Finally, the moment we've been waiting for!
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has agreed with Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer that Cary Jay Smith must register as a sex offender.
Smith was recently released released from a state mental health hospital and ended up in Costa Mesa after moving around multiple cities in Southern California.
He is currently being evaluated and could possibly be readmitted into the mental hospital. "They could recommit him or release him," Spitzer said. "But at least now we'll know where he is."
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued an executive order that state prosecutors serve Smith with paperwork demanding he register as a sex offender.
"They reviewed the paper we submitted and agreed he has to register," Spitzer said.
Smith's lawyers aren't pleased with this choice and believe he isn't being given a fair chance. "In not renewing the commitment, the state hospital determined that Mr. Smith was no longer a danger to others," Smith's attorney, Staycie Sena, said in a statement. "He has received decades of treatment. We must trust the rehabilitative process.
"Mr. Smith is under constant police surveillance, is cooperating fully with various law enforcement agencies and is working with mental health professionals to ensure the safety of the community."
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