ALSO SEE: Request that the Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General do a Risk Assessment

Susanville Police Department Sex Offender Registry Susanville Public Safety Chief, Allen Sobol "

May 20, 2026
City of Susanville City Council
Public Comment

Good evening, Mayor and City Council.
My name is Ronald Wood. I have been a resident of Susanville for over 30 years and a business owner for over 19 years. I am here to express my concerns and request for a formal review of the Susanville Police Department Sex Registry.

Over five months ago I contacted the department with information concerning a convicted sex offender in Susanville. The convicted sex offender name is William Paulsen. New Jersey records show that he was charged, convicted and served time in prison in that state for Aggravated Sexual Assault Penetration on a minor under 13 years age. It should be noted that the minor was his daughter.

Our city's police department and Police Chief initial response was to suggest that Mr. Paulsen's sex offense was so long ago that it was of little concern. It should be noted that this reasoning was used to wrongfully justify the police department's position that Mr. Paulsen was not subject to provisions of the State of California Megan's Law Registry. The law is clear. There is no statue of limitations for being convicted as a sex offender or to registration requirements.

After my exchange with the Susanville Police Department, I redirected by concerns in a written correspondence to the State's Attorney General's Office. In response to my letter, I received a phone call from Brian Siegal, the Assistant Attorney General. He informed me that he had called and left a message with our city's Police Chief asking to speak with him. Couple weeks later, I had a second conversation with the Assistant Attorney General and he informed me that he has called the Susanville Police Department at least two times and never received a call from the Police Chief or department. I reached out to our mayor and she told me that she had communicated directly with City Manager Dan Newton. The mayor shared that the City Manager was informed by the police Department that William Paulsen, 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.

QUESTIONS
The Susanville police Department's lack of transparency is an affront to the State of California Megan's Law Registry and likely out of compliance to the law. Many questions remain about Susanville's Police Department Sex Offender Registry.

1. When was the Police Department sex offender registry created?
2. Was the Police Department registry created to protect convicted sex offenders?
3. When did Mr. Paulsen first register on Susanville Police Department Sex Offender Registry, before I was raised the issue or after this public inquiry began?
4. There must be a history of registrations? How many others are on Susanville's Police Department Sex Offender private list?
5. Does the Susanville Police Department Sex Offender registry have any legal/working connections to the State's Megan's Law Registry?
6. Is the city's registry currently in full compliance with California Penal Code section 290?
7. Susanville Police Department must know that the transparency of the California sex offender Registry (Megan's Law Registry) is for the protection of the Public. Why isn't Susanville's Police Department Sex Offender registry transparent to the public as well?

Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General Criminal Justice Division 13300 1 Street Sacramento, California 95814-2919

26 January 2026

Ref:	California Sex Offender Registration Act
Subject:	Request that the Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General do a Risk Assessment on a convicted sex offender William Paulsen. DOB 15 June 1948

Attorney General,

My name is Ronald Wood. I'm the Commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Susanville, California. lim requesting that the Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General do a Risk Assessment on a convicted sex offender William Paulsen and take the appropriate action.

The subject in this matter William Paulsen made the claim that he was a Sergeant First Class in the Army National Guard out of New Jersey. As the Commander we conducted an inquiry in New Jersey and found out that he was not in the Army National Guard (Stolen Valor) as he stated but instead we discovered that in 1988/1989 he was arrested and convicted in New Jersey for Aggregated Sexual Assault Penetration on a minor under the age of 13. The victim minor was his own daughter. William Paulsen spent 5 years in New Jersey State Prison system for his unorthodox behavior. At the time of his conviction New Jersey did not have a sex registry. Over the years he has been under the radar to register as a sex offender. (See Exhibit A)

We have some concerns with our local law enforcement agency. Several months ago we discovered that a former member of our post, William Paulsen was a convicted felon. You are not allowed to be a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars is 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 William Paulsen and placed him on Megan's Law Registry, without any success. On 22 January 2026, I was notified by an ernployee of the Susanville Police Department, Sergeant Kevin Singletary that the Public Safety Chief, Allen Sobol informed him that theDepartment of Justice said William Paulsen 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 of had an opportunity ascertain William Paulsen appropriate tier designation for Megan's Law Registry and not the police department. In my opinion William Paulsen 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. William Paulsen is threat to our community.

In closing, I want thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.
Respectfully Submitted,

Ronald L. Wood Commander
VFW POST 2381
1205 Main Street, Suite 102
Susanville, CA 96130