become an option and a hearing on the matter was set for September, but "the court never ruled on the placement due to it being withdrawn," said Shelly Orio, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento County District Attorney's office, told The Desert Sun.

Public pressure forced a homeowner to opt out of housing Wollschlager. At least, Orio said, that was according to the organization tasked with finding Wollschlager's home, Liberty Healthcare.

Liberty is contracted by the Department of State Hospitals to place such sex offenders in homes upon their conditional release. Questions to Liberty were referred to the Department of State Hospitals and a spokesman said he couldn't comment on Wollschlager's case. According to the Ventura County DA's office, he is currently "housed within a locked mental health facility." He is listed as incarcerated on a state website that tracks sex offenders. 

According to officials, Wollschlager was charged with four counts of rape and convicted in 1983 after pleading guilty to two of them.

He was paroled in 1987 and later sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl while she slept in her bed. A relative slept nearby and tried to prevent the assault before their screams awoke family members, who forced Wollschlager to flee.

Authorities said he was arrested and convicted of committing lewd acts on a child before returning to state prison and later being officially declared a sexually violent predator.

The Ventura County Star reported in 2007 that Wollschlager was released into the community after 11 years in civil commitment at the Atascadero State Hospital, but efforts to find him a home proved difficult. The Los Angeles Times reported he once lived in a tent near the Ventura River while a security guard monitored him; and the Thousand Oaks Acorn reported Wollschlager checked himself into a mental hospital in 2010. 

A Nov. 7 hearing in Ventura County will determine if Wollschlager will be placed in Joshua Tree — a proposal met by opposition from San Bernardino County law enforcement officials.

In a statement, Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten said, "While we continue to hope that an appropriate placement facility can be secured for Mr. Wollschlager, I understand and respect the concerns held by San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson and Sheriff John McMahon."

On Monday night, several hundred Joshua Tree residents packed a meeting at the Sportman's Club in Joshua Tree to oppose his release into their community. San Bernardino County officials, including Sheriff John McMahon, Supervisor Dawn Rowe and Deputy District Attorney Maureen O'Connell, tried to enlist the support of residents to block Wollschlager's release in the high desert.

Other cases: Former Wildomar pastor charged with sexual assault

Other cases: Hemet man convicted of raping 13-year-old girl

Desert Sun reporter Colin Atagi covers crime, public safety and road and highway safety. He can be reached at Colin.Atagi@desertsun.com or follow him at @tdscolinatagi