Hearing Begins to Keep Sexually Violent Predator Civilly Committed

Prosecutors seek to prevent parole-eligible offender Cameron Hooker from being released

Apr. 20, 2026 at 9:54am

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An extreme close-up photograph of a pair of handcuffs against a pitch-black background, lit by a harsh, direct camera flash, conceptually representing the legal proceedings to keep a sexually violent predator confined.The continued civil commitment of a parole-eligible sexually violent predator exposes the complex legal and ethical challenges in balancing public safety with individual rights.San Mateo Today

Prosecutors in San Mateo County, California have initiated a hearing to civilly commit 71-year-old Cameron Hooker, a sexually violent predator who is nearing the end of his prison sentence for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in the 1970s and 80s. A psychiatrist has deemed Hooker a continued threat, leading the District Attorney's Office to pursue an involuntary civil commitment to keep him confined in a state hospital.

Why it matters

This case highlights the complex legal and ethical issues surrounding the civil commitment of sexually violent predators who have served their criminal sentences but are deemed too dangerous to release. It raises questions about balancing public safety with individual rights and the role of the criminal justice system in addressing severe and persistent sexual offenders.

The details

In 1985, Cameron Hooker was convicted of kidnapping a woman who was hitchhiking near Red Bluff, California in 1977. Hooker held the victim captive for over seven years, during which time she was gagged, blindfolded, handcuffed, and kept in a box under Hooker's bed and hung from the rafters in his basement, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and tortured. Hooker was sentenced to 6 to 35 years in prison, plus an additional 69 years. As Hooker's parole date approached in 2020, a prison psychiatrist determined that he was a sexual sadist and a sexually violent predator, leading prosecutors to initiate civil commitment proceedings to keep him confined in a state hospital.

  • In 1977, Hooker kidnapped and held captive a woman who was hitchhiking near Red Bluff.
  • In 1985, Hooker was convicted and sentenced to 6 to 35 years in prison, plus an additional 69 years.
  • Hooker was set to be paroled in 2020, but a prison psychiatrist determined he was a sexually violent predator.

The players

Cameron Hooker

A 71-year-old former mill worker who was convicted in 1985 of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman over a seven-year period in the 1970s and 80s.

Stephen Wagstaffe

The District Attorney of San Mateo County, California, who is leading the civil commitment proceedings against Hooker.

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What they’re saying

“Hooker's case has been referred to the District Attorney's Office, which is spearheading what is called a SVP proceeding, which is a hearing to petition to keep Hooker locked up in a state hospital on a civil commitment.”

— Stephen Wagstaffe, District Attorney

What’s next

The hearing on trial motions began last week and will continue, and then a jury will be chosen in May to determine if Hooker should be civilly committed.

The takeaway

This case highlights the complex legal and ethical challenges in balancing public safety with individual rights when dealing with sexually violent predators who have served their criminal sentences. It raises questions about the role of the criminal justice system in addressing severe and persistent sexual offenders and the use of civil commitment as a means of continued confinement.