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Serial Rapist Ordered Into Custody Of State Mental Health

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A serial rapist who was set to be released from prison instead has been committed to a state mental hospital, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said.

Joseph Maggard, who has a lengthy history of violent sexual assaults dating back to the 1960s, was ordered into the custody of the California State Department of Mental Health after a jury found him to be a sexually violent predator.

During the summer of 1980, Maggard terrorized Sacramento by engaging in a series of rapes. He was dubbed the "jogger rapist" because of the clothing he wore during his attacks. In that series of rapes, he was convicted of various forcible sex crimes against four women and served a lengthy prison sentence.

Before Maggard was to be released into the community, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office filed a petition to have Maggard declared a sexually violent predator under California law.

"I would like to thank the jury for their time and hard work," Deputy District Attorney David Brown said in a prepared statement. "I recognize that the testimony was very difficult to listen to at times. Their verdict helps ensure that Sacramento is protected from this individual engaging in future violent sexual offenses."

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