John Reese Hendrickson - Repeat Sex Offender - "sexually violent predator"

Hendrickson has 11 previous felony convictions, including a conviction in a 1986 molestation case involving two boys, ages 4 and 7, and a 1994 case in Humboldt County involving a 12-year-old boy, Klein said.

Hendrickson has also served jail time in three other counties for similar charges.

A three-time sex offender was slated to be released after serving a 15-year sentence, but a jury on Wednesday determined that he is a “sexually violent predator,” a classification that will instead land him in a state hospital.

John Reese Hendrickson, 71, has been in jail since 1994 for molesting two boys under the age of 14 in Humboldt County.

Responding to a petition from the District Attorney's Office, the jury deliberated and came back within a day to confirm that Hendrickson is a sexually violent predator and should not be released to the public.

The big question argued by both sides in their closing statements Wednesday is whether Hendrickson is a pedophile and if he would reoffend, said Deputy District Attorney Arnie Klein.

The main question, Klein said, boils down to this: “Is he safe enough to walk among us?”

The Welfare and Institutions Code states that a sexually violent predator is someone who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense against one or more victims, has been diagnosed with a mental disorder and who is a danger to others -- because they are likely to engage in sexually violent behavior.

Molesting children under the age of 14 is considered a sexually violent crime by California state law, Klein argued in court. Two doctors who testified during the proceedings said they diagnosed Hendrickson with a pedophile disorder and that he was likely to reoffend.

Defense attorney Hugh Gallagher did not return calls by deadline.

The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office often waits until the end of a sentence draws near to file a petition to consider the convicted person a sexually violent predator, Klein said.

”This is not about crime and punishment,” he said. “This is a civil case.”

Hendrickson has 11 previous felony convictions, including a conviction in a 1986 molestation case involving two boys, ages 4 and 7, and a 1994 case in Humboldt County involving a 12-year-old boy, Klein said.

Hendrickson has also served jail time in three other counties for similar charges.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"
.........Sarah Tofte