Borrego Sun - Since 1949

On or about May 11, Sheriff's deputies visited houses in the Deep Well Community of Borrego Springs to deliver notification about the pending placement of Sexually Violent Predator Douglas Badger in their neighborhood.

Neighbors reported that the deputies required signatures from neighbors before giving them the letters. At least two neighbors were away for family business or medical and reported that they have not been contacted at all – so notification was far from complete.

The placement was made either on May 19 or May 20. All exterior windows of the house remain completely boarded over.

We asked a County Code Enforcement Officer, Brad Hernandez, if a landlord was allowed to rent/lease a house in such condition. We asked in writing if having all windows boarded over was a code enforcement violation and if it was deemed habitable by the county, Brad did not answer the question.

Several weeks ago, a Deputy Sheriff told a neighbor that SVP Badger uses a wheelchair. If so, the house would need at least one access ramp. From the outside of the house, the front door has three concrete steps going up from the drive to the house. Interior and exterior doors need to meet American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for habitability. Is this house considered habitable by San Diego County Code Enforcement?

As of May 22, fencing material was being delivered and installation began on a fence around the property.

Photographs from the realty advertisement of the 1619 Zuni Trail property clearly showed interior damage, including a collapsed ceiling. Since purchasing the house on Zuni Trail, Mr. Hany Botros has accused neighbors of vandalizing the house. While the house was vacant, Mr. Botros called the sheriff's office one night to report vandalism, presumably from the cameras mounted on the house eaves.

A Deputy Sheriff arrived at a next door neighbor's house at approximately 2:30 am. and began shining lights in the windows. When the deputy knocked on their front door, he asked the neighbor and his wife if they had vandalized the house next door. Shocked and surprised, they told the deputy that they had not vandalized the house and asked why he was accusing them. The deputy left. The deputy returned the next day and required the neighbor to allow his hands be photographed – looking for proof of injuries from vandalism.

The landlord, Mr. Hany Botros, has never resided in Borrego Springs and owns two properties that he purchased and rents to Liberty Healthcare in Borrego Springs, and several more houses elsewhere in California, for the purpose of housing Sexually Violent Predators. During the past several months, Mr. Botros' gray Tesla was seen parked at the property on Zuni Trail with the license plates removed. Removing vehicle license plates can be a tactic to prevent vehicle identification by collection agents.

On Sunday May 21, the windows of the house are all boarded over with the exception of a sidelight beside the front door. This is easily observable from the public road in front of the house.

At 3 p.m. the same day, a reporter of the Borrego Sun Newspaper, drove to the property. Two cars were parked outside the house and a man was seated on the front porch. When the reporter stopped in the street, the unidentified man ran out to the street and demanded that they leave. The reporter told the man that they wanted to request an interview with the occupant of the house. The man told the reporter to leave, that they were not allowed to take photographs of the property. As they were leaving, the reporter said that the man ran down the street after them.

SVP Badger was convicted of offenses that include child molestation, kidnapping and forcible oral copulation, with his victims predominately being male strangers, many of them hitchhikers, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.

He is classified as a sexually violent predator, a designation for those convicted of sexually violent offenses and diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them likely to re-offend. After serving their prison sentences, SVPs may undergo treatment at state hospitals, but may also petition courts to continue treatment in supervised outpatient locations.

SVP Badger was previously recommended for conditional release into a home in the Mount Helix neighborhood, which drew considerable pushback from residents and a judge eventually ruling against placing Badger there.

Another placement was proposed last year for a home in Rancho Bernardo, but the owners of the home later withdrew their agreement to allow their property to house SVPs.