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'Sexually Violent Predator' Sought After Tampering with GPS, Disappearing in San Diego

Authorities say Merle Wakefield removed his GPS monitor and vanished while supervised under California's conditional release program, prompting a countywide search.

  • On Friday, law enforcement launched a search for sexually violent predator Merle Wakefield after his GPS device entered "tamper mode" while he was working in Rancho Bernardo.
  • Convicted in 1980 and 1991 of lewd acts with a child under 14 and rape, Wakefield has been under 24-hour supervision by Liberty Health Care since his November 2024 conditional release.
  • The San Diego County Sheriff's Office and Fugitive Task Force are actively searching for the 69-year-old, who has been missing since his monitor was removed on Friday.
  • San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond criticized the state's handling of the release on Sunday, while officials advised the public not to approach Wakefield and to call 911.
  • Previously housed in Jacumba Hot Springs under the Conditional Release Program, Wakefield remains at large as authorities continue utilizing multiple resources to locate him.
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12 Articles

Next News NetworkNext News Network
Far Right

MANHUNT: Sexually Violent Predator Vanishes After GPS Tamper Alert, as Outrage Spreads

A convicted child sex offender on conditional release disappeared after his GPS monitor sent a tamper alert in San Diego County, and the reaction has spread across talk radio and social media.

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New York PostNew York Post
Reposted by
wfmd.comwfmd.com
Lean Right

Police hunt sexually violent predator who vanished after GPS ‘tamper mode’ alert

Police are searching for Merle Wakefield, 69, a convicted sexually violent predator who vanished in San Diego after removing his GPS monitor.

·New York, United States
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Fox NewsFox News
Right

Police hunt sexually violent predator who vanished after GPS 'tamper mode' alert

Convicted sex offender Merle Wakefield removed his GPS monitor at a San Diego worksite and disappeared. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office says it is actively searching for him.

·New York, United States
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Times of San DiegoTimes of San Diego
Center

Officials continue searching for sexually violent predator last seen in Rancho Bernardo

Merle Wakefield was wearing a GPS device Friday while at work in Rancho Bernardo when it alerted authorities that it was in "tamper mode."

·San Diego, United States
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FOX 5 San DiegoFOX 5 San Diego
Center

'Sexually Violent Predator' sought after tampering with GPS, disappearing in San Diego

San Diego County authorities are searching for Merle Wakefield, a 69-year-old sexually violent predator who fled his designated location after tampering with his GPS device.

·San Diego, United States
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NBC San DiegoNBC San Diego
Lean Left

Sheriff's Office looking for sexually violent predator who went missing in San Diego

Law enforcement alerted the public on Friday that a sexually violent predator predator disappeared while working in Rancho Bernardo during the early morning...

·San Diego, United States
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abc10 News broke the news in Poway, United States on Friday, September 25, 2026.
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