Paroled Rapist Now Residing in Bay Area

Paroled rapist Lawrence Singleton has taken up permanent residence in an unincorporated part of Contra Costa County, officials have confirmed.

The county Sheriff’s Department would not specify a location Saturday, but said Singleton has registered in the county as a sex offender, a requirement for his permanent residence.

Singleton, 59, was paroled from the California Men’s Colony at San Luis Obispo on April 25, but has not been released due to legal prohibitions by various counties and widespread public protests.

The former merchant seaman served eight years of a 14-year sentence for raping Las Vegas teen-ager Mary Vincent, chopping off her forearms and leaving her in a roadside ditch to die.

Contra Costa County Supervisor Nancy Fahden said the Sheriff’s Department told her Friday that Singleton had registered in the county, leading her to assume that Singleton is living in a part of the shoreline district she represents in western Contra Costa County.

Under state law, Singleton had 14 days after beginning permanent residence to register as a sex offender.

Singleton had been reported to be in Richmond from Monday to Wednesday, police spokesman Sgt. Ray Howard said, but his whereabouts had been kept secret until Saturday.

Responding to appeals from several counties, the state Supreme Court ruled last week that Singleton could not be barred from residing in the county of his choice.