SAN DIEGO -- A sexually violent predator with a 20-year history of assaulting male hitchhikers can be released from a mental hospital into the community as long as a treatment plan is in place, a judge ruled Tuesday. Douglas Badger, 63, shook hands with his attorney, Richard Gates, as Superior Court Judge David Gill made his ruling. The judge scheduled a Jan. 27 status hearing to start a process for placing Badger back into San Diego County, where he can be supervised in an outpatient setting. No such plan currently exists, according to court testimony. Assemblyman Juan Vargas, D-Chula Vista,...
