Ventura County Sheriff's Office to help state find housing for sexually violent predator

Ventura County Star

A judge on Wednesday authorized the Ventura County Sheriff's Office to help the state find housing for a Ventura sexually violent predator.

Ross Wollschlager, 56, was civilly committed to a state hospital for treatment of mental disorders that contributed to his criminal behavior in the 1980s after serving his sentence for the crimes. He was convicted of raping two women in 1983 and molesting a child in 1989.

In January 2019, however, Wollschlager was found to no longer be a danger and could be released under state supervision while continuing treatment on an outpatient basis.

Liberty Healthcare, the agency contracted to oversee the supervision program, has had difficulty finding him housing. Options in Sacramento and San Bernardino counties have been met with public criticism. An initial search of Ventura County yielded no suitable options, but the court asked the state to look again.

The lengthy process has frustrated Barbara Volpe, the county deputy public defender appointed to represent Wollschlager. She argues his constitutional rights are being violated as he remains in custody.

On Jan. 13, local prosecutors asked the court to get a Ventura County agency involved in the state's search. At a hearing Wednesday in Ventura County Superior Court, Judge Nancy Ayers was notified that the sheriff's office had been selected.

Attorneys and a representative from the sheriff's office were expected to return to court Thursday morning for further discussion on Wollschlager's release. Wollschlager was at Wednesday's hearing and is expected to be at Thursday's proceedings.

Ventura County Sheriff's Office to help state find housing for sexually violent predator

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