By SDCN Staff
Borrego Springs, CA–On August 31, Sheriff’s deputies along with the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force went door to door in Borrego Springs to inform the community about a sexually violent predator who will be living in their neighborhood.
Michael Martinez is registered as a sex offender with the California Department of Justice and the County of San Diego. The classification is based on felony convictions with several counts of child molestations between 1978 and 2004, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release.
Martinez served several years in state prison for his crimes before his civil commitment to a state mental hospital for sex offenders.
In 2022, pursuant to a court order, Martinez was released into the community under the Conditional Release Program. He has a lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender. Martinez is not wanted by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
California Penal Code Section 290, also known as “Megan’s Law,” permits law enforcement agencies to warn the community about sex offenders who frequent the area. The purpose of the notice is to allow the public to protect themselves and their children from sex offenders.
According to authorities, the notification is not intended to induce fear; rather it is their belief that an “informed community is a safer community.” They warned that the use of the information to “threaten, intimidate, or harass the subject or any other person will not be tolerated and may result in prosecution.”
Neither the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, or the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force are responsible for the selection of Martinez’s site. The Department of State Hospitals and the San Diego Superior Court make the final decision on the permanent locations of sex offenders.
Martinez is 5’10” tall and weighs 240 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child.
