Mental Health Unit
Our Mental Health Unit is comprised of five attorneys and one paralegal handling mental health treatment courts (Mental Health Court, Mental Health Diversion, and Veteran’s Treatment Court), cases involving individuals that are incompetent to stand trial, gun forfeitures, and civil commitments. To more humanely address the too-common crossover between mental health conditions and criminal behavior, the District Attorney’s Office created a Mental Health Unit in 2021. With two mental health unit attorney positions having been approved last year by the Board of Supervisors, the unit is currently comprised of four attorneys and one paralegal, who handle Mental Health Court, Mental Health Diversion, Veteran’s Treatment Court, and civil mental health commitments. These specialty courts focus on treatment of the underlying mental illness and successful completion of an approved treatment plan that can result in dismissal of their pending charges. In addition, cases involving defendants who are severely mentally ill and dangerous,…
October 10, 2022
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Ricco Rico, (DOB: 08/29/76), of Temecula, was sentenced to 72 years to life in prison for molesting two victims and raping a third.
Child Abduction Recovery Unit Complaint Form – English
CARU Questionnaire ENGLISH 10.2022 (fillable) CHILD ABDUCTION AND RECOVERY UNIT COMPLAINT FORM CARU Questionnaire ENGLISH 2.2021 (fillable)
Child Abduction Recovery Unit Complaint Form – Spanish
CARU Questionnaire SPANISH 10.2022 (fillable) UNIDAD DE SECUESTRO INFANTIL Y RECUPERACION FORMULARIO DE DEMANDA CARU Questionnaire SPANISH 2.2021 (fillable)
Mental Health Resource Flyer with QR – ENGLISH
ENGLISH One page Mental Health resource flyer with QR
Mental Health Resource Flyer with QR – SPANISH
SPANISH One page Mental Health resource flyer with QR
Mental Health Resource Guide – ENGLISH
ENGLISH OTV Mental Health Resource Guide CONDENSED
Mental Health Resource Guide – SPANISH
SPANISH OTV Mental Health Resource Guide CONDENSED
Sexually Violent Predators
Sexually violent predators are people who have been convicted of a sexually violent crime against one or more victims and who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder making it likely they will engage in sexually violent criminal behavior. Those offenders who are found by a jury to meet the legal definition of a sexually violent predator are committed for an indeterminate term to a locked facility for treatment unless and until they are deemed safe to be released.