The Chowchilla school bus kidnapper released from prison Wednesday is living with his mother in Mountain View, the city's mayor said in a statement Friday.
Richard Schoenfeld, who along with his brother, James Schoenfeld, and friend Frederick Woods, kidnapped 26 kids and the driver, Ed Ray, from their bus and buried them alive in a van inside a Livermore rock quarry, had been in prison since 1978. All 27 victims escaped.
The 57-year-old Schoenfeld, who will wear a GPS monitor 24 hours a day, was ordered earlier this month to be released, authorities said.
"The state and the courts have determined Mr. Schoenfeld no longer poses a threat to society," Mountain View Mayor Mike Kasperzak said in a statement. "I am confident of our police department and know they will appropriately monitor him to ensure the safety of our community."
Schoenfeld's mother, Merry, declined to answer a reporter's questions when contacted at the residence Friday night. She said, "We have to go" through the closed door of her condominium. A man's voice could be heard on the other side of the door.
Acting Police Chief Mike Hamlin said in a news release that Mountain View police were in communication with parole agents for the past week in preparation for Schoenfeld's release.
"The MVPD will continue to work closely with parole in monitoring Schoenfeld to ensure the safety of our community members," Hamlin said in a statement.
Schoenfeld is a high profile parolee due to the notoriety of his crime, but he not considered a high-risk offender by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
He'll live in a condominium complex that neighbors described as quiet. Mostly elderly residents live there.
One couple, who declined to give their names, said they were surprised to hear Schoenfeld would be living there, but weren't concerned.
Read More: Contra Costa times
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