Local resident expresses questions and concerns regarding the lack of a listing on the Susanville Police Department’s Sex Registry and Megan’s Law

Local resident Ron Wood expressed his concerns regarding the lack of a listing of an alleged sex offender on the Susanville Police Department’s Sex Registry and Megan’s Law during public comment at the Susanville City Council’s Wednesday, May 20 meeting.

Wood also requested a formal review of the Susanville Police Department’s Sex Registry.

Wood said he contacted the Susanville Police Department more than five months ago regarding an alleged sex offender not listed on the Megan’s Law website, and he was told the “sex offense was so long ago that it was of little concern” and therefore “this reasoning was used to wrongfully justify the police department’s position that (the individual) was not subject to provisions of the State of California Megan’s Law Registry.

Wood alleged the Attorney General’s office informed him the Susanville Police Department did not return its calls seeking information on this matter.

“I reached out to our mayor and she told me that she had communicated directly with City Manager Dan Newton,” Wood said. “The mayor shared that the City Manager was informed by the police department that  … the convicted sex offender, was placed on Susanville Police Department Sex registry. The Susanville Police Department Sex Offender Registry is not currently available to the public.”

Wood asked the following questions during public comment.

At Lassen News’ request, Allen Sobol, Susanville’s Interim Public Safety Chief, responded to Wood’s questions.

According to a letter Jan. 26 letter Wood wrote to the California Attorney General, Wood asked the attorney general to do a risk assessment on an individual he alleges was arrested and convicted in New Jersey of aggregated sexual assault penetration on a minor under the age of 13, his own daughter. Wood alleges this individual was sentenced to five years in a New Jersey state prison.

According to Wood’s letter, “We have some concerns with our local law enforcement agency. Several months ago we discovered that a former member of our post … was a convicted felon. You are not allowed to be a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars if you have felony conviction. We made several attempts to get the local police department to forward the information to the Office of the Attorney General, so the DOJ could do a Risk Assessment on (the individual) and place him on Megan’s Law Registry, without any success. On 22 January 2026, I was notified by an employee of the Susanville Police Department, Sergeant Kevin Singletary, that the Public Safety Chief, Allen Sobol informed him that the Department of Justice said  … (the individual’s) criminal violation is too old to put him on Megan’s Law Registry. I don’t see anything in the DOJ tier system that addresses the age of the violation. Please tell me that is not factual. If anything DOJ should have had an opportunity ascertain (the individual’s) appropriate tier designation for Megan’s Law Registry and not the police department. In my opinion (the individual’s) situation was not presented to the Department of Justice for Risk Assessment. Because of the heinous crime on a minor, he would most likely be sitting in tier-3 category on Megan’s Law Registry. (The individual) is (a) threat to our community.”