Font ResizeA story about convicted sex offender Charles Christman being released to a Bay Point cottage owned by attorneys Anthony Ashe and Araceli Ramirez incorrectly reported that they are Christman's defense attorneys. They are not representing him in the matter of where he can live.
Court papers are expected to be filed Wednesday seeking a stay of a court order that cleared the way for the release of convicted sex offender Charles Christman from a state hospital to a Bay Point residence.
Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Derek Butts said in an email Tuesday that he plans to file a writ seeking a speedy appellate review and request a stay of the release order while the appellate court considers the issues. Filing the writ does not guarantee a stay will be issued.
On Feb. 26, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Garrett Wong ordered Christman's release to a Bay Point cottage on a Willow Pass Road.
The main point of contention at the hearing was the location of the cottage relative to Willow Cove Elementary. The prosecution argued a straight line to the cottage violates the quarter-mile distance that a registered sex offender must stay away from a park or school, while Christman's attorney Pam Herzig argued that the distance from the school is 1,531 feet when measured by how a person travels.
Christman, 69, was an El Cerrito resident when arrested in 1989 on charges
Liberty Healthcare had requested that Bay Point attorneys Anthony Ashe and Araceli Ramirez, who were not involved in arguing for Christman's release at last week's hearing, make available a cottage their Bay Point property if he was to be released in Contra Costa County.
Contact Eve Mitchell at 925-779-7189. Follow her on Twitter.com/EastCounty_Girl.
