LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County Superior Court has approved the placement of sexually violent predator Harold Wachter at a residence in Lancaster, despite strong opposition from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, elected officials and community members in the Antelope Valley.
The decision clears the way for Wachter to eventually leave state custody and enter California’s conditional-release program in Los Angeles County.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Wachter has a history of sexual crimes against children and several convictions in Los Angeles County for sexually violent offenses.
The proposed residence is on 200th Street East in Lancaster, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Court previously approved conditional release
The current placement decision follows a court ruling from April 20, 2023, when the Los Angeles County Superior Court found Wachter suitable for conditional release.
That ruling directed the California Department of State Hospitals, working with its contracted provider Liberty Healthcare, to search for an appropriate residence for him within Los Angeles County.
The state’s search eventually identified the Lancaster property as the proposed placement.
A public placement hearing was held Sept. 10, 2026, at the Hollywood Courthouse, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors and members of the community opposed the proposed Lancaster placement before the court approved it.
The District Attorney’s Office said the placement represents the fourth time in four years that a person found suitable for conditional release has been placed in the Antelope Valley.
DA Hochman objects to Antelope Valley placement
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman has strongly criticized the decision, arguing that the repeated placement of sexually violent predators in the Antelope Valley creates what his office considers additional public-safety concerns.
“For too long, the Antelope Valley has served as a targeted location for the placement of sexually violent predators,” Hochman said in a statement released Sept. 11.
Hochman urged the Department of State Hospitals, Liberty Healthcare and the courts to consider other locations when deciding where people approved for conditional release should live.
The DA’s office said its opposition to Wachter’s placement was based on conversations with local communities and elected officials.
The office also said it will continue working with Antelope Valley residents and local leaders as the transition process moves forward.
What conditional release means
Wachter’s placement does not mean he would simply leave state custody without supervision.
California’s Department of State Hospitals says people committed under the state’s sexually violent predator program who receive court approval for conditional release enter the Conditional Release Program for Sexually Violent Predators, or CONREP-SVP.
The program includes treatment, monitoring and supervision in the community.
According to DSH, supervision can include individual contacts with staff, specialized sex-offense treatment, random drug and alcohol testing, surveillance, polygraph examinations and GPS tracking.
The department says a person initially released into the community is subject to 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week surveillance, with the level of surveillance potentially reduced over time depending on the individual’s behavior.
GPS monitoring remains part of the supervision requirements, and DSH says the residence can be subject to unannounced searches. Participants must also continue attending in-person meetings and comply with testing and other examinations.
Liberty Healthcare provides the treatment and supervision for people participating in California’s SVP conditional-release program under a contract with the Department of State Hospitals.
State cannot independently move an SVP into a home
The placement process also involves the court.
The Department of State Hospitals says neither the department nor its contractor has independent authority to place a patient at a proposed property.
Instead, the housing search continues until a court orders placement at a residence for participation in the community treatment and supervision program.
That distinction is important in Wachter’s case because the Lancaster residence was identified by the state, but the final placement required court approval.
The Superior Court has now approved the residence following the September hearing.
Lancaster location draws community concern
The decision has generated concern among residents and local officials because of the history of previous SVP placements in the Antelope Valley.
The District Attorney’s Office specifically cited the repeated placement of people found suitable for conditional release in the region.
Its Sexually Violent Predator Unit maintains information about proposed placements and scheduled hearings in Los Angeles County. The office also provides information about people currently under the supervision of the state’s SVP Conditional Release Program in the county.
The concern from local officials does not change the legal standard governing an individual placement, however. The court’s role is to determine whether the proposed residence and conditions satisfy the requirements for conditional release and community safety.
Exact transfer date has not been announced
Although the court has approved the Lancaster residence, officials have not announced an exact date for Wachter’s physical transfer from Coalinga State Hospital to the community.
The District Attorney’s Office also has not provided details about the specific day-to-day surveillance arrangements that will be used at the Lancaster property beyond the requirements of the statewide conditional-release program.
Those details can matter because DSH says supervision levels are individualized and can change based on a participant’s behavior and compliance.
The department also says the housing search process itself does not end until a court orders placement.
Placement follows years of court proceedings
Wachter’s case demonstrates how California’s SVP system can extend well beyond a person’s initial criminal sentence.
Under the state’s system, individuals who meet the legal criteria for commitment as sexually violent predators can remain in state custody for treatment and evaluation. Conditional release into the community requires court approval and continued treatment and supervision.
The California Department of State Hospitals says the community phase is intended to provide ongoing treatment and intensive supervision while allowing a person who has been approved for release to transition from a state hospital setting.
At the same time, local prosecutors and residents can participate in the placement process and raise objections before the court.
In Wachter’s case, those objections did not prevent the Lancaster placement from being approved.
What happens next
The immediate next step is the transition from state custody to the court-approved Lancaster residence, although no specific transfer date has been publicly announced.
The District Attorney’s Office said it will continue communicating with local leaders and Antelope Valley residents as the process develops.
It remains unclear from the publicly available information whether prosecutors or community advocates will pursue additional legal action to challenge the placement.
For now, the court-approved residence on 200th Street East remains the designated location for Wachter’s conditional release, while the Department of State Hospitals and Liberty Healthcare are responsible for the treatment, monitoring and supervision associated with the community program.
The placement remains subject to the conditions imposed through the court and the state’s SVP conditional-release system.
