BORREGO SPRINGS, Calif. — A sexually violent predator will be placed in Borrego Springs, a judge ruled Friday, months after protests broke out last year about the possibility of the man living in the area, a San Diego County official said.

Supervisor Jim Desmond, District 5, reacted to the judge’s decision Friday to place Douglas Badger, who has served five separate prison terms for convictions including child molestation, kidnapping and forcible oral copulation, in the East County desert community.

“I’m extremely disappointed in the judge’s decision. There’s no place in Borrego Springs, or anywhere, for these abominable criminals to be placed. I’m going to look at every option to continue to fight this placement, and to ensure these placements are stopped,” Desmond said.

The San Diego County supervisor called sexually violent predators “the worst of the worst,” adding the decision is “devastating for the families of Borrego Springs and especially the home-schooled family with two deaf children that live right across the street.”

In August 2022, residents showed up outside the downtown courthouse to protest against Badger potentially being placed in Borrego Springs, following another judge’s ruling the previous month to place 69-year-old sexually violent predator Michael Martinez in the same community.