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‘Pillowcase Rapist’ hearing set

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A judge will consider in January whether to revoke the conditional release of a serial rapist who had been living in a home near Palmdale for about two years before being taken into custody for allegedly violating the terms of his release, the District Attorney’s Office announced this week.

The hearing will be held Jan. 9-10 in Santa Clara County for Christopher Hubbart, the so-called “Pillowcase Rapist.”

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Hubbart violated several terms of his conditional release, including failing five polygraph tests.

During the January hearing, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Richard Loftus will decide whether to recommit Hubbart to Coalinga State Hospital for at least one year.

Hubbart, 65, was released from Coalinga State Hospital in July 2014 and was assigned by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Brown to live at a home in the 20300 block of East Avenue R, despite outcry from residents and area elected officials.

Hubbart was designated a sexually violent predator in Santa Clara County in 1996. His lawyers argued in 2014 that Hubbart’s continuing detention violated his rights to due process, sparking a battle over where he should live.

Residents of the area where Hubbart was sent to live vehemently opposed the decision, as did county Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area.

The District Attorney’s Office tried unsuccessfully last year to have Hubbart’s release revoked, with District Attorney Jackie Lacey saying “this violent predator continues to pose a serious danger to our community.” A judge, however, rejected the request.

Without explanation, Hubbart was taken into custody Aug. 9.

Hubbart was sent to Atascadero State Hospital in 1972, after the court deemed him a “mentally disordered sex offender.” Seven years later, doctors said he posed no threat and released him.

Over the next two years, he raped another 15 women in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to court documents. Hubbart was again imprisoned, then paroled in 1990.

After accosting a woman in Santa Clara County, he was sent back to prison and then to Coalinga State Hospital.

As a condition of his release, Hubbart was required to wear an ankle monitor and attend regular therapy sessions and make quarterly reports to a judge.

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