Angry Residents Fear Possible Parole of Rapist : Lancaster: State prison gets many concerned phone calls. But official says prisoner’s destination is not yet set.

Reacting to a television news report that suggested the “pillowcase rapist” might be paroled in the Antelope Valley, angry and fearful residents lit up the phone lines Wednesday at the state prison here and at the offices of elected officials.

A spokesman with the state Department of Corrections said Wednesday that no decision has been made about the parole destination of Reginald Donald Muldrew, a suspect in more than 200 sexual assaults and 150 burglaries in the Los Angeles area between 1975 and 1978.

Although the KNBC-TV Channel 4 news report on Tuesday also stated that no final decision had been made, Muldrew’s recent transfer from a Northern California lockup to the state prison in Lancaster was enough to trigger dozens of concerned calls to city officials, Assemblyman William J. (Pete) Knight (R-Palmdale) and County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

“We’ve probably gotten 30-some calls today,” said Knight, who was in his Palmdale office Wednesday. “The process is moving along, and there is no indication at this time that he will be paroled in Lancaster or anywhere in the Antelope Valley.”

Until recently, Muldrew, 46, was confined at Pelican Bay State Prison in Northern California. He was moved to the Lancaster prison about a week ago for his psychiatric review, said Bill Gengler, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections. If he is found to be unfit for parole, he will remain in prison for one year.

“There’s no relationship between (Muldrew’s) movement to Lancaster and his area of release,” Gengler said.

If Muldrew is suitable for parole, he will be released. Under state law, parolees are generally freed in the county in which they were convicted. But when special circumstances exist, such as when victims of the inmates live within 35 miles of each other, the convict can be paroled anywhere in the state, Gengler said.

The broadcast report had displayed a map showing that Lancaster is more than 35 miles away from Covina and still within Los Angeles County, fueling public speculation that their desert town may be the site of his release.

Knight said he spent the day trying to reassure residents that Muldrew was merely brought to the state prison in Lancaster for the psychiatric exam.

Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts said other dangerous offenders will probably be moved to his city’s prison because it is the only state prison in Los Angeles County and has the facilities to conduct psychiatric evaluations.

But Roberts said residents should realize that just because an inmate is examined locally does not mean he would be “turned loose in the community most proximate to the prison.”

Muldrew’s evaluation was completed Wednesday, and the results probably will be available Friday, Gengler said.

In 1978, Muldrew was convicted in Los Angeles County of four counts of rape, two counts of oral copulation with a child, one count of assault with intent to commit rape and several counts of burglary and robbery. He was dubbed the “pillowcase rapist” because he covered his victim’s faces with pillowcases, blouses or scarves.

The Muldrew case ignited intense public furor in Covina, after Covina Police Chief John Lentz announced in mid-November that state officials planned to parole Muldrew in his city. City officials objected to the proposed release, and more than 3,000 Covina residents took part in a protest rally.

Two women from the Covina area came forward to say they were victimized by Muldrew, ruling out that city for Muldrew’s parole because they would live within 35 miles of each other.

The Antelope Valley may be excluded for the same reason, County Supervisor Antonovich said Tuesday.

In a written statement, Antonovich said state corrections officials had informed him “that a victim of Muldrew who lives in Lancaster has been located and is willing to go on record. Under the law, should her claim be verified, Muldrew could not be paroled within a 35-mile radius of her home, essentially eliminating the Antelope Valley as the site for Muldrew’s release.”

A state parole administrator could not confirm the Antonovich statement, but said staff members are attempting to verify the information from those claiming to be Muldrew victims.