A sexually violent predator in San Mateo County is reaching the end of his sentence for crimes committed in the 1970s and 80s and prosecutors are holding a hearing to have him involuntarily committed to keep him away from the public, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe’s office said Friday.
Former mill worker Cameron Hooker, 71, was convicted in 1985 of kidnapping and then keeping captive a woman who was hitchhiking near Red Bluff in 1977, holding her for several years in bondage. The victim was gagged, blindfolded, handcuffed and her head was encased in a box, according to prosecutors. She was kept in a box under his bed and hung from the rafters in a basement, where she was whipped, tortured and repeatedly sexually assaulted for over seven years. Eventually Hooker’s wife helped the woman get away, despite being part of the kidnapping.
Hooker was convicted and given six to 35 years in prison plus another 69 years. He was set to be paroled in 2020, but a prison psychiatrist said he was a sexual sadist and a sexually violent predator, according to prosecutors.
Hooker’s case has been referred to the District Attorney’s Office, which is spearheading what is called a SVP proceeding, which is a hearing to petition to keep Hooker locked up in a state hospital on a civil commitment.
The hearing on trial motions began last week and will continue, and then a jury will be chosen in May, Wagstaffe said.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.