The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office has received notice from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that a registered sex offender is being released early. In November of 2014 Nathaniel Sheppard was convicted of failing to register as a sex offender, an offense which carries a maximum of 3 years in state prison. On December 1, 2014 he was sentenced to 16 months in state prison and he was eligible to serve that sentence at 50% time (with credit for good behavior he would be eligible for release after 8 months or in August of 2015). The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office received notice that Mr. Sheppard will be released on April 20, 2015 after having served a little over 4 months of his sentence. The notification of the early release from CDCR gives no explanation as to the reason for the early release. CDCR has implemented various early release programs in an effort to reduce the statewide prison population following the 2009 case of Plata v. Schwartzenegger where the federal 3 Judge Panel court found that overcrowding at CDCR resulted in unconstitutional medical care.
