Singleton Ends Parole, Departs in Secret

Mutilation-rapist Lawrence Singleton completed his parole Monday and left the safe haven of the Department of Correction’s round-the-clock watch for an unknown destination.

About 8 a.m., friends picked up the 60-year-old former merchant sailor from a secret residence where he had been housed by parole officials during the closing days of his parole.

“We don’t know where he is and have no way of finding out,” Department of Corrections spokesman Robert Gore said. “We have no idea what he’s thinking or where he is heading.”

Singleton must register as a sex offender if he sets up residence in California. He lived in Contra Costa County before his 1979 conviction in Stanislaus County on charges of raping Mary Vincent, then 15, and hacking off her forearms with an ax.

Even as authorities here said they do not know where he is heading, police agencies from at least three states--Oregon, Florida and Washington--called on California authorities to provide them with photos of Singleton.

Singleton has family members who live in Florida. A religious commune in rural Azalea, Ore., had offered Singleton refuge, prompting an outcry from townsfolk there. It could not be determined why authorities in Washington wanted his photo.

California officials tried to place Singleton in the Tampa area last April 25, when he was released from prison. Officials there refused to accept him, fearing public reaction akin to the vocal protests by residents of several Northern California cities.

Unable to find a city that would accept Singleton, California parole authorities finally placed him on the grounds of San Quentin Prison where he served out all but the final week of his yearlong parole. A week ago, he was quietly removed from the prison grounds and taken to an undisclosed location for the last few days of his parole.

Singleton, sentenced to a maximum of 14 years and four months, was released early for good conduct after serving seven years and nine months at the California Men’s Colony near San Luis Obispo. Vincent survived the attack and testified against Singleton. She lives at an undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest. Singleton continues to maintain his innocence.