Sacramento-area "Pillowcase Rapist" guilty of failing to register as sex offender in Bakersfield
SACRAMENTO — The convicted sex offender known as the Pillowcase Rapist is headed back to prison — likely for the rest of his life — after being found guilty of failing to register as a sex offender in Bakersfield, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Ronald Feldmeier, 71, previously served 35 years in prison for a string of sexual assaults around the Sacramento area back in the 1980s.
He was released in 2019 due to elder parole laws and was moved to a facility in Bakersfield. His attorney said Feldmeier has Alzheimer's disease and forgot to register within the five-day window.
However, Feldmeier did sign documents, including packets detailing his obligations to register as a sex offender, when he arrived in Kern County, prosecutors said. Additionally, in December 2019, Feldmeier failed to update his address (as required by law) with Bakersfield police when he moved from one residence to another.
Feldmeier faces a sentence of 25 years to life behind bars because of the seriousness of his prior convictions, Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in a news release Tuesday.
A statement from Zimmer said:
"Never have the sex-offender registration requirements been more important than when a violent serial rapist is given early release into our county. Feldmeier failed to comply with the rules required of sex offenders that are designed to keep our community safe from exactly these types of offenders. Feldmeier has, once again, proven himself to be an unreasonable risk to public safety, and we will be seeking a sentence that makes certain that he cannot threaten ours, or any other community ever again."
Feldmeier's sentencing is set for November 21.
