On Friday, August 17, a high risk sex offender escaped from a Redwood City mental health facility. According to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Derrick Sanders, 34, was arrested in San Francisco the next morning. Officials believe he may have escaped from the Cordilleras Mental Health Rehabilitation Center through an elevator shaft.
Sanders was found after it was reported he had been seen panhandling in the San Francisco area. Lieutenant Larry Shumaker of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s department said that Sanders has a sex offense against a minor and a misdemeanor case in San Mateo County, and was at the mental health facility for treatment. Sanders was reportedly panhandling in the vicinity of Fisherman’s Wharf and was spotted by a local resident, who recognized him from photos seen on local news reports.
Police responded to the call and after confirming that the suspect was Sanders, placed him in custody in the San Francisco County Jail; he was transferred to the San Mateo County Jail Saturday evening.
According to news reports and accounts by the Sheriff’s Office, Sanders is a transient who is a parolee and mentally ill, with a history of violence and sex offenses involving minors, which according to Shumaker makes him a high risk in the community. Sanders lived mostly in Alameda and San Mateo counties, and was being held on a single misdemeanor charge related to an alleged sex offense involving a minor. Sanders was apprehended near the Powell and Beach streets intersection.
San Mateo criminal defense lawyers know that those who are arrested for an offense which is sex-related face serious consequences if convicted. Not only may you face time behind bars and fines, you will be required to register as a sex offender which will affect many areas of your life forever. Depending upon the seriousness of the crime, you may face considerable prison time. Until you are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, you are innocent. Protect your future and freedom by contacting a skilled San Mateo sex offense attorney right away. Your lawyer will work diligently to challenge the evidence against you, and build s solid, effective defense on your behalf.
