Freshwater resident Nicole Riggs in her own words why she is opposed to the Joshua Cooley placement

(provided by Nicole Riggs)

 ( provided by Nicole Riggs)

Statement below from Ms. Nicole Riggs regarding why she opposes the placement of sexually violent predator Joshua Cooley:

"The residents of Howard Heights Road in Freshwater alert the public to a hearing this Thursday, August 23, at 8:30 a.m. at the Humboldt County Courthouse 825 5th St, 2nd floor, courtroom #4 regarding the high-risk placement of convicted child rapist Mr. Joshua Cooley."

"The landlord of 499 Howard Heights Rd, Aleen Arbaugh, has been making a deal to house the Violent Sexual Predator on her property. However, Aleen Arbaugh may not have known all the facts. We seek to inform her, the public, and the authorities, with this letter. The D.A. and multiple medical experts oppose the placement because it poses an unreasonable risk to the community."

"This would be the first case of a Violent Sexual Predator released in Humboldt County."

"A "Violent Sexual Predator" is an individual who has (1) committed a sexual assault, and (2) suffers from mental abnormality making recidivism a high risk. In Cooley’s case, (1) he’s been found guilty of 7 counts of rape against a 12-yr-old among other offenses, and (2) he suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) at age 14. Mr. Cooley's own medical expert testified in 2015 that he should be released to a "residential alcohol treatment program and not allowed to leave until he was ready."

"Placing Mr. Cooley on Howard Heights severely reduces the chances of success for either his rehabilitation or community safety. Here's why:

REASON #1
Law enforcement response time is excessive. Howard Heights floods every rainy season, sometimes up to 12 times a year. Flooded means the field turns into a river 100 feet wide and more than 4 feet deep, with a strong current. If Mr. Cooley is placed there and assaults as he has done repeatedly in the past, and emergency personnel cannot reach Howard Heights for up to 2 days, what are we supposed to do?"

"REASON #2: Howard Heights is an extremely isolated location. It is 2.5 miles to the nearest store. There is no entertainment. Access to treatment for Mr. Cooley is severely impacted."

"The medical expert hired by Joshua Cooley's own lawyers for the Appellate Decision in 2015 was Dr. Alan A. Abrams. Dr. Abrams testified that he was both a psychiatrist and an attorney, that he was a professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, and that he also taught forensic psychology and maintained a private practice. He had been the chief psychiatrist at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, which had shared the facility with the Department of State Hospitals, and he had interacted with the state hospital on a daily basis. "

"On Joshua Cooley's release, he gave the opinion that:

In Dr. Abrams's opinion, Cooley needed treatment to help him understand the severity of his problem with alcohol and accept his need for treatment. He did not think the state
hospitals offered the sort of intensive program Cooley needed, but believed such a program would be available in a conditional release program. He expressed his willingness to work
with the court in finding a suitable program."

"Dr. Abrams believed the community would be adequately protected if Cooley were placed on conditional release in a residential alcohol treatment program and not allowed to leave until he was ready. He would not recommend uncondiUonal release."

(I wanted to print Ms. Riggs' entire statement, unedited. The statement contains informations, materials and opinions expressed by Ms. Riggs. Other than the hearing date which has been verified by court records in my previous coverage, Words Worth/John Chiv assumes no responsibility for the rest of Ms. Riggs statement.)