On May 20, Paul Schreiber, 51, was committed to the Coalinga State Hospital for mental health treatment, according to a press release from San Benito County District Attorney Candice Hooper.
Subsequent to a jury trial held at San Benito County Superior Court the week of May 17, a petition for commitment as a sexually violent predator (SVP) was found to be true, according to the release.
Hooper stated in the release that she was pleased with the verdict.
According to Superior Court of San Benito County records, Schreiber has been charged with and convicted of violent felonies and sexual acts against three children under 16 in Hollister and San Juan Bautista going back to 2009. He was listed as a sexual offender in 2004.
“Schreiber was sentenced to six years in state prison in April 2004, and was released in approximately November 2008, so he served over four years of his six year sentence,” said Karen Forcum, deputy district attorney. “For the second offense, he served slightly over seven years of his 11 year sentence. For the two offenses, Schreiber served over 11 years. That 11 years does not include the additional state prison time he served for at least one parole violation. The reason the time Schreiber served in custody is lower than the actual sentence is that prisoners are entitled to conduct credits.”
Schreiber was due to be paroled from Avenal State Prison May 18, 2020. The proceedings to have Schreiber committed as a sexually violent predator had been initiated, but at the time of his release from Avenal no trial on the SVP issue had been scheduled. Since he had served his sentence he could not be held any longer at Avenal.
“Because the jury found the petition to designate Schreiber a sexually violent predator to be true, he will be transferred from the Santa Clara County Main Jail (where he is being held as a courtesy to the San Benito County Jail because of special housing requirements pending this type of trial) to the Coalinga State Hospital,” Forcum said.
Forcum said when Schreiber is eventually released from the state hospital he will not return to prison “unless that is a consequence of any parole violation.” She said under state code he will be examined once a year to determine if he is still considered to be a sexually violent predator.
Among the charges since 2004, Schreiber faced multiple prison sentences of 25 years to life each, yet according to Forcum, he served a little over 11 years.
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