Law enforcement alerted the public on Friday that a sexually violent predator disappeared while working in Rancho Bernardo during the early morning hours.
The GPS belonging to SVP Merle Wakefield, 69, alerted to “Tamper Mode” while working in Rancho Bernardo at 3:30 a.m., the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said.
Wakefield is supervised by Liberty Health Care (LHC) as part of California’s Conditional Release program. LHC responded to the scene and found that his GPS had been removed and he had disappeared from the area.
Wakefield stands 5’10” tall, weighs 230 pounds and has brown eyes. If you see Wakefield, the Sheriff’s Office advises not approaching nor contacting him. Contact your local law enforcement or call 9-1-1, the Sheriff’s Office said.
He is currently wanted to violating the terms of his conditional release. In both 1980 and 1991, Wakefield was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old and rape by force.
Wakefield is supervised by Liberty Health Care (LHC) as part of California’s Conditional Release program.
Since November 2024, Wakefield has been on conditional release.
Under a court order Merle Wakefield is to be conditionally released from custody. NBC 7’s Dave Summers tells us more about residents efforts to keep him out of their neighborhood.