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Judge to decide on rapist's release
By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published March 10, 2007
One of Citrus County's most infamous criminals, convicted rapist Bruce Alan Young, apologized in court to his victims Friday as part of his latest attempt to earn freedom. Whether a judge grants his wish remains to be seen. Young, 58, pleaded guilty in 1995 to sexually assaulting patients at Citrus Memorial Hospital. As a nurse, he assaulted the women while they were sedated and helpless. Although his prison term expired in 2005, Young remains confined at the Florida Civil Commitment Center in Arcadia. There, he is involved in an intensive rehabilitation program. He is being held under the state's Jimmy Ryce Act, which allows the state to continue confining sexual predators if prosecutors prove they are likely to reoffend. On Friday, Young asked the court to end the supervision. After hearing testimony during an eight-hour session, Circuit Judge Daniel Merritt Jr. said he would issue a ruling in about two weeks. Young's release proposal calls for him to live in St. Petersburg. A Gainesville psychologist, hired by the state, said Young had not made sufficient progress. But a psychologist testifying for the defense said he thought Young could be safely released.
[Last modified March 10, 2007, 01:49:23]
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