Board President Terry Parker speaks on Christopher Dryden’s potential placement in Galt during the Galt Joint Union High School District’s meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16. Photo by Sean P. Thomas

GALT, CA (MPG) – Both Galt school districts at their board meetings this week announced plans to fight the release of a man into the Galt community who was convicted of sexually assaulting a minor nearly three decades ago. 

The Department of State Hospitals recommended that Christopher Dryden, 47, be placed in a home at 12655 Hauschildt Rd. Dryden is classified as a sexually violent predator, a designation for those who have committed a sexually violent offense against one or more victims and who has been diagnosed with a mental disorder that makes them a danger to others, according to the Department of State Hospitals.

Dryden was prosecuted and convicted in 1998 by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office for two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under 14 years of age and sentenced to six years in state prison.

Following his sentence, Dryden was placed at Coalinga State Hospital after the District Attorney successfully petitioned to have him designated as a sexually violent predator. The Sacramento Superior Court granted a petition to release Dryden to the community for outpatient treatment, based on recommendations made by the Department of State Hospitals in July 2024.

Both school boards approved sending an opposition letters to Judge Kenneth Brody arguing that while the Hauschildt Road residence is within the legal parameters set by the California law under Senate Bill 1034, which prohibits placement within a one-quarter mile of any public or private school, it’s within two miles of Liberty Ranch High School, Marengo Ranch Elementary School and Lake Canyon Elementary School.

Christopher Dryden at his time of incarceration in 1998. Photo courtesy the Megan's Law website 

The letter also notes that school age students live within the vicinity of the Hauschildt Road address. 

“The safety of our students, families and staff is of paramount importance, without incident,” the high school board wrote. “We, the Governing Board, emphatically request that the placement into the Galt community be denied and a new location be sought that is not close to a school and the composition of the population is considered.”

The Elementary School Board echoed those sentiments.

“The nature of this offender’s previous crimes with a child under 14 years of age poses a significant threat to the safety and well-being of our children,” the elementary school board wrote. “The safety of our students cannot be underestimated.”

City officials also plan to host a community forum to discuss resident concerns.

If approved for placement, Dryden will be responsible for complying with any searches requested by law enforcement and share any employment information, including work schedules and travel routes with law enforcement. He is also required to register for life with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office as a convicted sex offender and be subject to GPS monitoring.

The final hearing on the placement is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Jan. 31 in department 24 of the Sacramento Superior Court.