Orange County’s top prosecutor is raising the alarm that 12 people, who have been in custody after being charged with serious crimes, will be released back into the community because of the lack of hospital beds as early as Friday.

As all 12 criminal defendants, including a man who’s accused of murdering a stranger, suffer from mental health issues, at least some of them appear to have been treated at state mental health hospitals. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the defendants must be in a locked-down, state licensed facility because of their mental and criminal history while their criminal proceedings continue.

But because the county government cannot find treatment beds in proper facilities, the defendants will be released from custody, starting with two people on Friday, Spitzer said.

“The County of Orange – due to an apparent lack of planning and despite months of warnings has up to this point failed to find treatment beds which meet the required guidelines for placement in advance of a looming deadline,” Spitzer said in a statement.

One of the men who were scheduled to be released back into their communities is Manvir Sandher, who was charged with murder after allegedly beat a 65-year-old neighbor to death in their Fountain Valley cul-de-sac in 2023, according to Spitzer.

The district attorney said Sandher was ordered to receive treatment at a state hospital in 2023 after a judge found him incompetent to stand trial. 

“He is statutorily required to be released back into the community on Friday, November 7, 2025 unless the County can find him a suitable placement,” the district attorney said.

Another person, set to be on unsupervised release, starting on Friday, is Derrick Riehl. He was committed to a state hospital in 2023 after he allegedly tried to climb over a home’s fence in Newport Beach.

Authorities alleged Riehl was targeting a woman, whom he was ordered to stay away from, as he was caught with two flashlights, massage oil and a sex product.

“Time is not on our side, and with every second that ticks by is another second closer to our public safety being jeopardized,” Spitzer added.

NBC Los Angeles reached out to the Orange County Health Agency for comments.