One Year Ago Today (May 11, 2022)…A repeat sex offender and his possible placement in the city of Menifee will be the subject of a community meeting, with public safety officials seeking input from residents and giving them an opportunity to air their concerns.
Lawrence Phillip Moff, 68, has been under the supervision of psychiatric specialists at Coalinga State Hospital for more than a decade, but hospital officials believe that the state-designated “sexually violent predator” is ready for a return to life outside of incarceration.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Emma Smith has tentatively ruled in favor of the convicted felon being permitted to be released into the public. An assisted living facility at 26171 Fountain Bleu, in the Sun City community, has been selected as his future residence, according to the Menifee Police Department.
Smith is expected to finalize her ruling during a hearing on July 29 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
The community meeting on the issue will be convened at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Webb Hall, 26850 Sun City Blvd.
According to court records, Moff was first convicted of a sexual offense in Los Angeles County in May 1978. The conviction stemmed from a plea bargain that led to his admission of child molestation, though he was originally charged with three felony counts, including sodomy.
The case involved two boys, 7 and 8 years old, with whom the felon had multiple interactions because they all attended the same church, according to Menifee police.
After serving time for those offenses, Moff relocated to Riverside County, and in January 1997, he molested a 9-year-old boy, again stemming from his attending a church. The defendant was sentenced to 11 years in state prison following a conviction for lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 10 years old.
After his prison sentence was completed, Moff was transferred to the mental hospital under provisions in state law that permit individuals designated sexually violent predators to undergo psychiatric treatment for indeterminate periods.
Menifee police encouraged those unable to attend the meeting to email their thoughts and concerns to info@menifeepolice.org.