Antelope Valley Residents Protest Rapist’s Presence

The presence of a convicted rapist who moved to Lancaster to be near family members has sparked a storm of protest from other residents.

Andre Bradford, 41, was released from prison in September after serving 21 years for the rapes of six women in the San Joaquin Valley. Bradford served his full sentence and is not on parole. For the rest of his life, however, he must register annually with local law enforcement agencies as a sex offender, officials said.

Before his release, Bradford sought to have his status downgraded from violent sexual predator to serious sex offender, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kraig Petersen said. In September, a jury in the San Joaquin Valley found in his favor and he was released under the “serious” classification, Petersen said.

The situation concerns many in the Antelope Valley, among them Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, who this week joined more than 25 protesters in front of Bradford’s home demanding that Bradford get out of town.

“We want him to go back to the San Joaquin Valley,” Ledford said. “They should keep their own.”

Ledford said that because a state prison is in the Antelope Valley, Palmdale and Lancaster residents are “very focused” on parolees.

“We keep close tabs on them and we make sure they know it,” he said. “Statistics show there is a strong chance they will recommit their crimes. [Bradford] may have changed. He may be a great guy. But statistics don’t support this. We don’t want to be perceived as an area where these people can come and live anonymously until we become their victims again.”

Protests regarding Bradford will continue, Ledford said.

An effort to reach Bradford for comment was unsuccessful.