A convicted child sex offender is now a fugitive after a California judge allowed him to remain free on $1 million bail following his conviction, a decision that prosecutors are now sharply criticizing after the man disappeared before sentencing.
Carl Cacconie was convicted on July 17 at the South Lake Tahoe Courthouse of six felony sex crimes involving an 11-year-old girl.
Despite the verdict, Judge Michael McLaughlin, a registered Democrat, permitted him to leave court pending sentencing, which was set for Aug. 25.
He never returned.
According to authorities, Cacconie’s court-ordered ankle monitor, issued through the El Dorado County Probation Department in 2023, went offline on Aug. 17, while he was on Taraval Street in San Francisco.
A probation report filed with the court says officials did not make contact with him until two days later, on Aug. 19.
During that delayed contact, Cacconie claimed the device was simply charging.
Probation officers still could not detect the monitor and instructed him to report to a Bay Area office for inspection. The device never reconnected.
By Aug. 25, the day he was required to appear for sentencing, his family reported him missing.
El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson strongly condemned the decision to release Cacconie after conviction, warning that the ankle monitor created a false sense of security.
“To expect that a person on $1 million bond, who has now been convicted, that merely adding an ankle monitor, which can be easily cut off, adds any real assurance to bringing him back to court, it’s kind of folly,” Pierson told KCRA. “This is a county that prides itself on holding people accountable. And, unfortunately, that’s so far not what has happened.”
Interim Chief Probation Officer for El Dorado County Kaci Smith acknowledged limits in monitoring, telling KCRA, “Probation does not have 24/7 monitoring of electronic devices or 24/7 response. The use of these devices on individuals outside of our geographical jurisdiction creates disadvantages.”
Smith also added, “The department recognizes we could have pursued additional follow-up with the client to ensure he had secured a new/working device.”
Authorities say Cacconie’s family reported he left a suicide note, though investigators believe he is still alive and may be receiving help while evading capture.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has since described Cacconie as a “convicted and violent sexual predator” and is urging the public to help locate him.
Tips can be provided to Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at (916) 443-HELP (4357).
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