Convicted rapist's plight stirs debate over sex offender laws

VENTURA, Calif. -- Since his release from a state mental hospital, convicted rapist Ross Wollschlager has bounced from one Ventura County hotel to another.

After being evicted seven times whenever a landlord learned of his identity, Wollschlager started living out of a tent in the Ventura River bottom. Liberty Healthcare Corp., a San Diego company hired by the state to help Wollschlager, gave him the tent and arranged for a taxpayer-funded security guard to stay in a nearby vehicle.

Wollschlager's homelessness has reignited the debate over whether stringent new laws governing sex offenders are actually making it harder to keep tabs on them. Jessica's Law, which was passed last fall, prevents Wollschlager from living within 2,000 feet of a school, park or beach.

"It's harder to protect the public when he is homeless," said county prosecutor Margaret Coyle, who did not think Wollschlager should be released. "Were he in a condo or an apartment, we could supervise him more effectively."

But Will Smith, chief of staff for state Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, who sponsored Jessica's Law, believes the law is working. Wollschlager wears two monitoring devices on his ankle and each day shuttles between his campsite and his friend's home in Oxnard.

"We've never made any argument that it wouldn't be harder to find housing, but we've always argued that it would be safer," Smith said. "We think the safety of residents in California outweighs any inconvenience on [Wollschlager[']s] part."

The state Department of Corrections on Friday announced that it has notified 2,741 sex offenders, who were paroled after Nov. 8, that they were in violation of housing restrictions. The parolees have fewer than 45 days to comply.

At age 19, Wollschlager was convicted of two rapes in the 1980s, and later, of molesting a 10-year-old girl as she slept. He said he understands society's reaction toward sex offenders.

"I hated myself for a lot of years for what I did. But I've made a lot of changes in my life," he said. "I know a lot of people don't care about that. I hope my actions will speak louder than words."

Wollschlager said his action were prompted by alcohol and drug abuse. He was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and was sent back to prison for 13 years.

When he was up for release in 1996, Wollschlager instead participated in a program for habitual sex offenders at Atascadero State Hospital. He was barred from leaving the hospital for 11 more years while he underwent treatment.

Last year, Ventura County Judge Rebecca Riley ordered him released after hearing testimony on his progress from state experts. Wollschlager was released even though Liberty Healthcare could not find placement for him for 17 months.

"Government should provide some kind of facility for these men to transition into," said Todd Howeth, Wollschlager's county-provided lawyer. "Wollschlager has paid his price to society, and if you have this system, they should have housing to go to."