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Judge hears public worry on serial-rapist release

By WTOP Staff

PAUL ELIAS
Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — After a sniper’s bullet killed her husband in Afghanistan earlier this year, Misty Vivirito moved herself and four daughters from a San Diego Marine Corps base to a home in Southern California’s Antelope Valley with room enough for horses and other farm animals.

Last month, she discovered that a serial rapist was to be released from a mental hospital and allowed to rent a ramshackle house three miles from her home in rural Los Angeles County near the city of Palmdale.

On Wednesday, Vivirito tearfully urged Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Brown to change his mind and rescind his order directing the release of Christopher Evans Hubbart, 63, to the desert community of Lake Los Angeles.

Hubbart has acknowledged raping and assaulting about 40 women between 1971 and 1982. Authorities place the number of victims closer to 100. When Hubbart’s prison term ended in 1996, he was deemed a sexually violent predator and confined to a state mental hospital.

Doctors at the hospital recently concluded he was fit for release. But to where? California laws bar sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools and other places where children congregate, eliminating nearly all urban areas in the state.

Hubbart’s most recent crimes occurred in Santa Clara County, but the Northern California judge ordered him released to Los Angeles County, where Hubbart was born and raised.

The judge delayed Hubbart’s release to the area after an initial landlord succumbed to public pressure and withdrew his offer to rent to Hubbart. Brown authorized his release last year to another house a few miles away and has been lobbied by residents, local politicians and law enforcement officials to change his mind.

On Wednesday, Brown said little during the daylong hearing. He offered no insight into what his decision would be.

Vivirito and several other Lake Los Angeles residents drove 350 miles through the night Tuesday to attend the court hearing in San Jose on Wednesday to oppose Hubbart’s release to their community.

“My husband died for our safety, but we don’t feel safe,” Vivirito told the judge. “This feels like a slap in our faces.”

Vivirito, her 16-year-old daughter and four other residents who attended the hearing are returning home to an isolated community they say has become a “dumping ground” for sexually violent predators who have served their prison sentences and have been cleared by doctors at a state mental hospital for release.

Assemblyman Steve Fox, a Democrat who represents the region, said 1,000 of the 10,000 sexual predators released to Los Angeles County live in the Antelope Valley area, which has a population of less than 3 percent of the county’s population. Fox introduced a bill to revise the state’s Sexually Violent Predator Act so that potential areas for release must be given notice and an opportunity to be heard in court before selection. It would also then transfer the case to the local county’s court for supervision.

Fox, the Los Angeles County district attorney and the county’s sheriff also each urged the judge to rescind his decision.

William McSweeney, the sheriff department’s chief of detectives, attended the hearing Wednesday as part of the Los Angeles County Safety Task Force, which includes members of the Los Angeles district attorney’s office and the company contracted to help settle Hubbart and set up his monitoring system.

McSweeney said outside court that many Antelope Valley residents have posted angry messages to social media sites about Hubbart. “There is a great concern that citizens will take the law into their own hands,” McSweeney told reporters outside court.

Because Hubbart is no longer on parole, McSweeney said that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will be responsible for monitoring Hubbart. Release terms would require him to wear a GPS ankle bracelet, continue treatment, obey a curfew and be subject to random searches and seizures, drug testing and polygraphs.

“We’re a dumping ground,” Palmdale Mayor James Ledford said. “It’s very frustrating. He didn’t offend here. He offended 40 times we know of elsewhere. So why us? Again. There’s just no accountability in the system.”

Though the house in Lake Los Angeles where Hubbart would live would likely fetch about $500 a month in rent, the state will pay about $2,400 a month, Ledford said.

___

Associated Press Writer Tami Abdollah in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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